Rumblings Authors Mock, V2.0: Round 6/7 Picks

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Wondering who the Buffalo Bills are going to pick in this weekend's NFL Draft? The authors of Buffalo Rumblings have you covered. Over the entire week leading into the draft, the four authors of Rumblings have unveiled the second version of their Authors Mock, in which each author makes Bills selections for all seven rounds of the NFL Draft. Rounds 1-5 have already been unveiled (see below for picks); here's how each author sees the closing rounds of the draft shaking out for the Bills:

Brian Galliford's Picks

6-179: Todd Blythe, WR, Iowa State
- I chose Blythe in Version One of this mock draft, and here he'll remain. I like Blythe's size and red zone production, and the Bills reportedly do as well. He's got growth potential and could eventually be a solid possession receiver, and, of course, he has special teams potential as well. About as safe as a sixth-round pick can get.

7-219: DeJuan Tribble, CB, Boston College
- Tribble, once thought of as a second or third-round pick, has seen his draft stock slide tremendously as he's had trouble with the law and run slow 40 times. He may never be more than a nickel back, but Tribble is a physical tackler who would excel in Buffalo's Cover 2, where the nickel cornerback must be a solid tackler. If he can keep his head screwed on straight (and Buffalo may be one of the few franchises where he could do that), he'd be a great value pick in the seventh round. He may just end up lasting this long as well.

7-224: Adam Spieker, C, Missouri
- I'm not as high on Spieker as some (ahem, Matt Miller) because his physical tools aren't outstanding and will limit his pro potential. But he's a tough, smart player with top intangibles, and it's hard to count those guys out. I don't think he'll ever be anything more than a backup, and that should cause him to slide on draft day, but he'd be a smart pick this late.

7-251: Derek Lokey, DT, Texas
- Think Dan Klecko. Lokey is an undersized, never-say-die defensive tackle that's tough and plays very hard, but just doesn't have what it takes physically to contribute consistently on defense. He's being looked at as a blocking fullback as well - just like Klecko. Special teams value as well.

Sireric's Picks

6-179: Trevor Scott, DE, Buffalo
- I do like some of the latter round DE prospects; I just don't see them having the huge impact that guys like Harvey, or even Merling would have. At 6-5/256 Scott still ran a 4.54 40, and did 32 reps of 225 pounds. He's got size, speed, and strength. Plus he's kind of a local boy, and you can't beat that. The Bills need to start developing DEs for the future, and it should start with this draft.

7-219: Paul Smith, QB, Tulsa
- I WANT A QB. And I'm going to take one. I thought about T.C. Ostrander from Stanford, but then I knew that would spark all of the west coast offense/Stanford/Schonert/Edwards/Walsh/Montana nonsense, so I went with Smith. He's a little small (6-1, 208) but he gets it done and against big time college programs too. He tossed for 454 yards and five touchdowns against BYU, and the next week went 22-of-32, 350 yards, two scores against Oklahoma. Besides, Buffalo has had success with smallish QBs who get it done (maybe he can wear #7).

7-224: Spencer Larsen, LB, Arizona
- Not the fastest, not the strongest, just a guy who gets it done. Larsen is a great leader, both on and off the field, and happened to lead the Wildcats in tackles last year. He probably doesn't have the speed to play outside, but he could be a solid backup to Poz, moving DiGiorgio to the weak side, and making Ellison expendable.

7-251: Mike Gibson, G, California
- The Bills have had a little success with Cal players of late and at 6-4/310 Gibson has good size and speed. He may not be starter material right away, but if he stays healthy he could provide solid depth, as he has the ability to play Tackle as well.

Jri111's Picks

6-179: Chase Ortiz, DE, TCU
- Ortiz is a 6'2", 249 pound DE from TCU who is quick and has exceptional intangibles. He is technically sound and uses his hands well. His biggest downside is his size and his ability to hold up against the run. Sound familiar? Bills Pro Bowl DE Aaron Schobel is also a TCU alum who is 6'4", 243 pounds. He is also "undersized" and has problems against the run. Can the Bills strike gold twice with two undersized DEs from TCU? Definitely worth a 6th round pick to find out!

