Buffalo Bills: Entire 2011 Draft Far More Important Than No. 3 Overall Pick

The Buffalo Bills are starting their annual draft evaluation process, one that for the most part, has failed them in their 11 years of playoff absence.

Total whiffs on top draft prospects in the new millennium are well-documented, and have become infamous moments that every Bills fan is painfully reminded of each offseason.

Erik Flowers, Mike Williams, J.P. Losman and John McCargo are former Bills first-round selections that never panned out in Buffalo. Donte Whitner, Leodis McKelvin and Aaron Maybin are potentially future additions to the notorious list. (Don't forget Marshawn Lynch, either.)

The players Buffalo passed on in these crucial draft spots adds salt to the wounds of Bills fans everywhere. 

In 2002, future Pro Bowl tackle Bryant McKinnie was available when Buffalo grabbed Williams. 

The Bills moved back into the first round to take McCargo when loads of future Pro Bowlers were still around in Round 2, like DeMeco Ryans, Greg Jennings, Devin Hester and Maurice Jones-Drew.

In the 2006 Draft, Donte Whitner was selected when Haloti Ngata was still waiting for his phone call.

When Aaron Maybin was nabbed by the Bills in 2009, future Pro Bowler Brian Orakpo was surprisingly still on the board.

Even with all the draft disasters that have sent pro football in western New York to the gloomy cellar of the AFC, the Bills have done an admirable job discovering late-round and undrafted prospects who've turned in solid careers as professionals.

Jason Peters, Jabari Greer, Fred Jackson and Kyle Williams to name a few. They could be on to something with Demetrius Bell, George Wilson and Stevie Johnson as well.

Still, the high-profile blunders far outweigh the overachieving Day 2 draftees. 

So each and every year, Bills fans gather at local bars, after pickup basketball games and around dinner tables to focus on Buffalo's first selection and how NOT to screw it up once again. 

It's become such a folly for the legion of fans that arguments can easily go on for hours.

Believe me, I've been in my fair share of debates on the pick, and it's not even February yet.

Marcell Dareus, Patrick Peterson, AJ Green, Da'Qwan Bowers, Cam Newton, trade back...I've heard it all.

Within all the speculation and torment we'll assuredly put ourselves through leading up to April 28th, we tend to forget the NFL Draft has seven rounds. 

With a rebuilding team like the Buffalo Bills, the entire draft is far more important than hitting a future Hall of Famer at No. 3 overall.

Sure, it'd be nice to have Marcell Dareus become the next Phil Hansen, or watch Patrick Peterson morph into Nate Odomes, but placing all the emphasis and attention on the first pick would be misguided and foolish.

Actually, I don't care who the Bills take with their first selection.  There's just so much uncertainty.

The picks in Rounds 2-7, now that's a different story.

The Bills can't afford those draft choices to become healthy inactives each week or to have short stints in Orchard Park.

Guys like Travares Tillman, Avion Black, Tim Anderson, Trent Edwards, James Hardy and Chris Ellis (that's only the beginning) have hurt the Bills more than the underachieving first rounders, simply because there are more of them. 

Certainly not every second-round pick starts and enjoys a long tenure with the team that drafted him, but mid-round selections have especially haunted the Bills during the 2000s. 

I'm not going to prognosticate what specific individuals they should pick in Rounds 2-7, but here's what I'm asking for:

Some beef and athleticism on the defense line. 

An agile and intelligent inside linebacker that can make the occasional impact play and shed blocks with some consistency. 

A tight end who can catch the football, who poses a threat to opposing secondaries.

An offensive tackle with good footwork to handle speed rushers.

An outside defensive hybrid whose main goal on every play is to get to the quarterback.

A cornerback who can add depth to the defensive backfield.

(There's a good chance some of those areas of concern will be addressed in free agency.)

So, after the Bills are off the clock in the draft's opening round, whether you're ripping your hair out or celebrating the pick with friends, remember that for the Bills, their collective draft will more directly dictate the future than the third overall pick.