2011 NFL Mock Draft: Who Will Be the Bills' Best Options in the Second Round?
When the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers finish off the first round of the NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills will know exactly who has fallen down to them with the 34th overall pick. Well almost. There is the formality of the New England Patriots draft pick at No. 33, but outside of that the Bills will have a strong handle on who they want to select.
General manager Buddy Nix and staff will have a respite overnight to regroup and consider what the best plan of attack will be as they continue to rebuild the team. It would be considered an upset if they don't receive some interesting trade proposals to swap draft picks in exchange for dropping down in the round. After all, that will be the only type of trade that is allowed at the 2011 NFL Draft.
The pick in Round 2 will come down to three major factors. Who did they wind up selecting in the first round, what players have the highest grades that are still there on their big board and are there any compelling offers to trade out of that pick? If the highest grades also happen to fit with a position of need, all the better.
We will attempt to identify what the top options are for each of the positions that the Bills could address in the second round, so you can see how complex and difficult the decision appears to be.
Which Positions on Offense Need the Most Help ?
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The Buffalo Bills have at least 10 positions that could use some sort of upgrade. Here is a rundown of those 10 positions of need. This slide will start out with the needs on offense.
Quarterback—The Bills will be in desperate straits if Ryan Fitzpatrick suffers any kind of a major injury. As it stands now, it would be a surprise if Brian Brohm is back as he has looked terrible in his spot starts. Rookie Levi Brown is untested, so unless the Bills are able to sign an experienced free agent, they need to draft a QB that has the ability to come in and be a good enough game manager to give them a chance to compete every week.
Tackle—Between Demetrius Bell and Erik Pears, the Bills need to upgrade their tackles. Bell held up okay last year coming off major surgery. Pears may be an upgrade over Cornell Green, but the Bills will still want to try to upgrade the talent there, not to mention the depth at the position. The current depth is Ed Wang and Mansfield Wrotto.
Guard—This all depends on Eric Wood. If Wood is officially moved over to center, then the Bills may want to look at a guard. They have raised the bar with the players they added last year during the season by signing Chad Rinehart, Cordaro Howard and Kraig Urbik. Out of this group, Urbik probably starts unless the Bills invest in a draft pick capable of beating him out.
Tight End—This position seems like it has been a revolving door of journeymen that just don't have the requisite level of talent to succeed. From Shawn Nelson, Derek Schouman, Derek Fine, Jonathan Stupar, Joe Klopfenstein, Mike Caussin, Scott Chandler and Robert Royal, this has been a position of great disappointment. The Bills need to draft a good pass-catching tight end to give Ryan Fitzpatrick another option. As it is now, Nelson and Chandler will be fighting it out to be the starter this season.
Which Positions on Defense Need the Most Help? Part One
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From the 2010 defense—That offered very little defense to opposing running backs—The only person who has officially left is Marcus Stroud, now a member of the New England Patriots.
Defensive End—With the departure of Stroud, Alex Carrington may possibly start, unless the Bills draft somebody that can challenge him for the job. Dwan Edwards is expected to return to start on the other side. Spencer Johnson is there for depth, but this is a thin position currently on the Bills roster.
Defensive Tackle—With Kyle Williams and Torell Troup, the Bills have some talent here, but need more. With multiple defensive schemes, short yardage situations and the need to rest these big guys throughout the game by rotating in players, the Bills need to add another tackle. Kellen Heard is a project.
Outside Linebacker—Between Chris Kelsay, Shawne Merriman, Arthur Moats, Aaron Maybin, Reggie Torbor, Akin Ayodele, Danny Batten and Antonio Coleman, the Bills have more quantity than they do quality. A healthy Merriman would go a long way towards helping the quality aspect. Bills would like to see what they have in Batten, Moats and Coleman as well, who are still largely unproven.
Which Positions on Defense Need the Most Help? Part Two
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Inside Linebacker—Between Andra Davis and Paul Posluszny, the Bills were hoping that they would be set at ILB. But Davis got hurt, and tried to gut it out playing with a bad shoulder. Posluszny led the Bills in tackles, but also was blocked effectively on many long runs or guessed wrong on which hole to plug. Keith Ellison is an unrestricted free agent so will probably not be back. This unit needs help and Buddy Nix said he wants to see bigger physical players here than what the Bills already have.
Cornerback—The Bills may have lost Drayton Florence to free agency, but due to the current state of affairs with the CBA, that is not necessarily a given. Terrence McGee should come back healthier than he has been in awhile, but for how long? Leodis McKelvin gave up his share of touchdowns, and Ashton Youboty is an unrestricted free agent as well.
