2011 NFL Draft: Bufffalo Bills General Manager Buddy Nix Addresses Media

Today was the final time that Buffalo Bills General Manager Buddy Nix agreed to field questions from the media concerning the 2011 draft. At the luncheon, Nix and VP of College Scouting Tom Modrak, attended and were asked questions for a little over a 30 minutes session.

The following slides are direct quotes from Buddy Nix and some of them are priceless gems. He was on his game today, using some of that "country wisdom" that is woven in to his fabric. I found the talk entertaining and enjoyable. Not sure how much if any was a smokescreen, or false information, but we will know soon enough after the draft wraps up on April 30th.

From now on, the Bills brain trust will be shutting down any connections to outside media as they attempt to firm up their final draft board, so this was the last chance for any interaction with either of them prior to the draft.

We will start out with a series of quotes from Buddy Nix, and finish up with some quotes from Tom Modrak.

Buddy Nix on QBs in 2011 Draft Class

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 27: Blaine Gabbert looks on during the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 27, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

There could be a record number of 1st round grade quarterbacks, but as far as legitimate 1st round quarterbacks, everyone sees them differently. 

On the transition to 3-4 defensive scheme: Big part of what we do is projecting a guy to a different position. A good example of that from last year was Arthur Moats.

On the offensive line: Think we need another tackle. A guy that either will be a rookie or a veteran we get in free agency, whenever that starts, we'd like to get one more tackle.

On stopping the run: Right now for us it is more important for us to stop the run. You won't get where you want to be unless we can stop the run. Then, we need to rush the passer better.

On pre-draft gossip: The most quoted person before the draft is "sources say". That stuff drives us crazy.

On reaching for a QB in the 2nd round: I think people do reach at QB in the second round. Worst thing you can do is take a guy because of need at a position he isn't ready to play. That can set you back three years.

Nix on Effects of Free Agency and the Draft

Following were additional quotes from Buddy Nix:

Nothing has changed for us. We try to take the best player on our draft board to fill our needs by doing that. Preparing the same way as we always have.

On trading on draft day: It would be determined by how far down you have to move. I wouldn't rule out anything. There will be a guy that we really want at three, I think we will go ahead and draft him.

On drafting a player at a position that appears to be set: You can't have too many good football players. As long as we really put good players on our team, we will keep getting better.

On Kyle Williams: Kyle is a good football player for us and was on every Sunday. He will be in 3 technique and will shade the nose.

On trying to dig up background information on a player: You often get a standard answer. It comes down to how well you know the people at each school. It's who you know at each school that is just important as the information you receive. We try to build up our relationships at each school all year long. It starts at spring practice and continues on for the whole year.

Nix Addresses Final 10 Days Before the Draft

More from Buddy Nix at the press conference:

On final 10 days prior to draft: We go over all of our scout reading, all the reports. We review the coaches reports, and then Tom Modrak assigns a team grade and then he slots the player. We look at how they fit the Buffalo Bills and how important they are to our team before we slot them.

When is the final draft board set: We will have everything finalized on Wednesday, the day before the draft. We will have our first three slotted players ready to go and our final list will be set.

On fielding trade offers to trade up or trade down: I don't believe we will trade down from the third pick. We have someone there we really like, so we will draft him. We have also started getting feeler calls from some teams wanting to know if we are open to moving up.

On the pick at # 34: It is a good thing that there are so many options there for us. Who we take at 34, will be a direct result of who we took with the pick at three.

On the overall draft: I think we have 5 picks in the first 115 selections. Because of the talent in this draft, we should really be getting better because of those picks.

More from Buddy Nix: Talks About Von Miller

More quotes from Buddy Nix:

On Von Miller: if he is best guy on our board at # 3, and he is still there, I wouldn't pass on him due to the current linebackers that we already have on the roster.

On how many draft picks will be starters: Some guys will start but most will be in some sort of a rotation with other players.

On expectations for the third pick: We hope with our pick at number three that we get at least a starter or someone that can play at least 40 snaps a game.

On cornerbacks in the draft class: This is not a great year for cornerbacks overall.

On drafting a QB: We want to draft a quarterback for depth purposes and for the future development of the team.

