2022 Bills Draft Thread

[Nanker]

4 minutes ago, Spartacus said:

yeah- that's a plan

he could also fill that RB role some are so desperate for

Versatility is highly valued by this front office. He’s a Swiss Army knife in the vein (figuratively) of Debo. 

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

10 minutes ago, Nanker said:

Versatility is highly valued by this front office. He’s a Swiss Army knife

 

He's overpriced crap with great marketing?

[Arm of Harm]

On 4/2/2022 at 11:19 PM, Core Four said:

It could also depend on where Tommy Doyle is in his development.  I think Spencer Brown is the backup LT and Doyle is the backup RT.  Also, the Bills appear to be giving Bates a 4 year/$17M contract; not sure they'll be comfortable paying Bates $4.25M to sit this year.  And they just got Saffold, who they're paying $6M.

 

If, for example, Beane lands an OT in the first or second round, then Dawkins getting traded becomes possible.  If a designated post 6/1 trade happens, Bills would incur a 2022 dead cap of $4M and 2023 dead cap of almost $7.2M, which is better than paying him $12.7M to play G where he would be making twice what Roger Saffold is making and put Dawkins in the top 10 paid offensive guards.  i think Dawkins would be a better G than T, but top 10 may be a bit optimistic.

While I’m very open to the idea of Dawkins being a better guard than Bates, I think it’s highly unlikely he’ll be $12.7 million better. If the Bills use a first round pick on a LT, they’ll need to part ways with Dawkins. At that point, why not include him as part of the trade package? If the Bills were to send Dawkins + Edmunds + draft picks to the Giants for 7th overall, maybe they could go light on the draft pick part of that due to Dawkins. 

[Foxx]

17 hours ago, Nanker said:

Derek Anderson @ 25 if Edmunds gets moved.

PFF has him mocked to us as our 2nd round pick at 57.

 

[Core Four]

1 hour ago, Arm of Harm said:

While I’m very open to the idea of Dawkins being a better guard than Bates, I think it’s highly unlikely he’ll be $12.7 million better. If the Bills use a first round pick on a LT, they’ll need to part ways with Dawkins. At that point, why not include him as part of the trade package? If the Bills were to send Dawkins + Edmunds + draft picks to the Giants for 7th overall, maybe they could go light on the draft pick part of that due to Dawkins. 

 

I think it is possible Dawkins and Edmunds get traded.  Both have contracts that can be re-worked by Beane to save additional cap space, yet neither has been done and longer commitments have not been made to either player.  Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but a lot of cap money can be reclaimed and longer commitments can be made from the two contracts, especially Dawkins.

[Arm of Harm]

On 4/3/2022 at 9:27 AM, Spartacus said:

how many of those top 20 LTs are rookies?

yeah-

 

pure fantasy land to think a rookie from late in the 1st round or later is going to perform better in 2022 than Dawkins- even in his covid plagued 2021

 

you also poo-poo the locker room impact of cutting his pay and moving him to G

 

but - you keep playing Madden, ignoring all of the intangibles that go into roster and team building

There are two separate ideas being discussed: 1) trade Dawkins, Edmunds, and some draft picks to the Giants for 7th overall. Then use 7th overall on a LT. 2) Take a LT with the Bills’ original pick in the 20s. 
 

Either way at some point you’re playing a rookie LT. This past season we played a rookie RT in the form of Spencer Brown. How did that work out? In the early to middle part of the season Brown was a liability. But late season and playoffs he was a source of strength. If we get that same trajectory from the rookie LT, would you take that? I would. If the rookie LT lives up to his draft status, long-term he’s going to be an upgrade over Dawkins. If the long-term arrives late in the regular season that’s soon enough for me. 
 

At the end of the day you want your drafting strategy to have a strong element of flexibility. Marv went into the 2006 draft with the intention of using his first two picks on a DT and a safety. That robbed him of flexibility and caused him to get inferior football players to the ones he could have had with a more flexible approach. Upgrading the LT position is a solid option for the Bills, but only if the right LT is there. If not, you draft a player at a different position instead. 

[Spartacus]

21 hours ago, Core Four said:

 

I think it is possible Dawkins and Edmunds get traded.  Both have contracts that can be re-worked by Beane to save additional cap space, yet neither has been done and longer commitments have not been made to either player.  Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but a lot of cap money can be reclaimed and longer commitments can be made from the two contracts, especially Dawkins.

Fortunately, Beane's main goal in life is not generate the most free cap dollars.

It is actually to put the best team on the field to compete for a Super Bowl in the very narrow window they are currently in.

 

Creating needless, massive holes in the 2022 team to stroke one's salary cap ego at the risk of pissing away a Super Bowl opportunity is complete lunacy

 

but not surprising, considering the source 

[Spartacus]

8 hours ago, Arm of Harm said:

There are two separate ideas being discussed: 1) trade Dawkins, Edmunds, and some draft picks to the Giants for 7th overall. Then use 7th overall on a LT. 2) Take a LT with the Bills’ original pick in the 20s. 
 

