2011 NFL Mock Draft: Buffalo Bills 7-Round Mock Draft
After an abysmal season in which they finished 4-12, the Buffalo Bills need a good draft class to help rebuild the program.
CJ Spiller, Torrell Troup and other draftees from 2010 proved to be non-factors, and the hierarchical combination of Chan Gailey and Buddy Nix needs to use 2011 to prove that the Bills can be an effective team when it comes to drafting collegiate athletes.
The Bills have many needs on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, and a main problem in 2010 was inconsistency.
Also, the Bills need to shore up their rushing defense and find young players to replace aging veterans.
With the third pick in the first round, Buffalo has a chance to bring a good number of talented players into the mix, and the Bills faithful have a reason to be optimistic.
Without further ado, the Bills' seven-round mock draft follows.
First-Round Pick (Third Overall Selection): LB Von Miller, Texas A&M
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Von Miller is a naturally gifted athlete.
With great body control and a good amount of versatility to defend the run and the pass, Miller makes the most sense with the third pick.
While Buffalo could take a quarterback and try to sell Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert to the fanbase, neither is much better than other quarterbacks on the board that the Bills could draft later on.
Miller would become a star in Buffalo, joining a talented linebacking corps of Paul Posluszny and Shawn Merriman. Posluszny and Merriman make a good duo, but Miller would add an attacking element to the defense.
The former Aggie has the ability to beat tackles off of the line of scrimmage, and has an elite first step. After being the feature player on the Texas A&M defense, this outside linebacker will settle into the scheme in Buffalo as a big component of the defensive unit.
Chan Gailey indicated that Buffalo will move to a multiple-front defense in 2011, mixing concepts of the 3-4 and 4-3 into the play-calling for next year.
The Texas A&M product has the capacity to succeed in both sets, and will help Gailey usher in a new type of defensive scheme in Buffalo.
Second-Round Pick (34th Overall Selection): QB Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
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After hearing all about Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton being No. 1 and No. 1a in the quarterback rankings, the Bills can get much better value with Colin Kaepernick in the second round.
Kaepernick combines speed, size and arm strength in rare fashion. No quarterback in this draft better combines all of these physical attributes, and that's not even up for debate.
While this is the NFL, not college, and a quarterback's arm is a more valuable commodity than his legs, Kaepernick would make the Bills offense a truly explosive unit.
Chan Gailey is known to use some concepts of the pistol offense, one which Kaepernick is very familiar with from his playing days at Nevada.
After seeing Gailey transform Kordell Stewart into an enigma at the quarterback position, there is no reason why the Bills coach can't utilize Kaepernick's many gifts and make a complete passer out of this physical specimen.
Kaepernick ran the 40-yard dash in an impressive 4.53 seconds. For a 6'5" quarterback, his speed is very impressive, and he will be able to extend plays.
Kaepernick could easily be the most athletic quarterback in the draft, but he combines that athleticism with unlimited potential in his arm. He and Ryan Mallett could go toe-to-toe with throwing power.
Kaepernick would also help to unlock CJ Spiller's potential. For example, a speed back in Chris Johnson played much better with the dual-threat Vince Young under center instead of the pocket-passing Kerry Collins.
By drafting Kaepernick here, the Bills get a future franchise quarterback who can sit for a year or two behind incumbent Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Third-Round Pick (68th Overall Selection): DT Jarvis Jenkins, Clemson
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Jarvis Jenkins will help shore up one of the league's worst rush defenses in Buffalo.
While the Bills could spend higher picks on Marcel Daerus, Nick Fairley, Marvin Austin, Stephen Paea or Corey Liuget, who also offer the element of a pass rusher on the defensive line, Jenkins is just what the Bills need and he is a value pick in the third round.
Jenkins played next to Da'Quan Bowers this year and was overshadowed quite a bit by the first-rounder-to-be, and the Bills could benefit by the talented defensive tackle falling to the top of the third round.
The big knock on Jenkins is his ineffectiveness against the pass, but after picking Von Miller in the first round, the last thing the Bills need is another pass rusher.
