Buffalo Bills It's the Off-Season. Go.

[ValJamesDuex]

Chargers DE Austin Johnson visiting The Bill's

Is now visiting the Cardinals.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[Digable5]

The Buffalo Bills have the Clapp.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

typical Beane depth IOL signing that can play center and did for Chargers last season

 

[Taro Tsujimoto]

 

[Dingo44]

 

[26CornerBlitz]

Yes! Move him off KC! Sounds good to me.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

Been away for a while.

That KC game was another killer but i knew they were going to lose even if Bass made that kick.

My thoughts on FA/draft overall & by position:

My favoured strategy is the same as most other years - get as many day 2 picks as possible. Trade down from 28 & use the plethora of day 3 picks to move up. They can't make all eleven.

QB - i hate that they are using valuable cap space on Trubisky instead of a guy on vet minimum or a rookie contract, but whatever.

RB - draft a short yardage thumper day 3. I see Audric Estime mentioned here & there, but it doesn't need to be him. Just get a guy. Also wouldn't be surprised to see Latavius back either.

WR - not surprised to see the majority of Bills fans/media obsess about it as per usual. Despite the connections, i find the Samuel signing strange schematically when you consider who else is going to be getting lots of snaps. Would have much preferred to sign Hollywood Brown, but is what it is.

They definately still need a bigger body/X type receiver. But the FA signings coupled with who i expect to be on the board at 28 (big four will 100% be gone) , makes me think it shouldn't be a priority. The depth of this class will mean there are really intriguing guys available day 2 or even early day 3. I also don't see them needing to double dip at WR - at this point a second draft pick only has a small chance of even making the roster.

Johnny Wilson is probably the most intriguing prospect in the draft for me & he's going to be available far later than some of the more talked about guys.

One thing for sure - we certainly DON'T need to add one of the smaller/shiftier slot exclusive prospects. Yet i still see them talked about constantly...

TE - nothing to see here - although one thing i have noticed is people writing off Knox. His contract dictates that he's still going to be a big part of the offence.

OL - I was impressed with Brown last year - tackle is certainly less of a worry or a need than it was a year ago. Expect them to draft a day 3 guy for depth. Interior is much more worrying - IMO Morse is by far away the single biggest loss of the offseason. I don't like the narrative that McG can move to C & Edwards step in at G without them missing a beat. Especially after a freak year when the starters missed barely any snaps & they also lost Bates. If JPJ is there at 28 it's one of the few instances i wouldn't want to trade back. More likely they grab a guy late day 2 /early day 3 - there are a handful of athletic guys who should go in that range.

DL - this is a 180 from my normal opinion but I don't know how this isn't seen as the team's most obvious need. If they use 28 here, EDGE mskes far more sense to me as it's not a deep class & there's a real drop off after the top guys. I really like the idea of getting a guy like Chop Robinson if he's there but given McBeanes historic preference i can't see past Darius Robinson. The interior class seems a lot deeper & i can definitely see them double dipping for one 3T to rotate with Oliver & one 1T to rotate with Jones.

LB - this is so hard to gauge. Dodson was very impressive last year, nearly as much of a pleasant surprise as Bernard. I worry about Milsno's health & you can't just assune Willuams makes a jump just because Bernard/Dodson did.

CB - it's really not a need even with the loss of Tre. Just get another day 3 guy who can play as a starter... Little worried about NB if Johnson goes down though. He's going to be the leader of this defence as we move forward.

S - despite the signings of Edwards/Rapp I'm naturally worried about the loss of Hyde/Poyer, even though this was the right time to move on. DeJean is one of those really intriguing prospects that I'd consider at 28... But more likely i think there will be very good, more conventional prospects available on day 2, even late into day 2. I'm happy that Kinchens had a bad combine to be honest as im hoping he'll fall & be a potential steal for the Bills.

 

[truthbluth]

Been away for a while.

That KC game was another killer but i knew they were going to lose even if Bass made that kick.

My thoughts on FA/draft overall & by position:

My favoured strategy is the same as most other years - get as many day 2 picks as possible. Trade down from 28 & use the plethora of day 3 picks to move up. They can't make all eleven.

QB - i hate that they are using valuable cap space on Trubisky instead of a guy on vet minimum or a rookie contract, but whatever.

RB - draft a short yardage thumper day 3. I see Audric Estime mentioned here & there, but it doesn't need to be him. Just get a guy. Also wouldn't be surprised to see Latavius back either.

