We knew going into the 2011 NFL Draft that the Buffalo Bills wouldn't be filling all of their needs with their top three picks. As it stands tonight, the team still doesn't have a franchise quarterback, nor much talent or depth at offensive tackle. With six picks tomorrow, overall depth - and that one final (realistically addressed) positional need - can be addressed.
What the team has accomplished with its top three picks is, at minimum, very sensible. In defensive end Marcell Dareus, cornerback Aaron Williams and inside linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, the team has acquired three players that will almost certainly contribute to the defense immediately. More important, they're very strong talent acquisitions that add size and toughness to a defense that needs healthy doses of both.
Dareus is a 6'3", 319-pound plug with 4.9-second speed that is already the Bills' second-biggest lineman. Williams is a 6'0", 205-pound cover guy that's explosive in the short area and is willing to hit. He is also Buffalo's biggest cornerback. Sheppard is a 6'2", 250-pound 'backer with high 4.7-second speed - and though he's not a remarkable athlete, he's a passionate leader with a nose for the football.
To this point, this is not a sexy draft class for the Bills. But there is a clear theme - Buffalo's got three good athletes (two that might be great) that fill positional needs and get them bigger and tougher defensively. That's a theme I can get behind.