7-219: Brandon Keith, OT, Northern Illinois
- At 6'5" and 343 pounds he was able to run a 5.19 40-yard dash. Keith is very athletic for his size and is exceptional in the run game. He is very raw though and has some character issues. His upside is big though and may be a perfect "project"/practice squad player for a few years. If he doesn't work out, the Bills don't lose much.

7-224: Curtis Gatewood, OLB, Vanderbilt
- Gatewood would be a good project OLB. At 6'2", 248 he was more of a 'tweener in college, and played two years at OLB and two years at DE. His best attributes are his pass rushing ability, and he could eventually be a good LB down the road. He could spend the year on the practice squad or even see action as a special teamer in '08. His pass rushing ability may result in some situational playing opportunities as well.

7-251: Keilen Dykes, DT, West Virginia
- Can never have too much line depth. I don't know too much about Dykes, so he was kind of a "shot in the dark."

Kurupt's Picks

6-179: Breno Giacomini, OT, Louisville
- Our OL really needs to add some depth, especially at tackle. Kirk Chambers was OK last year filling in for Peters, but I don't see him as a long term solution as a third tackle. Matt Murphy is taking the Jason Peters approach to becoming an NFL tackle, but I'm not sure he'll have the success. With that, I think we need to bring in a young tackle to mold into a nice role player with starting potential. Giacomini, also a former college TE, is a good athlete with the frame to play OT in the NFL, has pretty good feet and technique for a player still learning the position and provides a bit of nastiness as well. He definitely needs to add some more weight and refine his technique in the run game, but would have ample opportunity to do so his first season or two in the league.

7-219: Maurice Murray, DT, New Mexico State
- Murray is a raw DT prospect, but has excellent size (6'3", 334 lbs) and is athletic enough to be a penetrator in our scheme. He likely wouldn't contribute much this season, which we would hope isn't necessary as it is, so we can let this guy improve over the course of the season and hopefully make an impact next season. I'm really not high on the undersized DT philosophy this team has been utilizing, so it's time we bring in a guy with the size to hold down the fort in the middle.

7-224: Hilee Taylor, DE, North Carolina
- Taylor has great versatility and is a pretty good athlete. He played DE for the Tar Heels and had good success this past year with 10.5 sacks. He has good pass rushing skills and the size to play both DE and LB. He also ran pretty well at his Pro Day coming in at 4.58 in the 40. I like the idea of adding a situational pass rusher who may be able to develop into a Rosevelt Colvin type player. Taylor will likely have to transition to OLB in the pros like Colvin did, and has the speed and athleticism to do so, while maintaining the ability to be a threat off the edge. Taylor, at the very least, has the ability to help our special teams. We do need some guys to replace the likes of Josh Stamer and Mario Haggan. Taylor is a player that could come in right away and play a role in our continued top notch special teams unit. I also really like Curtis Gatewood from Vanderbilt here, a pretty similar player to Taylor.

7-251: Mike Cox, FB, Georgia Tech
- I had Chad Simpson (RB Morgan State) here in our first mock, but feel he could be gone by now based on his size/speed combination. I'm not on the Owen Schmitt bandwagon and feel taking a FB before the 6th round is a waste. A guy like Mike Cox would provide our offense a similar impact. He's one of the best blocking FBs in the draft, but isn't going to offer much in the way of catching the ball. I don't feel Schonert is going to be big on getting the FB the ball, so why take a guy like Schmitt or Peyton Hillis earlier in the draft? We can get the blocking FB we need late in the draft, or even as an undrafted free agent.

So that does it! Each Rumblings author has now publicly made all ten of his picks. Here's how those picks look as a complete mock draft:

For one last installment of the authors mock before the actual NFL Draft, please leave your final thoughts and comments about the players and strategies taken in this mock. After this post, all mocking stops. It's all draft coverage from here on out, folks.