The Buffalo Bills Rookie Camp kicks off next week so I thought this might be a good time to review what the Buffalo Bills did in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Bills have needed a franchise quarterback for 20 years! They’ve mis-fired on their Draft picks in this area (J. P. Losman, Trent Edwards, E.J. Manual, etc.) in recent years. The Bills had to trade TWO Second Round Draft Picks (and their #12 Draft Pick) to Tampa in order to move up to draft Josh Allen. Who knows if the Bills picked the right “Josh.” Josh Rosen was also on the Board (the Arizona Cardinals drafted Rosen with the Number 10 pick). The Bills also aggressively moved up (from #22) again to draft 19-year-old linebacker, Tremaine Edmunds, at #16. They had to give Baltimore a Third Round Pick to move up, but most “experts” think the Bills got one of the best players in the Draft with that move. After this action, the Bills drafted to fill holes on their Defense and finally got around to drafting some depth players for Offense.
Draft Picks can only be evaluated after two or three years in the NFL. But, for what it’s worth, Draft Guru Mel Kiper, Jr. graded the Buffalo Bills Draft an “A.” How did your favorite NFL do in the Draft?
BUFFALO BILLS 2018 NFL DRAFT PICKS:
Round 1, Pick 7 (No. 7 overall) [via Tampa Bay]: Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
Round 1: Pick 16 (No. 16 overall) [via Baltimore]: Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
Round 3, Pick 32 (No, 96): Harrison Phillips, DT, Stanford
Round 4, Pick 21 (No, 121 overall): Taron Johnson, CB, Weber State
Round 5, Pick 17 (No. 154 overall) [via Baltimore]: Siran Neal, CB, Jacksonville State
Round 5, Pick 29 (No. 166 overall): Wyatt Teller, G, Virginia Tech
Round 6, Pick 13 (No. 187 overall): Ray-Ray McCloud, WR, Clemson
Round 7, Pick 37 (No. 255 overall): Austin Proehl, WR, North Carolina
Who knows? The Giants got the guy they wanted at #2 – Penn State running back Saquon Barkley – which some people loved and some questioned. But everyone loved the pick of guard Will Hernandez (UTEP) for protection and to upgrade their lousy offensive line, that had Eli Manning running for his life week after week. Next was linebacker Lorenzo Carter from Georgia, who is supposed to be a great athlete but maybe not a great linebacker. They also took defensive lineman B.J. Hill from NC State, which has gotten good reviews. Then they finally went for a quarterback, Kyle Lauletta from Richmond. Don’t ask me. Last was defensive tackle R. J. MCIntosh from Miami.
Who knows how any of this will work out in the end? Not me.
Jeff, the NFL Draft is a crap-shoot. Many players can’t transition from the College Game to the Pro Game.
I didn’t pay much attention to the draft which—as you rightly point out—can only be evaluated for success or failure after several seasons. I know the Saints did pick a quarterback during one round—probably not a bad idea considering Drew Breese is almost 40 and only has, at best, a couple more seasons in his arm—but as for other players, I don’t know. I do know there’s a lot of grumbling in our neck of the woods that no one from this year’s crop of draft-eligible players from the LSU Tigers was selected in any of the early rounds and Coach Orgeron is being blamed for not “showcasing” the players’ talents on the field to best advantage. Left unaddressed, of course, is whether any LSU players had the talent to be selected in an early draft round.
“Coach, we are paying mucho dinero here for the stadium, the amenities,
the hookers, entertainment, etc. The least you could do is “showcase” our guys.”Deb, I’ve encountered similar fan complains like “I never heard of these guys!” with regard to the Bills Draft picks from the later rounds. We’ll see what happens when the players put on the pads!
The only thing I’m aware of is the Seahawks drafting a SDSU player.
There was also talk in the paper of a QB that could have gone earlier, but not sure what either of their names were
Maggie, there was a lot of confusion about the Big Four (with a nod to the Agatha Christie novel) QBs who were taken in the First Round. The Cleveland Browns–with the First Pick in the Draft–befuddled most “experts” by choosing Baker Mayfield (the smallest QB). The Jets picked Sam Darnold (aka, The Turnover Machine) with Pick #3. The Bills moved up to #7 and chose Josh Allen (aka, Mr. Inaccurate), and the Cardinals moved up to #10 to pick Josh Rosen (aka, I’m the Smartest Guy In the Room–But I’m Hurt A Lot). No one that I’m aware of actually predicted the order of QB choices.
Seattle’s draft was graded C or C- in most of the reports I saw. They desperately needed O-line and drafted a running back first. Where he’ll run is anybody’s guess, because there won’t be any holes for him to go through. The defense was devastated in off season and now Cliff Avril has been released. After the great draft when they got Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman and Cam Chancellor, they have had four disappointing ones in a row, and I think this one will turn out to be a poor one too.
I’ll be surprised if Seattle finished 3rd, instead of last, in the NFC West. I’m afraid the glory days are over, at least for a few years.
Rick, Seattle hit the jackpot with Russell Wilson, a Third Round Pick. That kind of luck doesn’t last.