Jenkins, at 6'4" and 315 pounds, would be a stout run-stopper in the middle of the Bills line, and would be an effective replacement for the recently released Marcus Stroud.
The Bills have a true need for a run-stopping five-technique DE in this draft, and Jenkins fits the bill. He and Kyle Williams would make a fearful tandem in the trenches.
With a well-built linebacking corps, the defensive line needs to be more than just serviceable for the Bills to have a special front seven in a division where the Jets fight for defensive supremacy.
Jarvis Jenkins is a step in the right direction, and the behemoth from Clemson will shore up a line that was dismal against the run last season.
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Fourth-Round Pick (100th Overall Selection): WR Austin Pettis, Boise State
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Last year, Stevie Johnson broke out in a big way in Buffalo.
The young star posted nice numbers until defenses began to key in on No. 13, and Johnson ended the season with a diminished role in the offense despite his talent.
The Bills showed how explosive their offensive unit can be when Stevie Johnson isn't receiving double coverage, and with Lee Evans on his way out soon, Austin Pettis would provide a good threat as the No. 2 receiver.
It is a known fact that Ryan Fitzpatrick likes to spread the ball around, and with a lack of a receiver with a big frame to catch the ball, Pettis makes a good amount of sense with this pick.
Lee Evans' production is diminishing, and while the receiver still has the ability to compete for a starting job, using a fourth-rounder on Pettis would give the Bills another solid receiver to open up the aerial attack.
Pettis hasn't posted the best numbers in the broad or vertical jump, and has average-sized hands, but ran a solid 40-yard dash (4.56 seconds) at the combine, and has a very above-average frame.
The Boise State product measures an imposing 6'3", weighing 210 pounds.
Pettis would give the Bills yet another option in the receiving game, and would relegate Roscoe Parrish to the return game and four-wide sets, which is where he belongs.
The Bills would be wise to use this pick on the former Bronco in Pettis, and add to an already talented group of receivers.
Fourth-Round Pick (122nd Overall Selection): TE Virgil Green, Nevada
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Virgil Green was a relative unknown before the 2011 scouting combine. He was a versatile, athletic tight end from Nevada with questions about his run-blocking skills.
Then, Green posted monstrous numbers for a tight end.
He put up an insane vertical jump of 42.5" and broad jumped 10'10". Green also ran a quick 4.54 40-yard dash at the combine, considering his size of 6'3" and 250 pounds.
All reports indicate, as well, that he had a good pro day and looked impressive in many positional drills.
Because of a good amount of talented tight ends that will end up in the late second to mid-third rounds, Green will fall well into the fourth round and some teams will shy away from him because he is such a project.
His scouting report reads that he is going to need to run better routes to be an effective weapon in the pass game, and his toughness as a blocker has come under fire.
Green makes sense here, though, because he'd provide a familiar target for Kaepernick, and Green, in his own right, is athletically gifted enough to have success on his own.
Should the Bills take Kaepernick and Green according to the mock draft, look for the two to develop a good rapport with one another as Green would become the eventual feature tight end in Buffalo.
All of Green's flaws are coachable, and I'm sure that an NFL team would rather have a raw athlete to coach up.
Green can learn to be a better blocker, and he can be taught the intricacies of route running, but he already has the physical gifts that most tight ends don't.
Green would provide continuity at the tight end position for Kaepernick, and would be a steal in the fourth round if coached correctly.
Fifth-Round Pick (133rd Overall Selection): CB Shareece Wright, USC
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In the fifth round, the Bills will be able to fill their need for a nickel or dime corner (depending on Drayton Florence's free-agent status).
The pick here was between Rashad Carmichael and Shareece Wright, and I give the edge to Wright because the former Trojan is apparently a film rat, while Carmichael has trouble focusing.
To have true success in nickel and dime packages, a corner needs to be clear on his assignments, and Wright is a sound bet to know what is going on at all times.
The USC product is also talented, and will grow with this young unit. He posted a respectable 4.46 40-yard dash time and leapt 34.5" in the vertical jump.
Chan Gailey coached Wright in the Senior Bowl, and the young corner performed well, almost picking off a Ricky Stanzi pass in the game.