Either way at some point you’re playing a rookie LT. This past season we played a rookie RT in the form of Spencer Brown. How did that work out? In the early to middle part of the season Brown was a liability. But late season and playoffs he was a source of strength. If we get that same trajectory from the rookie LT, would you take that? I would. If the rookie LT lives up to his draft status, long-term he’s going to be an upgrade over Dawkins. If the long-term arrives late in the regular season that’s soon enough for me. 
 

At the end of the day you want your drafting strategy to have a strong element of flexibility. Marv went into the 2006 draft with the intention of using his first two picks on a DT and a safety. That robbed him of flexibility and caused him to get inferior football players to the ones he could have had with a more flexible approach. Upgrading the LT position is a solid option for the Bills, but only if the right LT is there. If not, you draft a player at a different position instead. 

 

how many of those top 20 LTs are rookies?

yeah-

 

 

[Spartacus]

likely to be many more trades as these teams look to unload some of these picks to the teams with no 1st rounder.

unless a team chooses to give up multiple pro-bowl players to move up 

 

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/04/05/eight-teams-have-two-first-round-draft-picks-after-flurry-of-trades/

 

Here’s the full breakdown of teams with two first-round picks:

Giants have their own first-round pick (No. 5) and the Bears’ (No. 7) from last year’s trade that allowed the Bears to draft Justin Fields.

Jets have their own first-round pick (No. 4) plus the Seahawks’ (No. 10) from the Jamal Adams trade.

Texans have their own first-round pick (No. 3) plus the Browns’ (No. 13) from the Deshaun Watson trade.

Eagles have the Dolphins’ first-round pick (No. 15) from last year’s trade that allowed Miami to draft Jaylen Waddle, plus the Saints’ first-round pick (No. 18) from an exchange of picks that also netted Philadelphia the Saints’ first-round pick in 2023 and second-round pick in 2024.

Saintshave the Colts’ first-round pick (No. 16), which was sent to the Eagles in the Carson Wentz trade and then sent by the Eagles to the Saints in an exchange of multiple picks that also gave the Saints the Eagles’ first-round pick (No. 19).

Packers have their own first-round pick (No. 28) plus the Raiders’ (No. 22) from the Davante Adams trade.

Chiefs have their own first-round pick (No. 30) plus the 49ers’ (No. 29) which was originally sent to the Dolphins so the 49ers could draft Trey Lance, and then sent from the Dolphins to the Chiefs in the Tyreek Hill trade.

Lions have their own first-round pick (No. 2) plus the Rams’ (No. 32) from the Matthew Stafford trade.

[Arm of Harm]

1 hour ago, Spartacus said:

Fortunately, Beane's main goal in life is not generate the most free cap dollars.

It is actually to put the best team on the field to compete for a Super Bowl in the very narrow window they are currently in.

 

Creating needless, massive holes in the 2022 team to stroke one's salary cap ego at the risk of pissing away a Super Bowl opportunity is complete lunacy

 

but not surprising, considering the source 

Is the Bills’ Super Bowl window truly very narrow?

 

Back when Belichick had Brady, there were times when he took an action not necessarily in the best short-term interest of the team to benefit it over the long run. There were times when you’d say, “This is their year!” only to see Belichick do something to hurt them somewhat over the short-term to create a long run benefit. The result was six Super Bowl championships. 
 

Can the Bills also achieve a protracted Super Bowl window? Most of Josh Allen’s career is in front of him, so that’s a huge advantage right there. There’s good young talent on the team other than Allen. The drafting strategies Core Four and I have been discussing would add to that, um, core. So you’re gearing up for being a top team for many years to come. 
 

You could point out that Belichick’s Patriots teams had something the Bills don’t: good defensive coaching. But that’s all the more reason to value the long-term as well as the short-term. Down the road it’s entirely possible the Bills will have solved their defensive coaching problems. That means their future Super Bowl opportunities may be better than you’d think. 

[Alaska Darin]

4 minutes ago, Arm of Harm said:

Is the Bills’ Super Bowl window truly very narrow?

 

Back when Belichick had Brady, there were times when he took an action not necessarily in the best short-term interest of the team to benefit it over the long run. There were times when you’d say, “This is their year!” only to see Belichick do something to hurt them somewhat over the short-term to create a long run benefit. The result was six Super Bowl championships. 
 

Can the Bills also achieve a protracted Super Bowl window? Most of Josh Allen’s career is in front of him, so that’s a huge advantage right there. There’s good young talent on the team other than Allen. The drafting strategies Core Four and I have been discussing would add to that, um, core. So you’re gearing up for being a top team for many years to come. 
 

