It's hard to predict the success or failure of a team's draft for at least a couple of years so I'm not going out on a limb and saying this year's Buffalo Bills draft was either a success or a failure. It doesn't make sense to. But I see a lot of positives though in this year's draft. I will look at each pick individually and give my assessment. Again, if I don't sound too negative and seem a little too positive, it's because it's the thing to do because it doesn't make sense to be too bitter or down on a pick unless they show me. Some people have been too critical of each pick without seeing them play. I do like their first couple of picks a lot and everything else beyond that is hit or miss. I want them to hit on their first 2-3 picks. I'm also not down that they did not take a QB as it is pointless to me to take a QB after round 1 for the sake of taking one (Check out my blog on this topic:http://buffalosportsbeat.blogspot.com/2012/04/quarterbacks-taken-in-2nd-and-3rd-round.html). Of course it is easy to 2nd guess the Bills' drafts as they have been pretty lousy the last decade. But I feel Buddy Nix and Doug Whaley seem to have their heads in the game.
1st round pick (10th overall) - Stephon Gilmore - CB - South Carolina
The Bills went cornerback with the 10th pick in the draft and took South Carolina's Stephon Gilmore. He is considered to be the 2nd best corner in this year's draft, behind only LSU's Morris Claiborne, and it's not even that wide of a margin. Gilmore can be a shut down corner, capable of matching up with the best receivers in the game. He has matched up well against some of the top receivers in the SEC in A.J. Green, Julio Jones, Riley Cooper, and even teammate Alshon Jeffery in practice. He has great speed and size. Gilmore is also a very phyiscal corner, who is a great tackler and can help out against the run. Gilmore will be helped by the additions of pass rushers in Mario Williams and Mark Anderson. This is a huge need for the Bills as Leodis McKelvin is not in the future cards for the Bills at corner and Terrence McGee and Drayton Florence are both 31. McGee has been injured the past few seasons and Florence can't keep up with the best receivers. Also, Aaron Williams and Justin Rogers showed flashes of brilliance as rookies last year, but are both raw. Buddy Nix says "you can never have enough corners" and "corner back is the toughest position to play outside of quarterback." Plus Gilmore seems to be a very high character guy who isn't cocky and doesn't go out and party his "you know what off." He is pretty serious about being a great football player.
2nd round pick (41st overall) - Cordy Glenn - OT/G - Georgia
This is what I call a "value pick" as the Bills liked Cordy Glenn a lot and were even considering taking him with the 10th overall pick. But he thankfully fell to them at 41 in the 2nd round. Glenn had been a guard in his first 3 seasons at Georgia before switching over to left tackle for his senior year because of injuries and played quite well in the very tough SEC. But some scouts believe he is only going to be a guard in the NFL while some think he will be a right tackle, but not a left tackle. The Bills will try him perhaps at left tackle, even though Chris Hairston is there right now, maybe he'll go to right tackle. Good thing he is a 2nd round pick because if he is only a right tackle or guard instead of a left tackle, then the price won't sting as much as if he were taken in the 1st round. But hopefully, he can be a left tackle in this league for 10+ years.
3rd round pick (69th overall) - T.J. Graham - WR - N.C. State
This is a pick that kind of stunned many Bills fans and this pick drew a lot of criticism from Bills fans. They were probably like "who?" Some people believe he was too high and some even think he should have been a 7th round pick. The Bills traded a 7th round pick to move up two spots to take Graham. Graham is a little undersized at 6'0" 180 lbs and could be pushed around by corner backs. But make no mistake, he is a burner with a 4.29-4.30 40. Put him opposite Stevie, who runs quick slants, and 6'4" David Nelson, who is a slot receiver, and let Graham run down the field to draw defenses to him. His speed will draw plenty of attention from the defense and will open up this offense. This team needs a deep threat bad. Some think he is Roscoe Parrish Part II and I say no. They are similar in weight but in height, Graham is a little taller and is a better receiver. You saw what Parrish did under Chan Gailey's offense the last two years when he was healthy.
4th round pick (105th overall) - Nigel Bradham - LB - Florida State
Continuing with the picks from the South, the Bills get linebacker depth in Nigel Bradham as they fill their four most critical positions of need. Bradham has the size and physical tools to be a linebacker and is a very physical tackler. He does need to improve his football IQ and instincts, but if he does, he can be a very good linebacker in the league. Bradham will be an outside linebacker and could be a starter.
4th round pick (124th overall) - Ron Brooks - CB - LSU
The Bills go corner again and take LSU's Ron Brooks, another corner from the SEC. Plus he went to LSU, which has turned out pretty good corners in recent years. Brooks is a little small at 5'10", but he is very quick and will be an asset in the punt and kickoff return game as well as add corner depth on defense. Brooks did pretty well despite limited playing time as he has been behind Patrick Peterson, Morris Claiborne, and even the "Honey Badger" Tyronn Mathieu, and all have been great at LSU. He could push Leodis McKelvin for playing time.
5th round pick (144th overall) - Zebrie Sanders - OT - Florida State
Again the Bills stick with players from the South and the SEC and ACC. They add more offensive tackle and O-line depth with Zebrie Sanders. Sanders needs to bulk up and add some strength and he could be a good depth guy.
5th round pick (147th overall) - Tank Carder - ILB - TCU
The Bills are still in the South, this time in Texas. Tank Carder is the person Bills fans will come to love. I think those who desperately wanted the Bills to take Luke Kuechly in the 1st round, will not be disappointed in Carder. Carder is an interesting cat as he was a BMX champion and was involved in a very serious car accident where he was thrown from the car and was seriously injured. Carder defied the odds to be a starting linebacker. Carder was a great linebacker at TCU, where he was the 2011 Rose Bowl Defensive Player of the Game. Carder is an ideal 4-3 linebacker as he is good in pass coverage, covering receivers and tight ends. I think he can be a starter down the road.
6th round (178th overall) - Mark Asper - OG - Oregon
The Bills add more offensive line help and finally get out of the South and travel out West to select Oregon's Mark Asper. Asper is athletic, but is 27 about to be 28 as he had been away for a couple of years on a religious mission.
7th round (251st overall) - John Potter - K - Western Michigan
The Bills are looking to the future on a kicker as Rian Lindell is 35 years old and isn't getting any younger. Potter has a big leg and is very accurate. The Bills are considering using him on kickoffs as he can boot the ball out of the end zone, that is assuming the Bills want to use a roster spot for him.
Undrafted Free Agent - Aaron Corp - QB - Richmond
The Bills signed an undrafted free agent QB in Aaron Corp. Corp was originally recruited to play at USC by Pete Carroll. Corp was the starting QB going into the 2009 season after Mark Sanchez left to go to the NFL. But an injury cost him the starting job as Matt Barkley took over and the rest is history. Corp transferred to 1-AA Richmond, where he started for two years. Corp was not overly productive for Richmond and should have dominated the Division 1-AA competition. Of course if he did, he'd been drafted. This is just a project as he won't compete for the starting job.
The Bills' draft was impressive as they seem to finally have things going well like last year when they drafted Marcel Dareus, Aaron Williams, and Kelvin Shepherd. This draft along with the additions in the offseason make the Bills a legitimate playoff contender. Of course, the Bills draft is exciting mainly because of the signing of Mario Williams. Had he not signed here, I really don't think the Bills would compete for the playoffs and would not be exciting.
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