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Not all mock drafts are created equal, and in his latest 2015 NFL mock draft for SBNation.com, our friend Dan Kadar picked Miami (FL) senior tight end Clive Walford to the Buffalo Bills in the second round.
Why aren't all mock drafts created equal? Because when Dan didn't provide a write-up for that second-round pick, we asked him to explain it, and he did it in typical, thorough Kadar fashion. Here is his explanation for choosing Walford in picking for the Bills:
Going into the offseason, I view quarterback and tight end as Buffalo's biggest areas to address on offense. Offensive line could be thrown in there, but I want to see if Seantrel Henderson, Cyrus Kouandjio and Cyril Richardson develop. I don't know that Doug Whaley bails on them after just a season.
Quarterback, as you know, is a mess in the draft this year. Brett Hundley of UCLA was off the board already and forcing someone like Garrett Grayson of Colorado State or Bryce Petty of Baylor seemed like too much of a panic pick. That left me with Walford, who is coming off just an outstanding week at the Senior Bowl. He's very good across the board. He has good hands, runs solid routes, blocks well enough and shows good athleticism. At this point, I view Scott Chandler more as a second tight end, so Walford would be brought in as the primary pass catcher at the position.
I also factored in the Jets liking to play 12 personnel last season. A combination of Walford and Chandler in that formation is more potent than Chandler and Chris Gragg. Or Chandler and MarQueis Gray. Walford just has the type of skill to catch the short and intermediate stuff over the middle that would free Sammy Watkins and the other wide outs to get deep.
Our own Dan draft guru, Dan Lavoie, has already written up a scouting report on what Walford brings to the table. He wrote, back on January 22: "I think Walford's skill set is simply too good to ignore, and he gets a first-round grade from me. I forecast him having a similar career to Heath Miller or Dustin Keller."
What would you think if the Bills used their top draft pick on an athletic tight end this year?