My take on The Upcoming NFL Draft
Mike D, Overdue Bills Lead Writer
In a recent podcast episode for “We Think It’s a Sports Show,” I stated that the NFL draft is one of my favorite events. (“We Think it’s a Sports Show” is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.) Being from Buffalo, the NFL draft gave me hope. For 17 years, we were drafting anywhere from pick 8-13. We would debate if we should trade up or trade back, draft a potentially great QB or get the mediocre QB we already have better weapons, and hopes his play improves(cough, cough EJ Manuel and Sammy Watkins). Well, we don’t have any of that this time. We are pick #30 and the QB is the most secure since Jim Kelly. However, we have positions that we need to address. I have faith that McBeane will address them. Here are my predictions for the Bills’ first 3 rounds.
Round 1
The Buffalo Bills have 4 positions that have holes: RB TE, DE, and CB. Due to the hole at RB, the fans have been making calls for Travis Etienne. While I understand the need, the value isn’t there for an RB in the first round, and I know Brandon Beane knows that (or I hope he knows that). As far as a TE, the hot name this year is Kyle Pitts. He is currently projected to go in the first 5 picks. Therefore, to be able to trade up that far, it would mean trading next year’s first-round pick. I think we all can agree giving up two first-round picks for a TE is asinine. To date, McBeane has spent many assets (draft picks and money) on the defensive line over the years (e.g. Addison, Epenesa, Oliver, Lotulelei, and Philips). In my opinion, investing another high asset into the defensive line would become worrisome. Lastly, CB is the position I would select, but I don’t foresee a player who is worth that selection. Thus I am predicting for the first time in Brandon Beane’s career, he will trade down with a team that wants to trade back into the first round to grab Travis Etienne or Najee Harris.
Round 2
Assuming that we trade out of the first round, I'm predicting that we will pick up an extra 2nd and an extra 3rd or a 4th. By having extra picks, the Buffalo Bills will be able to address the needs that I stated earlier. With the pick they traded for, I am projecting a CB, perhaps Tyson Campbell from Georgia. After getting torched by Kansas City, it is clear that we need some more speed on the outside. At Campbell’s pro day, he unofficially ran a 4.34s 40-yard dash, which is good enough for me.
Now with our actual pick, I believe we will select a position I’ve been asking to address, TE. The 2nd best TE in the draft is Pat Freiermuth from Penn State. He was the focus of Penn States' offense until he got injured. He is 260 lbs and should be effective in the run game. Also, has been compared to Gronk, but c’mon right? Let’s just start with him being better than Dawson Knox.
Round 3:
Let me guess, are you thinking that this is the round we take an RB? We already took Singletary and Moss in this round. Could it be that third time's the charm? No! We need to accept our new offense. The days of giving Travis Henry, Marshawn Lynch, CJ Spiller, and Fred Jackson the ball 25 times are gone. This is a passing league and we are a passing team. Josh Allen will be an MVP candidate once again. I think we roll out Zach Moss and Matt Breida as our 1 and 2, and hope for the best results. This is why I’m predicting an LB here, which is one of the positions where the more is the merrier. From guys getting injured to special teams coverage, a team can never have too many LB’s. This applies to us since our best 2 LB’s were banged up all last year, and our backup was AJ Klein. And in all honesty, I do not feel great about our future with #49. If we do get an extra 3rd for trading out of the first round, I can see them going after another offensive lineman or a running back.
All in all, I am excited about this draft. I know a lot of people will be upset at the projection of trading out the first round, but that's fine. This is what makes draft talk so much fun! The NFL draft is a battle of philosophies. I am more analytical, so numbers and value is king for me. Others are more emotion-based and fall in love with a player because they watched them on Saturdays, or they believe they can help us win right away. As a General Manager, Brandon Beane has to think about the present and the future. He has built up enough credit with me, so I will trust whatever decision he and McDermott decide. As always, thank you for reading and I’ll holla at you next Monday with my post-draft thought.
Edit Credit: Angela James
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Preach, Matt and Rad give their pre-draft thoughts.