You could point out that Belichick’s Patriots teams had something the Bills don’t: good defensive coaching. But that’s all the more reason to value the long-term as well as the short-term. Down the road it’s entirely possible the Bills will have solved their defensive coaching problems. That means their future Super Bowl opportunities may be better than you’d think. 

The BILLS also have something Belichick doesn't - the ability to draft/develop players.

 

I have no issue kicking around ideas, even when they're pretty silly.  After all, it's the offseason and there isn't much else to do.  I don't see the BILLS moving on from Dawkins and think the front office/coaches likely believe his struggles are caused by the combination of his bouts with Covid and the lack of consistent play to his immediate right.  He's not an insanely expensive player for the position and he's a Buffalo guy. 

[Spartacus]

23 minutes ago, Arm of Harm said:

Is the Bills’ Super Bowl window truly very narrow?

 

Back when Belichick had Brady, there were times when he took an action not necessarily in the best short-term interest of the team to benefit it over the long run. There were times when you’d say, “This is their year!” only to see Belichick do something to hurt them somewhat over the short-term to create a long run benefit. The result was six Super Bowl championships. 
 

Can the Bills also achieve a protracted Super Bowl window? Most of Josh Allen’s career is in front of him, so that’s a huge advantage right there. There’s good young talent on the team other than Allen. The drafting strategies Core Four and I have been discussing would add to that, um, core. So you’re gearing up for being a top team for many years to come. 
 

You could point out that Belichick’s Patriots teams had something the Bills don’t: good defensive coaching. But that’s all the more reason to value the long-term as well as the short-term. Down the road it’s entirely possible the Bills will have solved their defensive coaching problems. That means their future Super Bowl opportunities may be better than you’d think. 

my guess is the Bills need to win ONE before doing the Lebron count of multiple titles from their unending dynasty. 

 

Chances of winning that 1st ONE decrease dramatically by needlessly creating massive holes in the roster by ditching pro bowl players for raw, inexperienced rookies

[IDBillzFan]

5 hours ago, Arm of Harm said:

Is the Bills’ Super Bowl window truly very narrow?

 

No. Not at all. Frankly, I think we go on a run. No a four-in-a-row run, necessarily, but much like what the Pats* did, without the blatant cheating.

[Arm of Harm]

13 hours ago, Alaska Darin said:

The BILLS also have something Belichick doesn't - the ability to draft/develop players.

 

I have no issue kicking around ideas, even when they're pretty silly.  After all, it's the offseason and there isn't much else to do.  I don't see the BILLS moving on from Dawkins and think the front office/coaches likely believe his struggles are caused by the combination of his bouts with Covid and the lack of consistent play to his immediate right.  He's not an insanely expensive player for the position and he's a Buffalo guy. 

The most serious objection to my suggestion has yet to be raised. Namely, what if the Bills trade for the 7th overall pick, take a LT, and he turns out to be the next Mike Williams? Dawkins would be gone (traded away) with no real replacement. Yeah, the Bills would get the LT position straightened out sooner or later. But in the meantime the hole at LT could cost the Bills a year of Super Bowl opportunity, just as surely as Leslie Frazier’s collapse resulted in the Bills’ elimination from the playoffs. 
 

Putting my plan into motion would require a perfect storm. The Giants would need to want both Dawkins and Edmunds. They’d have to be willing to trade away the seventh overall pick.  There would need to be a very good LT waiting for the Bills at seven. This is the type of trade you do during the draft itself, while the Giants are on the clock. 
 

But, if things work out the way I’d want, the Bills get a top 5 LT. A guy to capably protect Allen’s blindside for the next 12+ years. If the goal is to set the Bills up for an extended period of contending for a Super Bowl, having a guy like that would be huge. 

[Ann]

...
 

 

[Foxx]

2 hours ago, Ann said:

...
 

 

I'm sure there is some sort of relevance for posting the empty stands of an ice arena here, it is just lost upon me though.

[Alaska Darin]

23 minutes ago, Foxx said:

I'm sure there is some sort of relevance for posting the empty stands of an ice arena here, it is just lost upon me though.

Getting him used to playoff weather.

[IDBillzFan]

 

[Alaska Darin]

1 minute ago, IDBillzFan said:

 

He's an interesting little dude.  He looks to be almost impossible to cover in the slot because he's pretty strong and twitchy for a little guy.  If he was two inches taller, he'd be a pretty high first rounder.  He plays faster than his 40 time.

[Joe]

On 4/3/2022 at 6:48 PM, Deranged Rhino said:

 

I'd love that pick at 33-57, not at 25. I've been studying him a bit this week while taking breaks from work - he's got all the right tools imo and would be a beast here. But still, a first rounder seems high. I think he'll slide to the top 3 picks of day 2, in which case the Bills will have to move up to grab him. 

 

Right. Like Metcalf then?

 

😄