2010 NFL Draft: Buffalo Bills Day Three Options

Two days and three rounds of the NFL Draft are now history. One day, four rounds and at least six picks are still waiting to be made for the Buffalo Bills in the 2010 NFL Draft. What do Bills fans think of the job that Buddy Nix and his staff has done so far, and what players can Bills fans look forward to the team adding in the final four rounds of the draft?

So far, I would say that Buddy Nix has gone the safe route. By safe, I mean that he has drafted the best player available on the board, has not gone for any reaches or risky players due to injury (ala Thurman Thomas type of picks) and has not executed any trades or leveraged any of the more obvious potential trade chips he could have cashed in (Donte Whitner or Marshawn Lynch).

The Bills needed to improve their offense and adding C.J. Spiller did that. The Bills needed to stop being pushed around on the line of scrimmage so adding some major toughness and power in Torrell Troup and Alex Carrington will go a long way in making the Bills defensive line tougher to block. The linebackers specifically should benefit from the beef that was added in day two.

Since this represents Nix's first draft as the General Manager, nobody can blame him for taking the safer route. He has not panicked and not given in to fan base pressure or media demands. Wait for your turn to come up, utilize all the work your scouts have done and stay true to your draft board to guide you in who you pick, has basically served as Nix's mantra.

Now, if you step back and look at the big picture, one would have to wonder how many extra selections the Bills would have gained had they gone the Denver Broncos route. Sure, there is some raised eyebrows as to the net/net gain of what Denver actually acquired with all those extra picks, but their direction was one the Bills could have copied, had they really ventured to be bold or daring.

What are the Day Three Draft Choices That the Bills Could Pick Up?

Now that we are ready to enter day three of the draft, let's be clear on what we are dealing with. These are players that either aren't as talented as their colleagues, are damaged goods due to prior injury or off-the-field problems, have questionable work ethic issues, or have been playing at schools that were deemed as an inferior level of competition.

Maybe their NFL Combine results pr their pro days weren't very stellar. If they were that much better, based on the number of scouts evaluating them and the amount of money the NFL teams pour in to their scouting efforts, they would have been gone by now. These players are projects, and some of them will be hidden gems that just needed to have an opportunity to play or need a better level of coaching to blossom.

What Positions Will the Bills Address in Day Three?

Now that the Bills have added a dynamic back to their offense and fortified their defensive line for the new 3-4 scheme, I think their remaining picks will be slotted for the following areas:

Quarterback - Chan Gailey and Buddy Nix stated that they will have four QBs in training camp. It's possible that they will sign a free agent or trade for one, but I think they want to bring someone in that they can groom, maybe from the practice squad initially.

Wide Receiver - somebody needs to come in to push James Hardy and Steve Johnson.

Offensive Line - the high caliber tackles are now gone. Projects that possess raw physical talent like Bruce Campbell are there, but he needs work. Kyle Calloway of Iowa and Sam Young of Notre Dame have been bandied around previously but have their own issues.

Linebacker - add some depth to this oft-injured unit last year, and provide some insurance in the event that Aaron Schobel finally decides to retire. Somewhat disturbing that we are ready to enter day three and Schobel has yet to give the Bills an answer. Thanks for stringing the team along Aaron. Linebackers drafted in day three will probably be helping out on special teams to replace Ashlee Palmer, et al.

Special Teams - Outside of the return specialists and kickers and long snapper, the Bills will be turning over the majority of the rest of their special teams units. Picks in the later rounds will probably be asked to play some sort of special teams role.

List of the Available Day Three Draft Picks by Position:

Quarterback :   Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan), Tony Pike ( U of Cincinnati), Jevean Snead (Ole Miss) Jonathan Crompton (Univ of Tennessee), John Skelton (Fordahm Univ.), Jarrett Brown (W. Virginia), Sean Canfield (Oregon State), Levi Brown (Troy Univ.), Matt Nichols (East Washington), Zac Robinson (Oklahoma State), and Michael Kafka (Northwestern).

Trade possibility - Jason Campbell of Washington Redskins for a sixth round pick.

Offensive Tackles - Bruce Campbell (Univ. of Maryland), Ciron Black (LSU), Sam Young (Notre Dame), Selvish Capers (West Virginia) Tony Washington (Abilene Christian), Kyle Calloway (Univ of Iowa).

Trade Possibility - Jared Gaither is still part of the Baltimore Ravens and the Bills should make a call to Baltimore to see if his price has dropped since there were no takers so far. Ravens were initially seeking a top-45 pick. Has their asking price dropped?

Tight Ends - Aaron Hernandez (Florida Univ.), Dennis Pitta (BYU), Dorin Dickerson (Univ. of Pittsburgh), Clay Harbor (Missouri State), Ed Dickson (Oregon Univ.), and Garrett Graham (Univ of Wisconsin).

Linebackers - (this group is also where new special teams players will emerge based on all the prior special team players the Bills released prior to the draft) Thaddeus Gibson (Ohio State), Eric Norwood (South Carolina), Ricky Sapp (Clemson Def. End/LB), George Selvie (South Florida), Antonio Coleman (Auburn), Jamar Cheney (Mississippi State), and Darryl Sharpton (U of Miami).

Wide Receivers - Mardy Gilyard (U of Cincinnati), Jeremy Williams (Tulane Univ.), Blair White (Michigan State), Mike Williams (Syracuse Univ.), Danori Alexander (Univ. of Missouri), Jacobi Ford (Clemson Univ.), Bryan Anderson (Central Michigan Univ.) and last but not least, Naaman Roosevelt (Univ of Buffalo).

Miscellaneous

The Bills now appear to be basically set at the defensive line, running back, and defensive secondary. That being said, picking up some high quality depth at any position is nothing to sneeze at. It will provide competition in training camp for starters, as well as to offer up some potential trade chips for teams in need down the road.

If the Bills have a player at any of the above positions with a high grade that inexplicably falls to the bottom two rounds, here are some other names to tuck away for day three consideration: 

Joe McKnight (USC RB), Anthony Dixon (Mississippi State RB), Everson Griffen (USC DE), Cam Thomas (North Carolina NT), Geno Atkins (Univ. of Georgia DT), Arthur Jones (Univ. of Syracuse DT), Willie Young (North Carolina State DL), and Greg Hardy (Mississippi State DE).

So there you have it. A list of players deemed to have a certain level of talent that may be of help to an NFL team. How many of these guys will ever materialize in to regular starters? How many of them will become Bills? Based on my predictions of the prior two days the answer is looking like it will be none (ha ha). 

But as we have witnessed with players like Demetrius Bell, you can be picked up in the sixth or seventh round and still be a strong contributor if the chips fall your way early in your career.

If you have any strong feelings about who you would like to see the Bills draft in the final four rounds, feel free to leave a comment and your opinion will be there for posterity sake.