FanPost

Our Mock 3 - Round 2

With the first round of voting, fans once more overwhelmingly supported drafting a tackle, this time being Taylor Lewan of Michigan (51%). In second place was WR Mike Evans (33%) and TE Eric Ebron in third (8%). Here’s a potential breakdown of the draft leading to the Bills pick provided no trades occur…

2014 NFL Draft

1. Houston Texans

QB Blake Bortles

2. St. Louis Rams

OT Greg Robinson

3. Jacksonville Jags

DE Jadeveon Clowney

4. Cleveland Browns

QB Teddy Bridgewater

5. Oakland Raiders

WR Sammy Watkins

6. Atlanta Falcons

DE Khalil Mack

7. Tampa Bay Bucs

OT Jake Matthews

8. Minnesota Vikings

QB Johnny Manziel

9. Buffalo Bills

OT Taylor Lewan

Lewan is a solid tackle to draft; he has good measurements, a big body (desirable in a right tackle), excellent quickness and a lot of good tape. Lewan could have also been a top 10 tackle last year so this is a very good pick for the Bills to make even if procuring a right tackle is not the biggest need for them.

Speaking of needs, the Bills still could use potential starters at free safety and a big wide receiver. They could also use solid depth supporters that could play 50% of the time at tight end, and a 4-3 defensive end. Linebacker, halfback, and the offensive line could also use some more depth, but it is unlikely with free agency moves that the Bills will target someone there in the second round. Here are a dozen prospects to consider for the second round of Our Mock. (Note 40 times are unofficial from Combine)

THE PROSPECTS

TE Jace Amaro – Texas Tech [6-5, 265, 4.62]
The Bills could look to add a tight end despite bringing back Chandler to be a solid #2 threat. Amaro needs more work as a blocker, but is a proven receiving threat as well having made 106 receptions for 1,352 yards (12.8 avg) and 7 TDs. At the combine, he had 28 bench press reps to Ebron’s 24.

TE Troy Niklas – Notre Dame [6-7, 270, 4.84]
Niklas meanwhile did very well at the Combine in drills and with 27 bench reps, and is a big blocking TE. In 2013 Niklas recorded 32 catches for 498 yards (15.6 avg) and 5 TDs, but one area of concern is his speed.

TE A. Seferian-Jenkins – Washington [6-6, 262, 4.75]
ASJ was a top-3 TE prospect for much of this past season, but his stock took a hit given injury concerns and work ethic. He caught 36 passes for 450 yards (12.5 avg) and 8 TDs this past year. He had a surprisingly low bench total of 20 at the Combine.

WR Martavis Bryant – Clemson [6-4, 211, 4.34]
Bryant went from an early Day 3 to an early Day 2 prospect after a solid Combine outing. He still needs some work with his receiving ability, but from a physical standpoint looked great between his big size, great speed and a 39" vertical. This season he made 42 catches for 828 yards (19.7 avg) and 7 TDs.

WR Jordan Matthews – Vanderbilt [6-3, 212, 4.40]
Matthews did well to settle doubts about his speed with an impressive 40 at the Combine and a decent 35.5" vertical to boot. He has very big hands as well. Matthews was a workhorse at Vandy hauling in 112 passes for 1,477 yards (13.2 avg) and 7 TDs.

WR Allen Robinson – Penn St [6-3, 220, 4.56]
Robinson fell out of first round contention due to a sluggish 40, but still is a solid receiving threat. Plus he also had a nice 39" vertical. He had 97 receptions on the year for 1,432 yards (14.8 avg) and 6 TDs.

DE Scott Crichton – Oregon St [6-3, 273, 4.78]
The Bills could use a 4-3 DE to complement Hughes under Schwartz’s new system. Crichton is a bigger defensive end that does well in run stuffing. He had a respectable Combine, but got more buzz throughout the season where he finished with 47 tackles (19 for loss), 7.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.

DE Trent Murphy – Stanford [6-5, 250, 4.75]
Murphy has some speed issues but is a big run sealer with pass rushing ability. Technically Murphy has been a 3-4 OLB, but if he could add a good 10 pounds in upper-body, could easily play on the line. In 2013, Murphy made 62 tackles (23.5 for loss), 15 sacks, 5 hurries and 6 passes broken up. Both he and Crichton had 1.62’ 10 yard splits, but Murphy had fewer bench reps (24 to 19) at the Combine.

FS Dion Bailey – USC [6-0, 201, 4.66]
Marrone might take a chance with both Williams starting in safety slots, but we could go with a prospect with high upside instead. Bailey split times at linebacker, but as a safety has a lot of potential to become a solid starter. He did well at the Combine too. In 2013 he posted 62 tackles (6.2 for loss), 6 passes defended and 5 picks.

FS Deone Bucannon – Washington St [6-1, 211, 4.49]
Bucannon has seen his stock rise throughout the year and did very well at the Combine posting 19 bench press reps too. He had 114 tackles (4.5 for loss), 3 FFs and 6 interceptions in his last season. At the Combine he had 19 bench reps and a 36.5" vertical.

FS LaMarcus Joyner – Florida St [5-8, 184, 4.52]
Joyner is undersized, but he has great tape showing good instincts and that he is a very hard-hitter. He did fairly well at the Combine with a 37.5" vertical and 14 bench press reps. In 2013 he recorded 69 tackles (7 for loss), 5 sacks, 3 hurries, 3 FFs, 2 picks and 4 passes broken-up.

FS Jimmie Ward – Northern Illinois [5-11, 193, 4.59]
Ward has been a steady riser up to the Combine after a solid senior year. He was a steady playmaker and finished with a nice 95 tackles (2.5 for loss), 10 passes defended and 7 interceptions. Ward is technically a strong safety, but could play the deep ball if needed which is preferable since he lacks the upper-body strength to take on blockers.

Go Bills!

Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.