If NFL.com's Gil Brandt is considered the go-to source for evaluations on soon-to-be pro football players, then Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News is the go-to guy for predicting where said prospects will end up.
Gosselin has released the first iteration of his annual mock draft, and with the ninth overall selection, Gosselin has the Buffalo Bills selecting Iowa tackle Bryan Bulaga.
In this scenario, both of the draft's top quarterbacks - Sam Bradford (St. Louis) and Jimmy Clausen (Cleveland) - are off the board. It's fairly well-known that the Bills would like to add a starting-caliber tackle as early in the draft as possible, and with two off the board in this mock - Russell Okung (Washington) and Trent Williams (Seattle) - the selection of Bulaga to Buffalo makes a great deal of sense.
There are some questions about Bulaga's long-term viability as a left tackle, and folks will consistently bring up last year's thyroid condition despite the fact that he's been cleared by multiple doctors regarding that issue. Bulaga, a junior entrant, is a smart, tough technician that is considered one of the safest investments in the draft thanks to his tremendous work ethic and, obviously, his playing talents. He'd be penciled in immediately as the starting left tackle in Buffalo.
In this mock scenario, Gosselin has the Bills passing on OT Anthony Davis (Rutgers), NT Dan Williams (Tennessee), RB C.J. Spiller (Clemson) and QB Tim Tebow (Florida), all of whom are considered legitimate candidates to be the Bills' first-round pick next week.