We've finally reached it, fellow Rumblers. Today marks the finale to the Buffalo Rumblings Authors Mock which has sparked excellent conversation and debate throughout this week. The picks aren't interesting, and they're not meant to be; they have to be made, however, and you might learn a thing or two about some late-round draft prospects that may end up being Buffalo Bills in late April.
Once again, the four authors of this blog - sireric, jri111, Kurupt and myself - have had a lot of fun putting together this mock for everyone to critique, and we plan on doing it once more right before the draft. (Don't forget that we'll be discussing the SB Nation Mock Draft as well, which is set to start relatively soon as well - more details on that coming soon.) We think this mock has gone well, but we know it can be better - that's where y'all come in. We'd like you to tell us what you liked and disliked about our little undertaking, not only from a picks/strategical standpoint, but also from how the mocks themselves were presented to you. We hope that this project has been both informative and enlightening to some of you, especially in light of the conversations that the mocks have sparked. Before we get into detail what we'd like to hear from you, however, let's wrap up the picks:
Brian Galliford's Picks
6-170. Todd Blythe, WR, Iowa State.
- New Era Scouting confirms that the Bills have already spoken with Blythe pre-draft (along with USC TE F. Davis and Missouri TE M. Rucker). Blythe has "Dick Jauron type of guy" written all over him - he was productive in college, has great size (6'5", 214 pounds) and works his tail off. He's also been described as "a terror in the red zone". Smart, tough, hard-working and willing to do whatever it takes to get onto the field? Sounds like a Buffalo Bill to me. He could fill the special teams role of Sam Aiken and has a bit more offensive potential as well.
7-202. Jerrid Gaines, CB, Miami (OH).
- Solid size/speed combo (5'11", 189 pounds, 4.45 40) make him worth a late-round gamble. He was moderately productive in his final two college seasons, but would need to prove his worth on special teams to make Buffalo's roster.
7-220. David Hale, OT, Weber State.
- 6'6", 314-pound late-round prospect with marginal athleticism. He's a hard worker and athletic enough to play with the pros. He'd be competition for Patrick Estes as the fourth tackle and would be worth stashing on the practice squad.
Sireric's Picks
6-170. Jeff Cavender, C, Boise State.
- This pick is for line coach Sean Kugler. Cavender is a former Kugler student at Boise State who can play either center or guard, but projects better as a center. At 6'1" and 303 pounds he lacks the size of the rest of the Bills' O-Line, but his familiarity with Kugler and solid collegiate career make him a good fit.
7-202. Evan Moore, WR, Stanford.
- 6'7" and 235 pounds will get you noticed. Moore started his college career off well, posting 39 catches for 616 yards and 6 scores. Injuries robbed him of most of '05 and about half of '06, but in '07 - playing on another bad Stanford team - he posted 39 catches for 481 yards and a touchdown. He's also familiar with Trent Edwards, which is a plus.
7-220. Sir Darean Adams , S/LB, Michigan State.
- With a name like this, how could I not promote drafting this guy? Right now Sir Darean Adams is a 'tweener. He's listed at 6'0", 230 pounds, which is a little big for a safety and smallish for a linebacker. But if he can add about 15 pounds he could be a great addition for this team. He's a do-everything, all-purpose player who has garnered a reputation as a tremendous leader. Let's see: a specials team's ace, great leader, and a bit of a 'tweener. Does this guy remind you of anybody?
Jri111's Picks
6-170. Antwaun Molden, CB, Eastern Kentucky
- At 6'1" and 198 lbs, Molden would add much needed size to the secondary (especially since Flowers is on the smaller end). He has a great vertical (37.5 - that's good for third best at his position) and good speed (4.39). He plays physical and has the build to play press coverage. The Bills only have three NFL worthy corners on the roster, and Greer's contract is up next year (McGee's the year after that). Flowers was a good start, andMolden adds potential/depth. Again, I thought about DE here, but there is no real value at this pick and I'm not going to take one just to take one.
7-202. Robert Felton, OG, Arkansas.
- At 6'4" and 313 pounds, the former Arkansas blocker would be a good project and add much needed depth on the O-line. He's versatile, having played four positions on the line (both guard spots and both tackle spots).
7-220. Curtis Gatewood, LB, Vanderbilt.
- A late round draft pick that would have the chance to back up Angelo Crowell. He has decent size (6'2", 248 lbs) and is versatile (played two years at DE in college). His upsides are his athleticism, speed, and pass rushing ability; his weaknesses are his lateral movement and his coverage ability.