Mike Mayock reported that Wright was studying film for the game, and his good performance can be linked to his work ethic and attention to detail in the film room.
Wright was a key component on the USC defensive unit, and can be a serviceable young corner in the NFL for a number of years.
While Wright may not have the best frame at 5'11" and just 185 pounds, he can be effective in both man and zone coverage and warrants a fifth-round selection.
Sixth-Round Pick (169th Overall Selection): OT Derek Newton, Arkansas State
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The Bills do have a need on the offensive line, but would be more suited to bring in a veteran right tackle to be a Band-Aid at the position.
Newton is nothing special as a tackle, but was a combine invitee nonetheless and showed impressive athleticism for someone 6'5" with 315 pounds.
The pick here was between Jah Reid and Derek Newton, both similar offensive tackles.
While Reid may not even be here by this time after an impressive pro day, I chose Newton because of his higher ceiling.
Reid relies on good technical skills at the position, while Newton uses a good deal of athleticism and can be a better player a few years down the road.
Reid is taller and weighs a bit more, and was an All-Conference-USA first-teamer, but Newton is a better athlete.
Considering this is a late-round pick, it would be in the Bills' best interests to draft a player with better potential down the road.
The Bills can coach up Newton to be a serviceable stopgap at some point, which would be good value for a sixth-rounder.
Newton has some physical gifts, and, while raw, can prove to be the right choice in the later rounds for the Bills if coached well enough.
Seventh-Round Pick (206th Overall Selection): S Zac Etheridge, Auburn
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Now that Donte Whitner has jumped ship in Buffalo, there is an open competition for strong safety.
While George Wilson is the favorite to win the job, Zac Etheridge would provide a good amount of training-camp competition.
Etheridge could be a good backup safety now that Wilson will move into a starting role, and the Auburn product would be an asset with his national championship experience.
The former Tiger is said to have good leadership skills, and had an amazing recovery from a neck injury in 2010.
At his pro day, the safety posted back-to-back 40-yard dash times in the 4.5, and all reports indicate that he showed great hands in the drills.
With a ballhawk in Jairus Byrd already entrenched at the free safety position, Etheridge would provide continuity in the secondary.
As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved in 2010, depth at the safety position is key, and getting Zac Etheridge in the late rounds would provide the Bills with a good, young defensive back to plug in if Wilson or Byrd goes down.
I was debating between Will Hill and Etheridge here, but Hill's personality issues and shaky work ethic put him behind Etheridge on my board.
Etheridge is an adequate 5'11", 200-pound safety who is very projectable and would fill a backup role with the team as a seventh-rounder.
Seventh-Round Pick (245th Overall Selection): WR Mark Dell, Michigan State
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With their last pick, the Bills get another receiver.
As opposed to all of the other receivers on the Bills roster, Dell has a penchant for the big play and can catch jump balls.
Think Danario Alexander here.
Dell has a good build at 6'0" and is 195 pounds; he has average size for a receiver.
He ran a 4.54 in the 40-yard dash at his pro day, showing good speed for a projected late-rounder at the receiver position.
Dell was a featured pass catcher at Michigan State, and knows how to take the ball deep when the offense needs it.
Rick Ross even recorded a special shoutout to Dell, in which Ross said that Dell brought life back to the field like "Tim Tebow did a few years ago."
If that isn't convincing enough to use a seventh-rounder on him, I don't know what is.
Dell recovered well from shoulder surgery, and had a good pro day, clearing any doubt about his shoulder.
Dell is a low risk with the Bills' last pick, and could blossom into a serviceable option in the slot.
Summary of the Picks
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First Round: OLB Von Miller
Second Round: QB Colin Kaepernick
Third Round: DE Jarvis Jenkins
Fourth Round: WR Austin Pettis
Fourth Round: TE Virgil Green
Fifth Round: CB Shareece Wright
Sixth Round: OT Derek Newton
Seventh Round: S Zac Etheridge
Seventh Round: WR Mark Dell
The Bills would fill needs at almost all of their weak positions, and fortify positions of strength with young, talented players. Should the Bills draft along these lines, a blueprint will be set for a bright future in Buffalo.
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