For a second straight week, I've gotten enough quality emails from readers - most of them related to the 2011 NFL Draft, obviously - to put up a mailbag post. This behavior is encouraged, friends; send your inquiries my way to buffalorumblings@gmail.com (perhaps with "Mailbag" in the title) and I'll work the questions into this weekly post. Anything and everything Buffalo Bills-related is welcome.
Q: Assuming Cam Newton came to Buffalo and was successful, would he stay in Buffalo after his rookie contract expired? I would like to think that the fans in Buffalo could win Cam over, but I am scared that a small market team could not contain Cam for long. - Alex
A: There isn't really a good way to answer that question, but it's easy to see where the fear comes from. Put it this way: if Newton turned out to be worth keeping around, the Bills would make sure it happened. Perhaps more importantly, it would be incredibly disappointing - and therefore, it's extremely unlikely - that this line of thought would play a role in the Bills' decision on draft day, should Newton be available.
Q: Would Buddy Nix trade up for Newton, and what exactly would it take to do so? If Buffalo is serious about obtaining a franchise QB and rank Newton on the top of their board, then the math kind of adds up. - Michael
A: In the spirit of playing along, it would almost certainly take the team's first (No. 3), second (No. 34) and third (No. 68) picks just to get Carolina's No. 1 - particularly since locked out players currently can't be part of the trade package. That's a tremendous price to pay for any quarterback, let alone one with potentially major character flaws. I don't see any scenario in which the Bills are even remotely tempted to make that kind of sacrifice.
Q: Brian, Can you please write an article comparing and contrasting Von Miller and Aaron Maybin? - Nick
A: No article from me, because I'm well-established on record as hating player comparisons. I'll address this here, though: I completely get why Bills fans would be scared to death if the team drafted another collegiate speed rusher that weighed between 240 and 250. Those are the only two similarities that Von Miller and Aaron Maybin share. For one, Miller is much more experienced, with four years under his belt, and was a far more productive college player. Then there's the fact that he's played extensively in a 3-4, something Maybin hadn't done until last spring. Lastly, Miller's skill set just translates better to the NFL than Maybin's did - he's a more instinctive player, and just a better athlete and playmaker, period. No, Miller's not a perfect prospect, but he's going to make a heck of a pro. It's comparisons like this that have caused me to swear off comparisons in the first place.
For those interested, I'll have our physical scouting report for Miller published on Monday afternoon.