Kurupt's Picks
6-170. Fernando Velasco, C, Georgia.
- I am sick and tired of Melvin Fowler and his "ability" to get pushed into the backfield like he was a blocking sled. It's imperative we find his future replacement in this draft, in my opinion. I'd much rather go after a player with some size at the position, instead of a Fowler-sized player which seems to be what the top C prospects are in this draft. Velasco is one of the bigger centers this year (6'4", 320 lbs) and has performed at a high level in the SEC. He's been pegged as a later round prospect, but I wouldn't be surprised if he went a little earlier than this. I think it's time we finally develop a center from within and this is the guy I'd like to see groomed as Fowler's 2009 replacement.
7-202. Curtis Johnson, DE/OLB, Clark-Atlanta.
- With decent depth (at least experience-wise) at LB, I think we will have the option to take a flyer on a guy with some upside. Johnson, younger brother of JR Johnson from Syracuse lore, is a small school prospect who dominated at times accruing 13.5 sacks this past season. He may project better as an OLB in a 3-4 scheme, but he's got the size, speed and athleticism to either develop into a solid 4-3 OLB or an undersized pass rusher. Either way, he'd be an excellent addition to our special teams and could really surprise as a situational pass rusher. One thing is for sure, you can never have enough pass rushing threats (especially when you barely have any as it is).
7-220. Chad Simpson, RB, Morgan State.
- What do we need another RB for? Well, I'm not sold on Dwayne Wright in any way, and Fred Jackson doesn't overwhelm either. He's a nice player, but does have some limits. I like Simpson because of his good size and speed combination (5'8", 216 lbs, 4.42 speed), and his ability to return kicks. He doesn't have much receiving experience and only really dominated his level for this past season, but his athleticism and potential are there. I think, at worst, he could become a special teams ace for us and gives us another guy who could take over for McGee at kick returner.
And, of course, each author's mock in its full glory:
1-11. Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
2-42. Jason Jones, DE, Eastern Michigan
3-71. Tyvon Branch, CB, Connecticut
4-110. Gary Barnidge, TE, Louisville
5-135. Ezra Butler, LB, Nevada
6-170. Todd Blythe, WR, Iowa State
7-202. Jerrid Gaines, CB, Miami (OH)
7-220. David Hale, OT, Weber State
sireric
1-11. Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
2-42. Reggie Smith, DB, Oklahoma
3-71. Josh Johnson, QB, San Diego
4-110. Earl Bennett, WR, Vanderbilt
5-135. Gary Barnidge, TE, Louisville
6-170. Jeff Cavender, C, Boise State
7-202. Evan Moore, WR, Stanford
7-220. Sir Darean Adams, S/LB, Michigan State
jri111
1-11. Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
2-42. Brandon Flowers, CB, Virginia Tech
3-71. Dustin Keller, TE, Purdue
4-110. Owen Schmitt, FB, West Virginia
5-135. Kory Lichtensteiger, C, Bowling Green
6-170. Antwaun Molden, CB, Eastern Kentucky
7-202. Robert Felton, OG, Arkansas
7-220. Curtis Gatewood, LB, Vanderbilt
Kurupt
1-11. Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
2-42. Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona
3-71. Jordy Nelson, WR, Kansas State
4-110. Jermichael Finley, TE, Texas
5-135. Dwight Lowery, CB, San Jose State
6-170. Fernando Velasco, C, Georgia
7-202. Curtis Johnson, DE/LB, Clark-Atlanta
7-220. Chad Simpson, RB, Morgan State
Again, the four of us had a lot of fun putting this together, and that was amplified when we got feedback on our work - all excellent feedback, by the way. What we'd like to know is this: how would you like to see future mocks unveiled? What critiques do you have about how information was presented, and how much you learned/felt we left out? We've already got tons and tons of excellent information to sift through in regards to the picks and strategies themselves; we appreciate the discussions you've had to date.
And also - if y'all feel like grading, ranking, further poking, or ego stroking the drafts and/or the authors, feel free. This is your last chance to talk Bills mock until the SB Nation Mock - unless, of course, you write up your own seven-round Bills mock draft. I suggest you start studying up on your draft prospects, folks - we've got an announcement coming Monday that will make any draft homework you do before that day very worthwhile. Looking forward to one final day of feedback on the Buffalo Rumblings Authors Mock.