Safety—Jairus Byrd will be back for his third year, but the other starter Donte Whitner is still up in the air. The Bills did place a tender offer on Whitner, but that doesn't mean he will be on the Bills roster in 2011. The team did sign George Wilson to a new deal and Bryan Scott is also there to provide depth.
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Round 2 Quarterback Options
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Many people, myself included, have been calling for the Bills to draft defensive players for the first two rounds. On the surface, beefing up the defense against the run seems like it should be the top priority.
But let's face it, the Bills have a number of needs and we are not privy to knowing what draft grades they have assigned to each of the top 50 prospects.
Enter the quarterback dilemma. The Bills may very well opt to use the 34th pick to secure their QB of the future. Possibilities here could range from Christian Ponder, Colin Kaepernick to Andy Dalton. Most draft experts have mixed views on Ryan Mallet, but if he were to fall to the Bills at 34, that is another name that they would be very tempted to grab.
During the Senior Bowl, Chan Gailey had a chance to work with Christian Ponder, Andy Dalton and Greg McElroy. Ponder was the MVP of the game, and is the odds on favorite to be the highest drafted of the trio.
If the Bills were to draft a quarterback in Round 2, it would signal that this is the guy that will be a backup to Ryan Fitzpatrick, and is the quarterback of the future. He may or may not come in to play in a pinch because nobody knows when the CBA deal is done. If there is not any OTA's as in the past, Levi Brown would be light years ahead of the rookie on how the Bills' offense runs.
Expect the pick to be purely watching, learning, observing and asking lots of questions in year one. Since Ryan Fitzpatrick's contract is up after 2011, anything is possible after that.
Round 2 Tackle Options
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The Bills brought in Wisconsin tackle Gabe Carimi for one of their 30 allowed visits this week. While Carimi would be a very attractive pick at No. 34, the reality is that he probably is drafted somewhere in the second half of Round 1.
So, assuming that Anthony Castonzo, Nate Solder, Tyron Smith and Carimi are all off of the board after the first round is done, is there any possible tackles worth considering in Round 2?
The only options that I can see are Derek Sherrod of Mississippi State and Ben Ijalana of Villanova. Of the two, Sherrod has faced superior talent coming out of the SEC, so would probably be the player that is more "battle tested."
In addition, Bills' offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris worked closely with Sherrod as part of his offensive line at the Senior Bowl, so if his name comes up at No. 34, you know it was because of the impression he made on the team in the week at Mobile, Alabama.
Round 2 Guard Options
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One of the more intriguing stories coming out of the 2011 NFL Draft class, is the one of Danny Watkins, the Baylor guard. Originally from Canada, he was a fire fighter and a hockey player that got a late start on football. He is already 26 years old, but that is not turning teams off from him.
Watkins has been steadily climbing up draft charts. This is another example of a player that the Bills got a very close look at, as he was part of Joe D'Alessandris' offensive line for the South team at the Senior Bowl.
Other linemen that will be available, but could potentially fall to the third round are Clint Boling of Georgia, John Moffitt of Wisconsin and Rodney Hudson or Florida State.
Round 2 Tight End Options
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This is a small pool. A pool of one. Kyle Rudolph is the only tight end that makes any degree of sense in the second round. If he is drafted in the first round, then tight end no longer becomes an option for the second round.
Rudolph has been very quiet during this pre-draft period due to hamstring issues. To the extent that he is able to convince teams that he is healthy and over his leg problems is not a done deal. In fact, if he is not able to run and sprint with confidence prior to the draft, he might fall down even further.
Round 2 Defensive End Options
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Due to the depth of this draft class, even with pick No. 34, the Bills should have some very desirable options here for the defensive end position.
One player that keeps being mentioned as falling somewhere between the late first round to early second round range is Cam Heyward (Ohio State). Sure, he does have injury issues, but so did one other famous Bills player that fell to the second round because of injuries, Thurman Thomas, and we all know how that turned out.
Brooks Reed of Arizona is a great example of a player that has been gaining tons of momentum and shooting up draft boards. He may actually leapfrog over Cam Heyward.
In case the Bills opt to pass on defensive end in Round 2, other defensive ends that should be there later on in Day Two are: Allen Bailey (Miami Florida), Christian Ballard (Iowa), Jabaal Sheard (Pitt) and Sam Acho (Texas).
