Which 2012 NFL Draft Prospects Are the Buffalo Bills Learning About?

The Buffalo Bills have 10 picks in the 2012 NFL draft, and the possibilities are nearly endless.

Believe me. Nearly endless.

As such, the Bills are in the right for doing their due diligence on such a high number of prospects. So, as we often do, we'll dissect the information and try to glean any valuable nuggets from what we have here: a complete list of the players with whom the Bills have visited, as compiled by Evan Silva of Pro Football Talk.

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* = private workout only; not a visit to team facility.

+ = BOTH private workout and visit to team facility.

Workout and visit dates, if available, are in parentheses.

 

Ohio State offensive tackle Mike Adams (4/4).

Alabama safety Mark Barron (4/16).

Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon (4/?).

Clemson defensive end Andre Branch (3/29).

Troy tackle/guard James Brown (?/?).

TCU linebacker Tank Carder (4/2).

LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne (?/?).

Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins (3/31).

Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (4/17).

Marshall defensive end Vinny Curry (?/?).

Oklahoma cornerback Jamell Fleming (4/17).

South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore (4/17).

Georgia tackle/guard Cordy Glenn (3/?).

Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower (?/?).

South Carolina defensive end Melvin Ingram (4/17).

West Virginia linebacker Bruce Irvin (?/?).

Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones (4/4).

USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil (4/5).

Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (4/5).

Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly (4/18).

Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin (?/?).

Boise State linebacker Shea McClellin (4/16).

Alabama defensive back De'Quan Menzie (?/?).

Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus (?/?).

Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler (4/18).

Appalachian State receiver Brian Quick (?/?).

Alabama running back Trent Richardson (4/4).

Central Florida cornerback Josh Robinson (4/16).

Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill (4/17).

Miami defensive end Olivier Vernon (?/?).

Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson (4/4).

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Top Priority: Defensive End

In a jarring surprise, the Bills scouted more defensive ends than any other position leading into this year's draft despite spending big at the position by signing Mario Williams to a six-year, $96 million contract and bringing in Mark Anderson at $19.5 million for four years (per Rotoworld) shortly thereafter.

Mark Anderson has been utilized in a situational role throughout his career, and with good reason. His struggles against the run have been revealed every time he's been asked to take on a bigger role as a three-down defensive end.

The majority of the defensive ends they've scouted, though, are guys who are questionable in their ability to hold up against the run: Andre Branch, Melvin Ingram and Whitney Mercilus are all examples of that.

Perhaps Chandler Jones or Vinny Curry could provide a more stable three-down presence at defensive end.

Top Prospect: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

There's not much of a chance that the Bills could draft Claiborne unless they traded up, but the top-rated defensive back could instantaneously provide insurance and depth at one of the biggest positions of need on the Bills roster.

As B/R Bills featured columnist Josh Cembellin points out, both Leodis McKelvin and Terrence McGee could be on the hot seat in Buffalo's defensive backfield.

Claiborne could give the Bills the type of shutdown cornerback presence they've lacked since the days of Nate Clements. With the Bills' stellar four-man pass rush and a shutdown presence like Claiborne, the Bills defense could immediately become one of the best in the NFL.

Biggest Surprise: Two Wide Receivers, Only One Top Prospect

I would talk even further about the number of defensive ends the Bills have scouted, but I'll move on after my mini-diatribe earlier.

Instead, I'll talk about the lack of wide receivers they've scouted.

Of course, they hit the only ones that really matter in Justin Blackmon and...wait, they didn't work out Michael Floyd? Considering the connection that's been drawn between the two for the past two months, you'd think they had almost handed in their selection card. 

They may already have all the information they need on the Notre Dame product, but it's surprising that they wouldn't want to see him up close and personal, perhaps have him do a little more white-board work.

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