Well, we swung for the fences. Time will tell. We used up our extra draft commodities, but that's why we got them to begin with. We still have a respectable draft remaining after the 1st round, and we gave up nothing next year. We didn't mortgage our future, at all.
The picks.... -we actually got the QB I wanted. ALL the QB's have question marks/flaws, and Allen, true, has some of the biggest. HOWEVER.... -he has that which you can't TEACH. Physically, he's a young Ben Roethlisberger with a better arm. Prototype. He can become a franchise quarterback. Rosen might be better right now, but Allen has the upside. Plus, he's just the better QB in Buffalo over Rosen. Just fits us better. Rosen will get hit more often, too. Allen can actually make plays with his legs. SO.... -I'm cool with this pick. QB was an obvious need. No offense to A.J. McCarron.
Edmunds is, in a few words, possibly the next Brian Urlacher. Maybe the highest upside of ANY player in this draft. (Just like Allen.) Fills an immediate, obvious need, and his best football is still ahead of him. Looks to have positional versatility, too. Put him in the middle, rush him from the outside, and it looks like he can cover, as well. Potentially GREAT pick, and I love it. We got a bit of a steal, too, with the opportunity to even have a chance to select him.
And, like I'd mentioned, we have a full draft still remaining, with a pick in every round, minus the 2nd. Two in the 5th. Get some O-line and WR help, and maybe a good RB prospect. This draft is a hit so far, far as I'm concerned. Thoughts?
UPDATE: Harrison Phillips was a MASSIVE steal. No idea why he fell as far as he did. He looks like a perfect Bill, honestly. He'll come in and immediately be an effective part of our interior D-line rotation, probably starting out as Star's backup. Outstanding run-defender. Serious strength, legitimate production. I would've called it value getting him at the end of the 2nd round, but the end of the 3rd?!?!? That's larceny.
Final take: I love what we did. We got our "POTENTIAL....... -Y'know" franchise QB, and I think the best fit out of the top 4 ones for US. We got who looks to be the QB of our defense, for years to come. We got a future starter at DT, and who will contribute from day #1. We got secondary depth, WR depth, and a possible starting left guard. We had a full draft, and we have a full draft next year, plus a ton of cap space. This is a VERY solid "B" grade from me, with, of course, the chance to be an "A", depending on Allen's development.