Round 2 Defensive Tackles
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Imagine how much stronger the Bills' defensive line would become if they added the Scouting Combine's Bench Press Champion Stephen Paea to the defensive line. Paea, who set the Combine record with 49 reps at 225 pounds, is going to be viewed as a late first round, early second round player. That means he has a great chance to be sitting there for the Bills at No. 34.
Unfortunately for the Bills, they did not get much of a chance to see Paea up close, as he suffered a knee injury early at the Senior Bowl practices and did not play in the game. But they probably scouted him enough during the year, and obviously have a bunch of game tape they can view to see where he grades out.
Besides Paea, other potential second round options include: Corey Liuget (Illinois), Muhammad Wilkerson (Temple), Jurrell Casey (USC), Phil Taylor (Baylor), Marvin Austin (North Carolina) and Drake Nevis (LSU).
With all of this talent available along the defensive line, if the Bills don't take advantage of it this year in the 2011 NFL Draft, I will be baffled beyond belief.
Round 2 Inside Linebackers
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If the Bills don't select Cam Heyward or Christian Ponder, a guy that I am very high on is Martez Wilson, the linebacker from Illinois. Wilson is the highest ranked inside linebacker in the draft class, and is the type of player that Buddy Nix has been referring to.
At 6'4" and weighing 250 pounds, Wilson has the size that Nix covets. In addition, he is fast, running the 40 in 4.49 seconds. That combination of size, speed and power would be of tremendous value to the Bills in trying to stop the running game.
There really is not any other inside linebacker that is considered to be a second round option outside of Wilson. So, if the Bills pass on him at No. 34, he will be long gone by the time they step up again at No. 68.
It is appropriate to note that the Bills brought in LSU inside linebacker Kelvin Sheppard for a visit during the past week. Sheppard is viewed more as a third round type of guy. So, he is the fall back option to Martez Wilson.
Round 2 Outside Linebackers
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If the Bills draft Von Miller in the first round of the draft, this slide can be eliminated from consideration. The Bills have too many holes than to go outside linebacker with their first two picks.
If the Bills draft somebody other than Von Miller in the first round, then Akeem Ayers might start to warrant consideration. Ayers was widely viewed as a sure thing in the first round when he declared for the draft. But a less than stellar Combine has caused his stock to drop. Will he drop out of the second round? That seems to be pushing it a little too far.
Besides Ayers, there is Justin Houston of Georgia. He is a big linebacker, weighing close to 270 pounds, and if you saw him at the Combine, you would have noticed that he was moving pretty well for a big man.
Day 2 Cornerbacks
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Just like the previous slide of Akeem Ayers, Colorado corner Jimmy Smith is a player that was originally thought to be a first round talent, but his less than great Combine has him being viewed as a second round pick, if not even lower.
While Ayers drop was caused by his physical performance, Smith's fall is more of a reaction to his off-field incidents and character concerns. Character plays a big role in these important decisions, but some teams seem to be able to handle questionable character better than other teams do. The Bills prefer players that are community driven and prefer less off-field distractions.
Besides Smith, other Round 2 corner options are Aaron Williams of Texas and Brandon Harris of Miami Florida. Needless to say if the Bills draft Patrick Peterson with the third pick, you can eliminate this slide.
Round 2 Safeties
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One of Akeem Ayers teammates at UCLA was safety Rahim Moore. Moore is considered to be the top safety in the draft, but is projected to be a Round 2 player. I saw a blurb on Moore on NFL Network this week, and he comes across as a very confidant young man.
If Moore does happen to go in the first round, there is a drop off in talent, that would lead me to think that the other options are probably better at the top of Round 3 than atop Round 2. Those players would be: Ahmad Black (Florida), Marcus Gilchrist (Clemson), Quinton Carter (Oklahoma) and DeAndre McDaniel (Clemson).
Time to Play the Match Game
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Okay let's just say you are Buddy Nix for a little while. You are about to make the decision on who you going to draft at No. 34, since none of the trade offers were willing to part with enough to make it worth your while. Let's say for the sake of argument that all of the players presented in this slide show, are still available to you at No. 34.
So, with those ground rules in place, who would you draft as a second round pick based on the following first round picks?
1) Patrick Peterson with: ______________________
2) Von Miller with: ________________________
3) Marcell Dareus with: ________________________
4) Blaine Gabbert with: ________________________
5) Cam Newton with: ________________________
Go ahead and drop off your choices in the comments section. This should prove to be an interesting exercise for Bills fans as you check in between NCAA March Madness games this weekend. Enjoy !!
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