WR - not surprised to see the majority of Bills fans/media obsess about it as per usual. Despite the connections, i find the Samuel signing strange schematically when you consider who else is going to be getting lots of snaps. Would have much preferred to sign Hollywood Brown, but is what it is.

They definately still need a bigger body/X type receiver. But the FA signings coupled with who i expect to be on the board at 28 (big four will 100% be gone) , makes me think it shouldn't be a priority. The depth of this class will mean there are really intriguing guys available day 2 or even early day 3. I also don't see them needing to double dip at WR - at this point a second draft pick only has a small chance of even making the roster.

Johnny Wilson is probably the most intriguing prospect in the draft for me & he's going to be available far later than some of the more talked about guys.

One thing for sure - we certainly DON'T need to add one of the smaller/shiftier slot exclusive prospects. Yet i still see them talked about constantly...

TE - nothing to see here - although one thing i have noticed is people writing off Knox. His contract dictates that he's still going to be a big part of the offence.

OL - I was impressed with Brown last year - tackle is certainly less of a worry or a need than it was a year ago. Expect them to draft a day 3 guy for depth. Interior is much more worrying - IMO Morse is by far away the single biggest loss of the offseason. I don't like the narrative that McG can move to C & Edwards step in at G without them missing a beat. Especially after a freak year when the starters missed barely any snaps & they also lost Bates. If JPJ is there at 28 it's one of the few instances i wouldn't want to trade back. More likely they grab a guy late day 2 /early day 3 - there are a handful of athletic guys who should go in that range.

DL - this is a 180 from my normal opinion but I don't know how this isn't seen as the team's most obvious need. If they use 28 here, EDGE mskes far more sense to me as it's not a deep class & there's a real drop off after the top guys. I really like the idea of getting a guy like Chop Robinson if he's there but given McBeanes historic preference i can't see past Darius Robinson. The interior class seems a lot deeper & i can definitely see them double dipping for one 3T to rotate with Oliver & one 1T to rotate with Jones.

LB - this is so hard to gauge. Dodson was very impressive last year, nearly as much of a pleasant surprise as Bernard. I worry about Milsno's health & you can't just assune Willuams makes a jump just because Bernard/Dodson did.

CB - it's really not a need even with the loss of Tre. Just get another day 3 guy who can play as a starter... Little worried about NB if Johnson goes down though. He's going to be the leader of this defence as we move forward.

S - despite the signings of Edwards/Rapp I'm naturally worried about the loss of Hyde/Poyer, even though this was the right time to move on. DeJean is one of those really intriguing prospects that I'd consider at 28... But more likely i think there will be very good, more conventional prospects available on day 2, even late into day 2. I'm happy that Kinchens had a bad combine to be honest as im hoping he'll fall & be a potential steal for the Bills.

I agree with almost everything here except:
I don't think there's a big four WR. It's a big 3. BJT is pretty wildly overrated (check out the breakdown from PFF guys in this thread). He's exclusively a downfield guy with a concentration drop problem. I think he's still value at 28, but I be pretty unhappy if AD is still on the board. In principal, I agree about finding a big bodied X type. That said, there are a few "smaller/shiftier" guys that I think can play outside. Worthy, Franklin, McConkey can all play outside. I'd prefer Coleman, Legette, Polk, McMillan, and Baker to them, but on day 2, any of those is fine.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

I agree with almost everything here except:
I don't think there's a big four WR. It's a big 3. BJT is pretty wildly overrated (check out the breakdown from PFF guys in this thread). He's exclusively a downfield guy with a concentration drop problem. I think he's still value at 28, but I be pretty unhappy if AD is still on the board. In principal, I agree about finding a big bodied X type. That said, there are a few "smaller/shiftier" guys that I think can play outside. Worthy, Franklin, McConkey can all play outside. I'd prefer Coleman, Legette, Polk, McMillan, and Baker to them, but on day 2, any of those is fine.

It's more of a 'top 3+1' than a top 4 for sure - but I'm positive all four will be gone by 28.

Worthy is going to be over drafted purely on his 40yd time. If you want to talk about a guy where drops are a concern it's him. He screams red flags to me. I also disagree - many of these smaller guys ARE slot exclusive who just won't mesh with what we already have in Diggs, Samuel & Shakir imo. All three of these guys are going to be featured heavily along with Knox, Kincaid & Cook. I'm only looking for difference makers if using early picks at the position.

