SBNation.com User Blog: Chris Chavez

Dion Jordan

Chris Chavez — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:34:13 -0000

So the more I read up on Jordan, the DE/LB from Oregon, the more I think he would be a great pick for us at #8 if Nix doesn't view any QB as being worthy of the pick. I won't pretend to be a scout, but from what I've read he has huge upside as a pass rusher because of his build and has the speed and quickness to be functional as a coverage linebacker. Seeing as how we once again couldn't stop the Pats TEs consistently, and with the scheme diverse Pettine as the DC, his ability to cover could prove to be the most valuable aspect of his game for us this year. Admittedly he does seem to have a weakness when it comes to wrapping up on tackles, which is definitely not something you hope to see from any defensive player. But no prospect is perfect, especially this year, so you can only hope that with the right coaching that will change. I've also thought about the possibility we could trade down and draft Ogletree for the same coverage purposes, seeing as how he is a converted safety, though he offers much less of a pass rush upside and much more in the tackling reliability aspect. But in the end, we still have to try to build to beat the Pats, and the way to do that these days seems to be rush the passer and cover their TEs, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Jordan (for the time being). Any thoughts?

Definitely not a Mock Draft...

Chris Chavez — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:06:17 -0000

Well I obviously lied.

I just couldn't stop myself from getting in on all of the Mock Draft fun. No trades though, it just leaves you with way too many possible scenarios.

Colts	Andrew Luck
Redskins	Robert Griffin III
Vikings	Matt Kalil
Browns	Trent Richardson
Buccaneers	Morris Claiborne
Rams	Justin Blackmon
Jaguars	Melvin Ingram
Dolphins	Ryan Tannehill
Panthers	Luke Kuechly
Bills	Cordy Glenn
Chiefs	David DeCastro
Seahawks	Quinton Coples
Cardinals	Riley Reiff
Cowboys	Dontari Poe
Eagles	Fletcher Cox
Jets	Mark Barron
Bengals	Michael Floyd
Chargers	Dre Kirkpatrick
Bears	Mike Adams
Titans	Whitney Mercilus
Bengals	Janoris Jenkins
Browns	Coby Fleener
Lions	Jonathan Martin
Steelers	Dont'a Hightower
Broncos	Peter Konz
Texans	Kendall Wright
Patriots	Stephon Gilmore
Packers	Michael Brockers
Ravens	Harrison Smith
49ers	Stephen Hill
Patriots	Courtney Upshaw
Giants	Lavonte David

Well I obviously lied.

I just couldn't stop myself from getting in on all of the Mock Draft fun. No trades though, it just leaves you with way too many possible scenarios.

Colts	Andrew Luck
Redskins	Robert Griffin III
Vikings	Matt Kalil
Browns	Trent Richardson
Buccaneers	Morris Claiborne
Rams	Justin Blackmon
Jaguars	Melvin Ingram
Dolphins	Ryan Tannehill
Panthers	Luke Kuechly
Bills	Cordy Glenn
Chiefs	David DeCastro
Seahawks	Quinton Coples
Cardinals	Riley Reiff
Cowboys	Dontari Poe
Eagles	Fletcher Cox
Jets	Mark Barron
Bengals	Michael Floyd
Chargers	Dre Kirkpatrick
Bears	Mike Adams
Titans	Whitney Mercilus
Bengals	Janoris Jenkins
Browns	Coby Fleener
Lions	Jonathan Martin
Steelers	Dont'a Hightower
Broncos	Peter Konz
Texans	Kendall Wright
Patriots	Stephon Gilmore
Packers	Michael Brockers
Ravens	Harrison Smith
49ers	Stephen Hill
Patriots	Courtney Upshaw
Giants	Lavonte David

Trade into Late First for Stephen Hill?

Chris Chavez — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 20:42:53 -0000

The Bills #10 pick is probably the pick that the fewest people can agree on in the top 15, with people wanting everybody from Floyd to Reiff to Kulechy. As many of you know, I'm a full supporter of building on a strength by taking Coples at #10, but I've gradually become resigned to the fact that Quinton Coples will likely not be available at that spot.. So I'm moving on to hoping that we take Melvin Ingram at #10, for the same reason's mentioned in the fanpost by WhatGoesAround.

But for the sake of this this question, let's just assume that whoever we take at #10 is not Malcolm Floyd.

