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With the first day of the draft in the books, tonight the Bills get to make their first pick of the 2015 NFL Draft. Given the way the first round went, there will be a plethora of quality players to choose from (or trade up/down to get) in the second round. Let’s take a look at a 18 players (and 3 QBs) that could turn up as options, as well as a few names to consider for round 3. As a primer, I’ve covered a few of these players in detail in a this post. I’m going to break them up into groups that make sense to me given the Bills’ situation – “Safe Picks” “Dice Rolls” and “….Yeesh”. If you want to play along, I’ll also live-tweet the pick with animated gif reactions as the evening rolls on for the Bills – so use the hashtag #BillsDraftReax if so inclined. And after the night’s over I’ll be back with a reaction article breaking down the newest “Buffaloes” as Mr. Kouandjio put it.
Bear in mind these will be in no particular order.
Safe Picks – Players that for the most part will come in, contribute and there will be minimal backlash
Road Graders
1. AJ Cann, OG South Carolina – Needs a little work in the pass game but would be a plug-n-play ground and pound guard.
2. Jake Fisher, OL Oregon – Can play left guard or tackle and would open up the dreaded “can Glenn play guard” question.
3. Ali Marpet, OL Hobart – Small-school butt kicker that can play across the line, but I would see more as a guard prospect in the NFL.
4. Donovan Smith, OL PSU – Big tackle/guard combo that can use his 330+ pounds in the run game.
Receiving Options
5. Maxx Williams, TE Minnesota / Clive Walford, TE Miami – Either would be a great option to team with Charles Clay and act as moveable chess pieces, with their rookie focus being limited to ‘Y’ tight end work.
Front Seven
6. Carl Davis, DL Iowa – Can play from nose to 5 tech on the line and would allow for solid depth behind the Williams/Dareus combo.
7. Grady Jarrett, DL Clemson – ‘Greasy’ Grady would be an outstanding understudy to Kyle Williams and could push to start in 2016.
8. Nate Orchard, EDGE Utah – Productive pass rusher that I mocked to the Bills earlier this week.
9. Preston Smith, DL Mississippi State – Versatile chess piece for Rex to play from OLB down to Nose if necessary.
Back End Coverage
10. Landon Collins, DB Alabama – Linebacker / safety body type that’ll rock some bodies as a SS. Would add to the mix at S off the bat and at worst you get one of the best ST players in the draft.
11. Quinten Rollins, DB Miami (OH) – Athletic player that started with basketball and has played some corner. Would make a great safety with his range.
Dice Rolls – Players that are good, but will have some sort of off-the-field / character issues or injuries to mitigate
12. TJ Clemmings, OL Pitt – I personally want this pick pret-tay bad as Pitt alum that has seen TJ grow from DL wave player to a monster in training on the offensive line. His foot doesn’t concern me, but can concern a team so I don’t know where to see him with the Bills.
13. Hau’Oli Kikaha, Edge Washington – Another fave, his knees are what separate an elite pass rusher from a guy folks will only see as a wave player. I fall on the elite side.
14. Owa Odighizuwa, DL UCLA – Owa’s hip procedures are going to be what leaves folks a little to be desired. Otherwise you’re getting a long and mean player you can mold into a dangerous hybrid player.
15. La’El Collins, OL LSU – A murder case in which he may be father of the victim’s child can spiral quickly into a Hernandez-like case, so teams are running away from him. If proven to be innocent of any malfeasance, this will be a horrid situation for this otherwise outstanding player to be in.
16. Dorial Green-Beckham, WR Mizzou/Oklahoma – Open-when-he’s-not WR that has domestic violence and drug issues as well as being kicked off Missouri. The talent is there, but will the trouble follow as well?
17. Paul Dawson, LB TCU – A self-professed “knucklehead”, Dawson’s ability to knife into the backfield and wreck offensive plays is only matched by his ability to have his coaches pull their hair out in frustration.
18. Jalen Collins, DB LSU – Great corner, but multiple failed drug tests leave a lot to be desired.
….Yeesh – Players that you look at, shake your head, look again and say…fine. Then shake your head again
Tied for 19. Bryce Petty, Baylor/Brett Hundley, UCLA/Garrett Grayson, Colorado State – Rather than jump into an individual argument for each, I’m lumping them together. At this point the Bills are best-served to spend their 2nd and 3rd round picks on players that are going to truly be contributors and not PR / media pieces to trot around. If you’re going to draft or sign a QB, next year appears to be a much better time and they’ll have their full compliment of picks, plus any additional they can accrue in that time (or tonight). Unlike with Manuel, I think there would also be an organizational support system in place for a quarterback – instead of the fractured decisions of the 2014 draft where the brass had no true owner to approve/disapprove of their actions.
20. ANY RUNNING BACK
And at 81, Here’s a few names just to have in the back of the ‘ole noggin:
Jeff Heuerman, TE Ohio State; Daryl Williams, OT Oklahoma; Ty Sambrailo, OL Colorado State; Trey Flowers, Edge Arkansas; Za’Darius Smith, Edge Kentucky; Markus Golden, Edge Mizzou.
Here’s hoping the Bills have a great draft! If you want to chat during it or have any thoughts on these players, hit me up @RDotDeuce. #1FO
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