If we must use 28 on a WR then Mitchell is 100% my guy as well. But trading down makes so much more sense. As well as you, I really like Polk & Legette as day 2 picks. In a similar fashion to Kinchens, I'm happy that Polk didn't have the best combine because he's potentially going to be a steal if he drops.

 

[Husko]

It's more of a 'top 3+1' than a top 4 for sure - but I'm positive all four will be gone by 28.

Worthy is going to be over drafted purely on his 40yd time. If you want to talk about a guy where drops are a concern it's him. He screams red flags to me. I also disagree - many of these smaller guys ARE slot exclusive who just won't mesh with what we already have in Diggs, Samuel & Shakir imo. All three of these guys are going to be featured heavily along with Knox, Kincaid & Cook. I'm only looking for difference makers if using early picks at the position.

If we must use 28 on a WR then Mitchell is 100% my guy as well. But trading down makes so much more sense. As well as you, I really like Polk & Legette as day 2 picks. In a similar fashion to Kinchens, I'm happy that Polk didn't have the best combine because he's potentially going to be a steal if he drops.

Not saying worthy is the guy I want - and in fact I’d look more into his outside fit to really know like you say - but he doesn’t have drop issues.

 

[Husko]

Regarding some of the above conversation, I have noticed Mitchell being the hot name in bills circles lately. Can someone make the case for him for me? I’m not saying I’m totally against him, but his old breakout age and meager college production definitely concern me

 

[Ace]

Four-round 2024 NFL mock draft: Jets take TE Brock Bowers; Chiefs trade up for speedster in Round 1

 

[truthbluth]

Regarding some of the above conversation, I have noticed Mitchell being the hot name in bills circles lately. Can someone make the case for him for me? I’m not saying I’m totally against him, but his old breakout age and meager college production definitely concern me

He's Nico Collins. He's got everything but production. Size, Speed, hands, hops. He runs a lot of routes. He's good after the catch. He can fight for jump balls. Texas offense was pretty limited because Ewers is essentially a one read QB. It's a gamble for sure, but I'd personally gamble on traits when looking for an X.

 

[Ace]

WR - not surprised to see the majority of Bills fans/media obsess about it as per usual. Despite the connections, i find the Samuel signing strange schematically when you consider who else is going to be getting lots of snaps. Would have much preferred to sign Hollywood Brown, but is what it is.

They definately still need a bigger body/X type receiver. But the FA signings coupled with who i expect to be on the board at 28 (big four will 100% be gone) , makes me think it shouldn't be a priority. The depth of this class will mean there are really intriguing guys available day 2 or even early day 3. I also don't see them needing to double dip at WR - at this point a second draft pick only has a small chance of even making the roster.

Johnny Wilson is probably the most intriguing prospect in the draft for me & he's going to be available far later than some of the more talked about guys.

One thing for sure - we certainly DON'T need to add one of the smaller/shiftier slot exclusive prospects. Yet i still see them talked about constantly…

Well it’s only cost them two years in a row going cheap on the position in the draft and free agency. What’s a few more? On top of that…Diggs is aging and regressing. And they didn’t restructure him when expected to thus opening the door for a more clean break after this season. Then we can roll into next year with your pile of day 3 picks and smaller/shiftier slot exclusive guys and really complete their mission of wasting the entirety of Josh Allen’s prime spending assets on more defense that, healthy or not, have never come close to making a f***ing stop when it matters in the playoffs.

So maybe…just maybe..there is a reason it has been a priority for so many people. And maybe it’s because it hasn’t been for Brandon Beane.

 

[Zman5778]

Four-round 2024 NFL mock draft: Jets take TE Brock Bowers; Chiefs trade up for speedster in Round 1

Kneeland in the 2nd? Fine.
Bullock with our comp 4th? Fine.

Trading up in the first to take Byron Murphy? Blech. Dude is an Ed Oliver clone.....and we already have Ed Oliver!!!! JPJ was there. Darius was there. DeJean was there.

I just cannot see Beane using our 1st this year to invest in the interior D-line. Yes, we need bodies there......but we don't need "immediate starter" caliber bodies.

 

[Husko]

 

[Zman5778]

If true, I imagine that he's DaQuan's backup at the 1-tech. Plenty of starts in his career, but not a big pass rusher.

 

[Husko]

If true, I imagine that he's DaQuan's backup at the 1-tech. Plenty of starts in his career, but not a big pass rusher.

