Standard mailbag posts are fun and all, but this time of year, Buffalo Bills fans are talking about the NFL Draft. Here are a couple of draft-centric Buffalo Rumblings Mailbag questions that were of particular interest to us this week.
@BuffRumblings #mailbag I was wondering the general opinion on Paxton Lynch and wether or not he would be a good fit!!
— Joe Heid (@Xantorian) March 30, 2016
The general opinion of Paxton Lynch has cooled somewhat in the last few months, as the media and NFL embraced Carson Wentz as the upside quarterback du jour.
Could Lynch fit with the Buffalo Bills? Absolutely. He combines unbelievable size for the position with outstanding arm talent and enough agility to run the zone-read. The Bills need to add a quarterback, knowing that he'll spend at least one year on the bench. With that in mind, it makes sense to target a player with upside. There's a lot that Lynch still has to learn about running a pro-style offense, but that would work for Buffalo, who could set him up as their third-string quarterback and let him learn.
Will they draft Lynch? The consensus seems to be that Lynch sits somewhere between the first and second round in terms of talent. He's been slotted with Philadelphia, Los Angeles, the New York Jets, Denver, and Cleveland (with Cleveland's second round pick) ahead of the Bills. Only time will tell if Buffalo elects to use a first-round pick to add Lynch, knowing that they're receiving a player who will redshirt this season instead of an impact player on the defense.
@BuffRumblings Will we draft a safety in rounds 2-3. The depth seems a bit shaky at the position.
— Martin Andersen (@nyfinn3) March 30, 2016
I'll give you the answer that Doug Whaley would give if he were asked this question: if there's a prospect they like at the top of their board, and he happens to be a safety, they would certainly upgrade their safety depth by adding that player.
It's hard to count out any position from the Bills' radar after the first round of the draft. This is the team that picked Ronald Darby when it had Stephon Gilmore and Leodis McKelvin starting, and it tried to trade up for Carlos Hyde when C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson were already on the roster. Even with Corey Graham and Aaron Williams on board, the Bills are certainly keeping an eye open for talented safety prospects. Darian Thompson, Keanu Neal, and Karl Joseph are three names that are commonly placed in the second day of the draft, and each could upgrade Buffalo's secondary. Also watch out for the pair of Clemson safeties Buffalo interviewed at the Combine, T.J. Green and Jayron Kearse.