What I want to know is, would anybody be willing to trade our 2nd and 3rd rounders to move back into the late first for Stephen Hill? Maybe with a team like the 49ers, who don't have too many holes that need to be addressed to begin with.

While trading up (or down for that matter) doesn't seem to be the Chix style, you'd have to wonder if they would make an exception for Hill. He obviously fills the need as a #2 WR, who can stretch the field and his size helps him fit the description of a player that is "uncovered even when he is covered," which is what Gailey said he is looking for. Not to mention he is from Georgia Tech, a school that Gailey has very strong ties to.

Rumblers seemed really high on him earlier in the offseason, but the talk about him has seemed to die down recently.

But for the sake of this this question, let's just assume that whoever we take at #10 is not Malcolm Floyd.

Rumblers seemed really high on him earlier in the offseason, but the talk about him has seemed to die down recently.

Poll

Is Stephen Hill worth trading our 2nd and 3rd rounder for?

Yes

51 votes

No

123 votes

174 votes | Poll has closed

BPA?

Chris Chavez — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:54:02 -0000

In a lot of the discussions on who we are going to take with the #10 pick, everybody (including myself) keeps talking about which position we need the most help in. I kept saying Coples but the signing of Anderson makes that highly unlikely now. But there are also arguments for Martin, Reiff, DeCastro, Kirkpatrick, Floyd, Hill, Upshaw, and Ingram.

But a lot of those arguments usually are based off the thinking we are going to draft a good player based on their ability to address a need. We know that Chix likes to go BPA in the first round, regardless of positional need (Spiller). While I don't think that would always be the case (basically meaning we wouldn't touch Richardson if he was there), based on their draft history you would think they will probably go BPA this year too.

So my question is, if you were drafting the BPA, ignoring what you feel is the teams biggest need, which of the above players would you draft?

Post a comment if you want me to add somebody else, and if you already voted tell me who you voted for. I'll try to do a top 5 of the "BPA" as a separate post, and this will let me make sure I get the numbers right.

So my question is, if you were drafting the BPA, ignoring what you feel is the teams biggest need, which of the above players would you draft?

Poll

Who is the BPA for the Bills to draft? (assuming all available at #10)

Martin

40 votes

Reiff

21 votes

DeCastro

31 votes

Wright

6 votes

Hill

6 votes

Floyd

77 votes

Coples

25 votes

Ingram

4 votes

Upshaw

8 votes

Kirkpatrick

64 votes

Kuechly

13 votes

Tannehil

1 votes

296 votes | Poll has closed

With Flynn going to Seattle...

Chris Chavez — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 23:34:32 -0000

... you have to consider the Dolphins the favorite to get Tannehill in the draft.

I don't care what premium there is on QBs, there is not way the Browns can draft him in the top 4, not with Blackmon, Claiborne and Richardson likely sitting there for them. They have McCoy there already, give him a chance with some legitimate playmakers around him.

If the Dolphins do draft him, I would have to expect Quinton Coples to fall to the Bills at #10.

If he's there, Nix should just pull the trigger and try to put a truly dominant defensive line together for the next 4 years at least (Dareus will then have the shortest contract of what would be our "Big 4", including his new CBA option-year).

... you have to consider the Dolphins the favorite to get Tannehill in the draft.

If the Dolphins do draft him, I would have to expect Quinton Coples to fall to the Bills at #10.

With the 10th Overall Pick... (Top 5)

Chris Chavez — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 04:34:10 -0000

So now that locking up Super Mario has essentially ended free agency for the Bills, it's time to look towards the draft (though I'm sure most people already have been). Now that we've addressed the biggest need, what options do the Bills have for their first round pick?

1) Quinton Coples- Call me crazy, but if Coples is still here at #10, I don't think we have any choice but to pull the trigger on him. Coples, like Williams, is a physical freak at 6'6" 285lbs who can both rush the passer and play the run. The only reason he isn't being considered at top 3 - top 5 prospect is because of his motor (though admittedly important), not his physical talent. I think that, between Mario, Kyle Williams and Barnett, we have enough veteran leadership to keep the kid in check. Not to mention he would have a chance to learn the position from one of the best DEs in the game today.

We also can't forget that right now our entire pass rush comes down to M. Williams (an elite player, but one that's been hurt the past few years), K. Williams (also elite but hurt), Merriman (formerly elite, but hurt) and Kelsay (counting on all of the other pass rushers to not get hurt). That history combined with the fact that the Bills training staff is not really one of the best in the business (if the past few years are any evidence) and we definitely can justify taking another D-lineman.