He currently plays DE in a 3-4. I imagine he’d fill the Settle role or versatile depth that we complain about not being stout enough against the run.

 

[Zman5778]

 

[ValJamesDuex]

thinking that was more than they wanted to pay, but as others have mentioned the pickens were getting thin at DL and likely had to match/get close to another offer. Doesn't change any draft plans for me, how about you guys/gals ?

I would of picked AZ myself after this week of weather here

 

[NotABadPeriod]

thinking that was more than they wanted to pay, but as others have mentioned the pickens were getting thin at DL and likely had top match get close to another offer. Doesn't change any draft plans for me, how about you guys/gals ?

I would of picked AZ myself after this week of weather here

Also, the "up to" could be doing some heavy lifting, depends on what the incentives are.

 

[Husko]

thinking that was more than they wanted to pay, but as others have mentioned the pickens were getting thin at DL and likely had to match/get close to another offer. Doesn't change any draft plans for me, how about you guys/gals ?

I would of picked AZ myself after this week of weather here

I bet it's a lot closer to 2 million actual.

Agreed, doesn't change the draft calculus at all. Good to keep plugging holes. Gives more flexibility to use the surplus of picks as ammo.

 

[Husko]

Here's where I think the roster stands in terms of locks or near-locks to make the 53:

Offense
QB: Allen, Mitch (2)
RB: Cook, Johnson (2)
TE: Kincaid, Knox, Gilliam (3)
WR: Diggs, Shakir, Samuel, Hollins (4)
OL: Dawkins, Brown, McGovern, Torrence, Edwards, Clapp, Van Denmark (7)
Total: 18

Defense
DE: Rousseau, Von, Epenea, Toohill (4)
DT: Oliver, Jones, Johnosn (3)
LB: Milano, Bernard, Williams, Morrow (4)
CB: Johnson, Douglas, Benford, Elam (4)
S: Rapp, Edwards, Lewis (3)
Total: 18

Special Teams
K: Bass (1)
P: Haack/Martin (1)
LS: Reid (1)
Total: 3

That's 41 roster spots pretty much locked down. Among those 12 remaining roster spots, a decent chunk will go to veteran STers (Spector, Evans, Isabella, Shorter, Hamlin come to mind). And there's a few bottom of depth chart guys that will have inside tracks on premier backup spots (Kingsley, Eli, Alec Anderson, Morris). Let's round down and say just 4 of those 8 guys make the team (it will be more) that puts us at 45/53 spots filled heading into the draft.

Then also consider that we're sitting on a decent chunk of cap space, have $10 million coming available June 1, and most of our draft picks will cost negative money to add to the 53.

What this all adds up to? We probably only have 6-8 spots for rookies and currently have 11 picks. Beane is going to being trading up quite a bit on draft day, I think.

 

[SundherDome]

Here's where I think the roster stands in terms of locks or near-locks to make the 53:

Offense
QB: Allen, Mitch (2)
RB: Cook, Johnson (2)
TE: Kincaid, Knox, Gilliam (3)
WR: Diggs, Shakir, Samuel, Hollins (4)
OL: Dawkins, Brown, McGovern, Torrence, Edwards, Clapp, Van Denmark (7)
Total: 18

Defense
DE: Rousseau, Von, Epenea, Toohill (4)
DT: Oliver, Jones, Johnosn (3)
LB: Milano, Bernard, Williams, Morrow (4)
CB: Johnson, Douglas, Benford, Elam (4)
S: Rapp, Edwards, Lewis (3)
Total: 18

Special Teams
K: Bass (1)
P: Haack/Martin (1)
LS: Reid (1)
Total: 3

That's 41 roster spots pretty much locked down. Among those 12 remaining roster spots, a decent chunk will go to veteran STers (Spector, Evans, Isabella, Shorter, Hamlin come to mind). And there's a few bottom of depth chart guys that will have inside tracks on premier backup spots (Kingsley, Eli, Alec Anderson, Morris). Let's round down and say just 4 of those 8 guys make the team (it will be more) that puts us at 45/53 spots filled heading into the draft.

Then also consider that we're sitting on a decent chunk of cap space, have $10 million coming available June 1, and most of our draft picks will cost negative money to add to the 53.

What this all adds up to? We probably only have 6-8 spots for rookies and currently have 11 picks. Beane is going to being trading up quite a bit on draft day, I think.

This seems like his wet dream. I also feel a roster player or two shakes free at the draft and he uses a late round pick to acquire