Buffalo Bills 2012 Draft: At Some Point, a Quarterback Will Be Taken

There is little debate about Ryan Fitzpatrick's status with the Buffalo Bills; he is their quarterback, whether you agree with it or not.

Where there is little room for debate is that the Bills are screwed if Fitzpatrick goes down.

Tyler Thigpen hasn't looked impressive. Granted, he hasn't been given many opportunities since he is in Buffalo to be a backup. But he hasn't looked sharp in his preseason performances and in limited action in the regular season.

When last given a chance to start in Miami in 2010, Thigpen struggled mightily. So although he is not competing for the Bills' quarterback job, he doesn't appear primed to succeed if he were ever needed on the field.

General manager Buddy Nix is doing a fine job. What makes him so great is that he won't pass up a great player, regardless what the scouts and media say the Bills need. So while the Bills did not draft a quarterback in the first three rounds of the NFL draft, it's likely they will get one before the draft concludes.

Nix said it himself. He would like to draft a quarterback every year. Though that sounds unrealistic, it is a great idea. When a team drafts a quarterback in the later rounds, which the Bills have put themselves in position to do, there aren't great expectations.

So a team may be drafting a Curtis Painter or Levi Brown or Keith Null in the sixth round. Not much was expected out of these guys and not much was produced. But a team also could be drafting a Matt Hasselbeck, Marc Bulger or Tom Brady instead. All three were taken in the sixth round and have had productive careers.

Nix is a man who keeps to his word. The Bills are bound to take a quarterback. At this point, the financial investment will be low, but the potential reward could be great. And the fact that Thigpen has been mediocre at best makes it even more likely that the Bills will make this move.

Guys like Kirk Cousins of Michigan State, Ryan Lindley of San Diego State and Case Keenum of Houston are options for the Bills. Cousins could go in the fourth round, Lindley in the fifth or sixth, and Keenum in the seventh.

Personally, I think Keenum has great potential and could be a fantastic quarterback, but he suffered from playing weak competition in the Conference USA. Maybe Nix goes with a prospect with upside or goes for a player like Cousins, who is surprisingly available on the final day of the draft.

Or maybe the organization goes for a guy like Lindley, where they pretty much know what kind of player they are getting.

So look for the Bills to draft a quarterback in the final day of the draft. Nix's approach is brilliant, Taking a quarterback in the later rounds could benefit a team a whole lot more than it hurts them.

Just ask Fitzpatrick what he thinks of late-round quarterbacks. Even he will tell you that they are fantastic. Yes, even ones from Harvard.