2011 NFL Draft: Von Miller Is the Sensible Option for the Buffalo Bills At No. 3

I’m going to say this right up front—I still haven’t quite figured out Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller yet.

Going into this past college football season, I tried to exercise my due-diligence on Miller, who was coming off a dominating junior campaign, for which he earned All-American honors.

As I scoured through my favorite college football and NFL Draft websites over the summer, I saw Miller’s name popping up all over the place—mentioned time and again as one of the few elite senior defensive prospects, with the likes of Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara and Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn.

But still, there was something about him that I just couldn’t quite put my finger on.

Ever the sceptical Sally, I asked myself the same question I ask of every college football player: "Is this guy really all he’s cracked up to be?"

As it stands now, it’s hard not to believe that Von Miller is a legitimate, elite pro-prospect.

Miller, a 6'2" 240 lb. super-athlete who quickly gained a reputation as a quarterback-killer during his time in College Station, is currently one of the hottest names in the 2011 talent pool after a standout showing during Senior Bowl week.

The Aggie sackmaster, who slammed down opposing QBs a whopping 27 times during his final two seasons at Texas A&M, has teams in need of a 3-4 rush linebacker salivating with curiosity.

You can salivate with curiosity, right?

Well, I have a feeling Bills head coach Chan Gailey and the rest of the Buffalo staff is doing just that after having an up close and personal look at Miller down in Mobile, Alabama this past week.

This year, Gailey and his staff were lucky enough to have the opportunity to coach the Senior Bowl’s South squad, which afforded them a good look at some of the best senior prospects the talent-rich region has to offer.

The only member of that bunch who looks to be a true contender for a top five pick is Miller, and it just so happens that he would be a perfect fit for Buffalo's needs.

The Bills defense was only able to muster up a lowly 27 sacks in 2010, while finishing dead last in the NFL against the run.

Needless to say, their front seven could use some work and a little tweaking in order to complement a pretty formidable defensive backfield.

Adding a valuable piece like Miller could change the complexion of the defense in a hurry—giving them a much needed, difference-making disruptor.

The Bills have half of the puzzle right so far. They have the system in place—in this case a 3-4 defense—to succeed, now all they have to do is fill it with the right personnel.

If you were to look at the most successful teams in the NFL, you'll see a trend. Most of them employ a 3-4 defensive scheme.

The basis for success in a 3-4 is the ability to get a good pass rush off the edge. Just look at this year's two Super Bowl participants, the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both teams have top-flight defenses with guys on the outside like Clay Matthews, LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison who all know how how to apply serious pressure off the edge.

Von Miller is in that same type of mold and he's proven he has the pass-rushing prowess to get the job done when called upon.

Would Miller be as sexy of a pick as one of the big names—say, A.J. Green, or Patrick Peterson, who are likely to be available when the Bills are on the clock?

No, but when you’re trying to build winners, sometimes you have to make decisions based off what’s best for the long-term instead of greedily-nabbing popular picks in the present.

We still have a long way to go before draft weekend, and with so much uncertainty surrounding the league as a whole at this point, it would be asinine to try and definitively predict what the Bills—or any other team for that matter—will do strategy-wise on the night of April 28th.

But for all those mock drafters out there wondering who to fill in for Buffalo at the No. 3 spot, I ask that you keep an open mind about Von Miller.

We'll figure it all out in three months. But for now, it sure is fun to speculate.