Buddy Nix Talks About Nick Fairley

More quotes from Buddy Nix:

On Nick Fairley: Is he a one-year wonder? It appears that there are quite a few one-year wonder types in this draft class. Nick Fairley is the best interior pass rusher that I have seen in the past few years coming out of college. We would have preferred that he played three or four years at a major college, but he didn't. You also wonder what will happen to him when he gets a lot of money. Will the work ethic start to tail off?

On why draft picks turn out to be a bust: On why draft picks can become a bust: There are three phases to the draft picks. First phase is the personnel. Are they athletic, are they intelligent and did they produce? Second phase is the coaching they got and will get, strength coaching, working with team trainers and doctors. Third phase is are they willing to be a professional at work every day at getting better. You could nail two of the three phases, but if they blow up in just one of the three phases then you have a busted draft pick.

On getting a QB in second round or later: You put him on the sidelines in the first year with a clipboard. You keep him there until he is hungry, knowledgeable and ready to play.

On Blaine Gabbert climbing up the draft boards since January: Tom Modrak went to his first three or four games last year. We always had him ranked high on our board.

On the influence of Chan Gailey on drafting a QB: It certainly makes it easier for us to draft a QB with Chan Gailey here. We have faith that Chan will mold him and develop him. We can work with him so that when his second year rolls around, he will have the confidence to play.

On Tom Brady: If you saw his workouts after college you would have ranked him as a non-draftable rookie free agent. Sometimes you just never know.

Quotes from College Scouting Director Tom Modrak

Quotes from Tom Modrak during the press conference:

On the importance of the third pick: We have to nail the third overall pick on the nose. It is a very important pick for us.

On the past draft class failures and not making the playoffs: It certainly plays a part in not making the playoffs, but the draft is just one part of building a team.

On constructing a team: We try to solve some of our problems with the draft but we can only do so much.

On why the Bills are so good at uncovering late round gems: We have had our share of success, but we are not the only team. Many teams find bargains in the late rounds.

On Ryan Mallet and his off-field issues impacting his draft stock: He is not off of our board as a result. We are reasonably okay with it. We are aware of the issues. It is not a game changer.

On players that could be a tackle or guard at next level: We see Pinkston (Pittsburgh) as a guard. We see Franklin (Miami, Florida) as a tackle.

Tom Modrak Addresses Von Miller

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

SAINT PAUL, MN - APRIL 6: Linebacker Von Miller of Texas A&M, who is entered in this year's NFL draft, arrives for a hearing at the U.S. Courthouse on April 6, 2011 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. NFL players have filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL owne

More from Tom Modrak:

On Von Miller: He fits our defense. Can play all three downs. Play the run at 245 - 247 pounds. Athlete that can play in space. Quality player. Senior Bowl exposure to him helped. It was a plus having him there, like a one week job interview. He played all snaps and all practices. Even though he was tops at his position, he showed up to work every day.

Comparing Missouri QB's Blaine Gabbert to Chase Daniel: The numbers make you take a closer look and re-check things. You have to consider the blocking around him, the overall talent around him, they have to help him out more. The numbers don't tell the whole story.

On Marcell Dareus: He can play the run and push the pocket. He can help in creating team sacks. He will help somebody else get the sack, if he doesn't get it himself.

There you have it Bills fans. Hope this replay will keep Bills fans a little better informed of what is going at One Bills Drive.

Analysis of the Press Conference

Buddy Nix did his best to try to give reasonably straight answers without giving up the company store. There were some intentional smoke screens woven in with other answers, and that is how it should be.

To me, some of the more telling answers were as follows:

Wanting to identify a player with the third overall pick that will be a starter or at least see 40 snaps a game. That to me screams a defensive player ranging from Von Miller, to Marcell Dareus to Patrick Peterson.

They are still working on their draft board, that it is not completed yet.

They are fielding calls about gauging the Bills interest in trading up, not trading down, so it is now a possibility to consider that we might draft twice in the first round.

The Bills are not writing off Ryan Mallett, despite all of his off-the-field issues and admitted drug use.

The Bills are more concerned with drafting run-stuffers than pass rushers, which leads me to think that they are keying in on Martez Wilson or Kelvin Sheppard.

Would be curious to see what anybody else thinks when they go through the quotes and try to read the tea leaves.