Yibbyl

This article suggests that Daboll wasn't able to use the TE position as he wanted with Alabama and that Clay should see an increase in production, regardless of our QB situation. I sure hope this is true. The Clay signing IMO has been the most disappointing signing over the past few years given how insignificant his production has been. https://www.cover1.net/how-charles-clays-role-will-evolve-under-brian-daboll/

I'd take O'Leary over Fleener. Fleener I believe has some sort of major injury history (can't remember what though), can't block a toddler from getting past him, and really hasn't produced in quite a while. Fleener would cost us a lot and I don't really believe he'd produce more than O'Leary. And did I mention Fleener can't block? Yeah, Fleener can't block.

I actually think our D will be improved, but won't end up in the Top 5 of D's. I believe our DL rotation is better. I also think we got a good MLB in Edmunds, but think Alexander's days are behind him and Millano is someone I would want to run at. I also doubt our secondary has the kind of start to the season that we saw last year. So, I think we will be a more balanced D with some sneaky hints of a pass rush from the inside unless Murphy brings it. The rest of our DE's don't give me much hope at doing much more than containing the run. There's value in that, but as Iamcanadian said, you really do need that pass rush to keep today's offenses in check.

I was quite vocal about preferring Josh Rosen over Allen. My reasons match all the concerns already mentioned. Don't really know what to expect from him - at this point all I have is hope that he reaches a lot of the supposedly awesome potential. I hate drafting 1st rounders based on their potential rather than on-field execution. As a result, I'm quite ambivalent with his selection...graded a C and only because we kept this year's and next's other 1st rounders. We Bills fans knew how badly we needed a MLB. You could argue that after we landed McCarron, QB was even less of a need than MLB. McDermott's D relies on a sideline-to-sideline guy who can also cover. Even when we had Preston Brown, we had no one who fit that ideal MLB. Landing Edmunds at 16 was huge. I give that move up and the selection a A+. Need to repeat that next year as our SLB and WLB are both substandard at this time IMO. Phillips was the next key pick. Keeping Edmunds as clean as possible is an absolute necessity in our defensive scheme. McDermott in the past has utilized two near 1-techniques (as opposed to 3's) inside so that his MLB can rack up the tackles. Phillips fits this to a T. At #96, we got terrific value. I'd give this another A+. The Taron Johnson pick is a piping hot cup of whatever. I guess he was an attempt to replace Leonard Johnson, who I thought was somewhat inconsistent last year. I had other ideas for this pick and a CB, even one who is a solid tackler, wasn't it. I get that we at least needed CB depth, though, so I'll give this pick a generous C-. Next, as was mentioned above, we should have picked St. Brown or Cedric Wilson. I actually specifically named those two during the draft. We went with Teller. I get the need to go after at least depth at the G position, as I'm not a huge fan of Ducasse. Most thought Teller regressed last year, but he still offers good value at this pick and definitely fits our switch to power/man blocking, so I can totally understand and live with this pick. I'd grade this one a B. My two WR preferences were still available and we next drafted a slash/WR named McCloud. This pick I found quite disappointing because he just wasn't valued enough at the college level to get what I view as significant playing time at WR. Maybe he will prove me wrong, but I'm giving the pick a D...not an F only because we do need additional depth at the position and he actually did play some on the outside, which is where we need the help. Our last pick was another WR named Proehl. It was practically at the very end of the draft, so even though I was hoping to add to our ST/LB depth with Skai Moore (who went undrafted), picking another WR who will most likely be relegated to ST duty isn't the end of the world. I give this pick a C+. As a whole, after giving more weight to the earlier picks, I'd give our draft a B grade.

This FO has been very impressive - there's no denying that. And, certainly, I want Allen to be successful, because as he rolls, so will our offense...assuming he's starting. However, even though I am no professional scout, it doesn't mean I can't have an opinion...and that's why this site operates anyway. I've said it before, in the heat of battle when the adrenaline is pumping, I expect a player's muscle memory to kick in. In Allen's case, he has had years of questionable footwork, leading to throwing off of a sloppy base, which seemed to result in a fair number of errant throws. Yes, he wasn't playing with elite college receivers who were adept at adjusting to his throws. Some of his throws were so off, however, that there was no realistic adjustment to be made. He also didn't face as much elite talent rushing him...or protecting him. Don't know if this means he will be jittery against NFL caliber pass rushers or not. One could argue that it will be a wash as the offensive linemen will be better than what he played with before. Time will tell. My main concern is still going to be Allen's errant passes. I hope he finds a way to consistently limit or even eliminate them, but I just think this is going to be his biggest hurdle and why I wasn't keen on drafting him. Anyway, I wanted Rosen instead. That said, the more Rosen opens his mouth, the more I am relieved we didn't get him. Hindsight blah, blah, blah...

Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya!

Yeah, McCloud is very slash-like, so your thoughts on his position make sense. There were WR's with better production who also handled return duties though. I focused on their receiving attributes because I felt we had an opportunity to address the position in the 5th and we didn't, which I found disappointing. So, I was still hunting...for possible quality depth though, not a WR1. In past FFMD's I have advocated for targeting injured players in the 6th and STers in the 7th, so I do feel I have a pretty good understanding of the actual value available at the end of the draft and how we might be able to benefit from what's left on the scrap heap. Longshots? Yes, but this is no reason to fully stop searching for those who might one day provide OK depth at their assigned position especially at this cheap price. You can try to double dip. I've also been saying for the past 6 months that there were so many holes on our team that it would take multiple years to fix. Going to the playoffs didn't negate that fact. I had mentioned it would more likely take 3 drafts due to future injuries, FA losses, etc. The roster is a living or moving target that never will become perfect, but even after this draft, the UDFA signings, and rest of the off-season, you can bet that we will still have several needs to upgrade on our team...LB, OL, RB, WR, DB's and probably DE's among them. That's plenty of targets for next year, but with a lot more available players as sources. The really good news is that we may have solved the one position with the fewest opportunities to fill by selecting Allen! At least I (desperately) hope so.

Or we apparently could take another WR! Austin Proehl looks to be returner/slot competition. Nothing wrong with that at this point in the draft.

Well, I guess I'll go LB Skai Moore at #255 now. I really would like to see more LBer competition.

Well, shoot. Poling went #227 to the Phins.

Good. I want this to go away and allow him to focus on improving his game.

I like the LB angle...I'm hoping for Quentin Poling from Ohio. http://pigskinprospects.com/players/quentin-poling/

Well, there went the 2 late round WR's I was interested in...St. Brown to GB and Wilson to Dallas on back-to-back picks. Oh well.

Well, I see McCloud at least played outside some, so there's that.

So, I like this WR pick of McCloud worse than the Allen pick. Seems like a special teamer and there were players with actual real production as a true WR left on the board.