Bills draft grades

by Steve

I like the Bills draft, I don't love the Bills draft. They addressed the line which was needed but they didn't go buck wild. They didn't go OT which I love, but they didn't go OLB which I hate. Maybin is a question mark but not a huge question mark. If Wood doesn't play Center he is a failure and if Byrd doesn't start in 1.5 years he is a failure. Avitre needs to see significant time this year or he is a reach. If the Bills needed a LT so bad they wouldn't have traded theirs, these national peopld don't get it..

Mel Kiper
Buffalo Bills: GRADE: B+
Aaron Maybin was the pass-rusher this team needed to anchor the defensive line. On the other side of the line, the selections of center Eric Wood and guard Andrew Levitre in the second round were excellent picks. Wood is a very good center and Levitre very well may be the best guard in this draft. Also, Jairus Byrd's ball skills could help him become a very good nickelback in this league. They got the tight end they needed in Shawn Nelson to give this offense another weapon. The reason this team didn't receive an A is because it didn't get a right or a left tackle, which I thought was a need with the trade of offensive tackle Jason Peters.

USA Today A-

Buffalo Bills: May have found four eventual starters in first two rounds. Had only 24 sacks last year so DE Aaron Maybin becomes an immediate savior. Lacks bulk at 236 pounds but quick off the edge. Traded back into first round for C Eric Woods, a position of need. CB Jairus Byrd lacks speed but knows how to play. G Andy Levitre is versatile, has played T, but figures more inside as the Bills rebuild their line. How much immediate help any of these players supplies is the open question.

CBS Sports B-

Best pick: First-round pick Aaron Maybin has great burst off the corner, and this is a team that badly needs it. Questionable move: Taking center/guard Eric Wood in the first round. He's a good player, but what about tackle? Second-day gem: Fourth-round pick Shawn Nelson is a pass-catching tight end who will be involved early since the Bills lack a real threat at his position.

I like what they did. Maybin will really help. But they still have to find somebody to replace Jason Peters.

Peter King

• Buffalo. Strange, I thought. Needing a tackle with the loss of Jason Peters in trade to Philly, the Bills really liked Eben Britton (who, from the sound of things, really likes himself, as you'll see in Quote of the Week a few notes south of here), yet put a guard/tackle from Louisville, Eric Wood, over him in an upset ... I like Aaron Maybin, but he didn't have a long apprenticeship at Penn State, starting only a year ... Mystified they didn't take a tackle in eight picks over the weekend.


Walter Football

Wishy-washy ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer seldom offers a strong opinion on anything, which is why I was shocked when he was so adamant that the Bills had a great draft. Todd McShay, wearing his radioactive skin suit, opined that Buffalo had an outstanding draft as well.

As Emmitt would say, "Gentleman, I could not disagree with you, even if I wanted to."

What is Buffalo going to do at left tackle in the wake of the Jason Peters trade? Who will start? Langston Walker? Kirk Chambers? Demetrius Bell? I hope Trent Edwards has a great health insurance policy.

By the way, it should be noted that the two tackles Buffalo passed up on, Michael Oher and William Beatty, were respectively drafted by the Ravens and Giants, two of the smartest organizations in the NFL.

Ignoring the second-most important position in the NFL was one thing. Another was drafting the ultra-raw Aaron Maybin over Brian Orakpo. I really disagree with Dilfer here; I find it highly doubtful Maybin will contribute as a rookie. He's raw; he has limited playing experience; and he's only 20. Defensive ends seldom have a big impact as rookies. Just look at Mario Williams as a prime example. Derrick Harvey didn't do anything in 2008. At least Orakpo is older and more refined.

Could Maybin be a star down the road? Absolutely. But for a coaching staff and front office that needs to win now (or they could be fired if they don't make the playoffs), the Maybin pick didn't make much sense. Long-term it does, but Dick Jauron doesn't have the best job security.

Excluding Jairus Byrd, I really liked some of Buffalo's mid- and late-round selections. But ignoring the left tackle position really brings down this overall grade.

Grade give on 4/27/09: C-

PFT

The Buffalo Bills: If the eleventh overall pick of the 2009 draft (Aaron Maybin) can have a similar impact to the eleventh overall pick of the 2002 draft (Dwight Freeney), the Bills will have had a stellar selection process in the last year of the first decade of the 21st century. But Maybin is three inches taller and 19 pounds lighter than the pass-rush specialist who was regarded as a potential liability in the running game. So stay tuned.

Failure to address the gaping hole at left tackle could be even more problematic, a circumstance with which the aforementioned Freeney might have a field day in Week Seventeen.

The trade up to get center Eric Wood blocked the Colts and the Steelers from getting him. But, again, Wood isn’t a left tackle.

As noted during the Saturday Live Blog, the selection of guard Andy Levitre in round two could put him in line for an endorsement of Viagro.