Buffalo Bills Should Trade Down in the First Round of NFL Draft

It's no secret that the Buffalo Bills are in need of a "franchise shut down" left tackle. The prevailing thought was that Buffalo would invest their first round draft pick, the ninth overall selection of the draft, to secure the guy who will allow the Bills' quarterback to drop back in the pocket without fear of being blindsided.

So, just exactly how many of these franchise tackles exist in this year's 2010 draft class? The answer is a moving target, and it will literally be one of the many million dollar questions that will be answered as the NFL draft unfolds on Apr. 22.

There are certain levels of talent inherant with each position. Prospect grades dictate when teams know they have to make a reach, when they can trade down, or when they can just sit back and select the best player available when their turn arrives. Quality offensive linemen, specifically the tackles, are thought to be a fairly deep commodity this year.

But due to the many hurdles that every tackle must endure between now and Apr. 22, their stock can still go up and down drastically over the next few months. What will be their ultimate rank? Still ahead are the NFL combines, the all-star games, all the interviews, the workouts, the personality tests, and the cattle prodding.

Oklahoma State's tackle Russell Okung is head and shoulders the best tackle prospect in the draft. Okung is better than everyone else, so he is in a class all by himself.

If Okung is in the top rung, then what I want to explore is how many are in the second rung, and how far is the talent gap between the second rung and the third rung?

We can assume that Okung will no longer be on the draft board when the Bills turn is up. Kansas City at No. 5 and Oakland at No. 8 are two teams that have been linked to taking a tackle. So, if the Bills come into the draft targeting two specific tackles and both have already been selected by the time they pick, what prevents them from trading down in round one and selecting a tackle later?

That is the reason for this article, to assess if the Bills should, in fact, look to trade away the first-round pick. For sake of arguement, let's go ahead and say that KC takes Okung and the Raiders take Anthony Davis of Rutgers. Is there a clear cut best No. 3 tackle in the draft? Or, is it conceivable that there are a whole bunch of guys closely bunched together at No.'s 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, etc.?

Why trade down, you ask? Because the Bills have a large number of holes to fix on their team. They have a new head coach in Chan Gailey and new general manager Buddy Nix that want to bring in their own players.

Buddy Nix has a solid track record of picking talent, and with the players union and NFL looking at a labor agreement contract mess and free agency having limited number of players, the draft is one sure-fire way the Bills can improve their team. This also allows the new regime to put its own unique stamp on the club.

The more draft picks you have in rounds two, three and/or four, the better the chances you have to help the team with an impact player. Look at that fourth-round pick last year, tight end Shawn Nelson. Many felt he was a steal in the fourth round.

An extra second-round pick to pick up a player of Jairus Byrd's caliber? What is wrong with that, if you still are able to draft a very solid tackle later in the first round? With the large number of talented underclassmen that declared this year, it means that very good players will still be available in the third and fourth rounds.

Are there really enough strong tackles available for this plan to work? I am not a draft guru or a college scout. I have been reading a ton of articles, and have assembled a laundry list of tackles that continue to generate ink about their prospects for playing in the NFL. Think of these guys as the second and third rungs of talent we addressed.

After Russell Okung and Anthony Davis you have the following options:

Bryan Bulaga (Iowa University), Bruce Campbell (Maryland), Sam Young (Notre Dame), Trent Williams (Oklahoma University), Charles Brown (USC), Ciron Black (LSU), Tony Washington (Abilene Christian), Adam Ulatoski (University of Texas), Vladimir Ducasse (U. of Massachusetts), Selvish Capers (West Virginia), and Edward Wang (Virginia Tech).

Will all of these wind up as left tackles? No. Are all of those guys going to go in the first two rounds? Of course not. But how many of them are deemed to be just a small grade level below the top two tackles? Is it worth picking up an extra draft choice or two to move down 10-12 spots in the first round? For me, the answer is an unequivocal yes.

Who Should the Bills Target and Why Rolando McClain is the Bills' Wild Card

There are a number of teams that are looking for help at the tackle spot. You could make a case for the 49ers (pick 13), Steelers (18), and Cowboys (27) as three teams that would draft a tackle if their guy is there. So, you would ideally want to trade down to position yourself just in front of one of those three teams to get the guy you think can still be that "special tackle."

Alabama's Rolando McClain is regarded as the best linebacker in the draft. He is rumored to be the top choice of the Miami Dolphins with the eleventh pick in the draft. Would the Bills have any interest in messing up the Dolphins plans with that selection? You really need me to answer that one? Would the Bills want to face Rolando McClain twice every year if they didn't have to?

The Atlanta Falcons (pick 19) and Philadelphia Eagles (pick 24) are two teams that are looking for linebacking help. So, the Bills could target either team to swap first-round picks with, still have a first round pick to draft their left tackle, gain additional draft picks to address other needs, and prevent the Dolphins from getting their man. Sounds like a win, win, win to me.

In fact, isolating the Eagles for a brief second, perhaps a swap of first-round picks could also include a certain quarterback from the Eagles coming over to Buffalo! Stranger things have happened, but please remember that you read it here first.

Okay, so now I have your imagination running wild. Think of all the possibilities. Do you think this plan is doomed, or that it makes sense? Happy to entertain your comments, thoughts, and ideas.