2) Jonathan Martin- If the Bills have learned anything over the past decade, its that you can never have enough depth at 3 critical positions: DL, OT, and CB. With Bell possibly on the way out, and Pears entrenched as our starting RT, we only have one other (somewhat) reliable OT on the roster in Hairston, who played pretty well when given the chance last year. I was really tempted to put him on here as the #1 option, but I think that while he's a safer player than Coples, he doesn't have nearly as much upside. He's also more likely to be picked at #7 or #8 than Coples (I'm thinking Jax - Floyd/Martin and Mia- Martin/Tannehil). Martin is a great run-blocker and above average pass-blocker (the quick passing game should help that a bit), and would be a great fit for our o-line.

3) Michael Floyd- 6'3", 220, 4.47. That's what you need to know about Floyd to understand how he would make sense for us. I really don't think that he makes it past Jacksonville, even with them having Robinson, because they just desperately need more than a potential one-year wonder (also, let's not forget that while Romo has not always been the best QB when it comes to winning games, he has been good enough to make his receivers look pretty good during those games). But if he is there, he lets us fill one our three biggest needs with the first or second biggest playmaker in the draft. I'm also a believer in Easley being able to step in as the #2 if we don't bring somebody in, so I don't think that WR is as big a need as OT or CB (which is coming up next). He's only getting the nod over the next guy because he's a better fit as a top-10 pick.

4) Dre Kirkpatrick- Honestly, when it comes to CB I have no clue which player is better, Kirkpatrick or Jenkins. From what I've read, Jenkins is the better pure cover corner while Kirkpatrick is much more physical. So in the end, I'm giving the nod to Kirkpatrick because he is 4" taller than Jenkins and size is very valuable in the position these days, with tall receivers like Vincent Jackson, Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson (when healthy) dominating all the smaller corners. Also, let's not forget that we have to face Rob Gronkowski twice a year, and while he'll always get some catches since he plays with Brady, a big, fast corner can hopefully stop him from getting multiple TDs every game.

5) Whitney Mercilus- Not going to lie, I don't know too much about him aside from the fact that he led the nation in sacks this year and is a physical freak. I'd be surprised if I saw a single snap this year from the Illinois football team. But when comparisons are being made to JPP and Aldon Smith, you can't help but get sucked in to the hype surrounding the guy. We do have a need at OLB currently, though with Morrison resigned it definitely isn't our biggest concern. He could also play DE for us, though he doesn't quite have the size that Coples does. Also note the details from the Coples entry about the recent health of all of our major pass rushers.

I know the Bills showed interest in him already, but unless he really blows the scouts away at his pro day I can't see the Bills taking him at #10 overall. Now if we trade down, him AND Kirkpatrick could be in play, but that's a different story.

*Btw, bonus points for having a great name for a pass-rushing OLB/DE. I'm currently waiting to get a new customized jersey when Nike changes the design, but if we draft him I won't have any option but to get his jersey.

Agree? Disagree? Let's get some top 5's going.

Poll

Who will the Bills take with the 10th pick?

Quinton Coples

56 votes

Jonathan Martin

84 votes

Michael Floyd

65 votes

Dre Kirkpatrick

20 votes

Whitney Mercilus

4 votes

Other

25 votes

254 votes | Poll has closed

Supplemental Draft

Chris Chavez — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 05:11:31 -0000

Do the Bills make an offer for McAdoo from UNC in the supplemental draft?

We don't have too much exceptional talent at OLB, and the guys at MockingtheDraft say that he showed some flashes of great pass rush ability. Plus we're obviously high on drafting UNC players right now, so why not take a flier at one more?

The only thing that would scare me a bit about McAdoo (6'6", 248lbs) is that he has a similar build to Maybin (at least when he came into the league). He might be too light to make a difference this year, but he seems to have a bigger frame that could be filled out nicely with the right strength program.

I say we offer up a 4th round pick and see what happens. And by the looks of it, we might not even really lose that much if this Evans trade goes through.

Do the Bills make an offer for McAdoo from UNC in the supplemental draft?

I say we offer up a 4th round pick and see what happens. And by the looks of it, we might not even really lose that much if this Evans trade goes through.