Sunday, April 18, 2010

Countdown to the 2010 Draft offensive tackle

by Steve

Another installment in our 2010 NFL draft coverage brings us to an allegedly huge need for the Bills, offensive tackle. The reason some perceive it to be a huge need is because a.) the Bills traded an All-Pro left tackle last offseason and didn't adequately replace him b.) the team was ravaged by injury last season forcing the Bills to basically pick dudes off the street to play on the line and c.) no one has taken a strangle hold on the starting LT position.

Lets face it the Bills are going to struggle to sell nfl tickets in 2010. Drafting an OT at #9 isn't going to help them in that area either. But if that is the main reason the Bills draft anyone in the first round, to sell tickets, they have bigger problems than I can fathom.

The top offensive tackles in this draft in some order are:

Russell Okung OSU 6'5 300
Bryan Buluga Iowa 6'6 312
Trent Williams OU 6'5 310
Bruce Campbell UM 6'6 314
Anthony Davis RU 6'5 323

I want no part of Anthony Davis. The words "needs to be motivated" and his "weight needs to be monitored" make we wanna buy a gun. He shouldn't be touched with a 20 foot poll @9. He is Mike Williams Jr.

The rest of them will either be off the board or be the third or fourth offensive tackle taken in the first nine picks. Does anyone really believe that any position could possibly be that strong in any given draft?

The real wild card won't be whether Oakland or Washington takes an OT as expected it will be whether Bruce Campbell has caught the attention of the Bills. The junior's stock blew up at the combine when he tested off the charts in most measurements. Walterfootball has him going to the Raiders in round one. Could he be available in the 2nd or late first? The Bills did trade up for an offensive lineman last year; who says they wouldn't do that again this time around.

Seemingly the Bills couldn't go wrong if Okung, Buluga or Williams fall to them at nine. The problem however is that the Bills won't have their choice of the three. They'll have the guy three or four other teams looking at tackles passed up on. That fact alone should cause reluctance.

Buddy Nix knows the draft. Maybe the guy that falls to nine will be the guy they had #1 on their board. Who knows, maybe they love Meredith and Carl Malone's kid and aren't even looking tackle. Either way the Bills won't have the pick of the litter at tackle and in all likelihood would be forced to settle for the 3rd or 4th best player at his position in the same draft. Gotta pass on OT at nine based on that logic.

4 comments:

  1. Wow a good post. Way to go Janis. Love the emphasis on the "allegedly."

    I'm not so sure Buffalo will have a tough time selling tickets next season. Our fans are pretty loyal, and with a new regime coming in, I think it will create a sufficient buzz to continue to sell out the Ralph. If the Buffalo brass is more concerned with selling tickets than it is building a strong foundation for years to come, then they'll draft Tebow in the first (speculation that they're going to trade up or whatever to take him last in the first makes me absolutely sick to my stomach).

    If Buluga is available at nine, I say we take him. It may be too early to tell, but I feel like this draft will define Buddy Nix for years to come. He said that we're not going to win instantly and he believes that teams improve through the draft. This is make or break for him in my opinion.

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  2. Jason Smith, Andre Smith, and Eugene Monroe all have two things in common. They didn't make a difference and were top 8 picks. The Bills need somebody to protect the QB? Does anybody really care if Fitzpatrick gets hurt? What happened to Trent Williams QB at Oklahoma this year?

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  3. Anonymous will you ever identify yourself?

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  4. in regards to bengals o-line. yes they were much better last year. however, andrea smith didn't start for them for most of the season and was injured at the beginning. personally if trent williams drops here ill take him. draft colt mccoy in the second.

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