We all know that even if the Bills want to trade down, they need a partner to do so. I think they will because of one target: Michael Brockers.

I love the guy and think he should be talked about as the 7th-blue chip prospect in the draft. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was selected before the Bills are on the clock but if he’s there I think he is the Bills’s ticket out.

The knock on him I keep hearing is he is “raw” and “undeveloped.” It’s true- but that’s the scary part – he’ll already come into the NFL ready to contribute. He was already a huge part of LSU’s dominant defense last year. LSU coach Les Miles called Brockers “a bear to handle inside”. The SEC agreed - he was double-teamed consistently last year (included by Georgia despite having a very good center in Ben Jones).

He’s got size, strength (the rumor he only benched 225 19 times at the combine isn’t true), a great initial burst, and is instinctive. Technically, he keeps his pad level low, understands leverage and anchors. What all this means is I don’t think there should be any question that he’ll contribute immediately as a run defender. He still has room to grow as a pass rusher, but with his quick initial bust to penetrate gaps and strength to bulrush show he’s oozing with potential as a pass-rusher once he refines his technique.

He can play a variety of techniques and in a one-gap or two-gap scheme so there will be a variety of suitors. I was able to find confirmed visits to the following teams:

Jaguars – 7

Dolphins – 8

Panthers – 9

Chiefs – 11

Cowboys – 14

Eagles – 15

Jets – 16

Titans – 20

Browns – 22

I’d be shocked if he made it past the Eagles at pick 15 on April 26th… not everyone will agree of course – but Brockers is the type of prospect that I think a few teams will fall in love with and would be willing to move up to make sure they get.

My hope with this post is to get a few unique opinions on who prospects you are particularly high on or particularly dislike. Just one request – no first round prospects…. I’ve heard enough about Floyd, Reiff, Martin, Kirkpatrick etc for the time being…. I want to focus on people that won’t be first round picks.

Inspiration for this post comes from Nepenthe88 who made a strong argument for Patrick Walker (WR-Northern Colorado) http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2012/3/26/2904456/guess-who-a-mystery-wr-game-for-those-in-the-know.

I’ll start us off:

Like: Shea McClellin (LB) – he could go as high as round two so he’s certainly not totally under the radar but I really like him and want to see what other Rumblers think. Great motor and burst, has been a productive pass rusher and has a nose for the ball. He’s the kind of guy that I think would really benefit from a strong defensive line the Bills have. He’d make a big linebacker (6-3, 258) but I think he’s fast an agile enough that he could play SLB.

Alfonzo Dennard (CB)– a feisty corner that can jam and mirror receivers well, especially underneath. I really like him as a nickel corner and covering the slot receiver but I think his upside is more than that. I also like his ability as a playmaker – he has good burst and hands.

Dislike: Kirk Cousins (QB)– I don’t see any NFL potential in him. He has some strengths but I think his inability to handle pressure is a fatal flaw. Its only going to get worse when the game speeds up in the NFL. As a developmental Qb I’d much prefer BJ Coleman.

Nate Potter (OT)– Another guy that has some legitimate strengths, but has a fatal flaw. He doesn’t show enough strength and gets manhandled too often whether from a powerful edge rush or a bull rush. I don’t see him standing up to NFL DE’s.

I wasn't surprised by the poll results today that showed OT was far and away the #1 perceived need by Rumblers. It been a common theme in fanposts and comments. But I was hoping there was more faith in Chris Hairston.

Ever since Hairston's first preseason game (he missed the first two, as I remember it) I was impressed. He started 7 games, played in 13 and he only gave up 4 sacks – AS A ROOKIE. Stats aside, I was just impressed by watching the guy. He gets out of his stance quickly, has great length to push edge rushers and he's big and strong. Like any O-lineman, if he gets through a game without me cursing his name then he's good in my book – and Hairston blended in quite nicely.

The line didnt have problem until BOTH he and Bell were hurt. So my question: what did you, or didnt you, see in those 13 games that did not make you confident he could be serviceable or better as a second year starter?

Don't confuse this with me saying the Bills don't need to draft a tackle – they do and Nix has already said they will. But Hairston showed a lot of promise as a rookie and I think its nuts to waste a first or even second round pick on competition for him. I'd rather see them draft someone in the mid-rounds and add a veteran (Locklear?). I'd be really disappointed if they took a tackle in the first round – but I doubt they will. Its against Nix's history, he and Gailey have complimented Hairston, and if the Bills are going to find a receiver thats open when he's covered they are going to have to do it at #10. They desperately need someone that can stretch the field -teams (specifically remember the jets) were blanketing receivers in the short and intermediate routes towards the end of last year. Finding someone that can make plays more than 10 yards down the field seems much greater need to me than trying to improve on a second year player that proved adequate in his rookie year.

I've been wallowing in bills-misery the last few weeks. Lately I've been wondering: do fans of other teams have to go through this torture?

I tried to make myself feel better by researching historic NFL mid-season collapses. It did work - check out the 1994 Eagles season. Ouch...

But I ended up wondering how teams did the following year: did they bounce back the next season and improve? Or did they do worse? Did it matter if they made a coaching change after their season collapse?

I was able to identify 14 mid-season collapses since 1987, listed in the chart below. I'm sure there are more that would qualify, but these awful seasons are certainly fine examples of how to choke. None of these teams made the playoffs.

Continue reading this post »

... was Chris Hairston. For those of you who havent seen the game yet are concerend about the tackle depth, I recommend watching him tonight (big guy, #75)  I watched him almost exclusively in the 2nd half - first while playing RT and then he switched to LT.  He is a big and strong, quick out of his stance and his reach is fantastic. 

Its not all positive -  he looked great against Jacksonville's backups but they didn't look all that quick.  Hairston's feet are choppy - and he would probably be susceptible against an outside speed rush vs a quicker passrusher. A couple times I thought he was going to get beat but his strength and reach compensated for his footwork. He'd end up just “Maybin-ing” the guy – pushing him way off to the outside and out of the play.

I also noticed that at times he stands too upright at times - a powerful bull rusher could probably push him backwards.

Although I'm pointing out some areas for improvement, I came away really impressed. I watched Ed Wang a lot in the Bears game and was totally discouraged. In my opinion, there is no comparison between the two.

I've been concerned about the depth at tackle, but I'm more confident after watching Hairston last night. He'll manage as a reserve RT this year. He might even be okay if he ended up needing to play LT in a dire situation. I think he'd manage if he had a back to help him chip against an outside speed rush.

I'm probably being too optimistic there – I've only watched him for 2 ½ quarters but that time was encouraging.

I'm thinking of last year's draft when Tyson Alualu was drafted much earlier than anticipated.... and Jimmy Clausen fell an entire round. I was curious to hear which prospects Rumblers think might end up going signficantly earlier or later than the general media is predicting.

For my two cents, I'd throw Stephen Paea and someone who could go 15-20 spots higher than most draft gurus have him projected and see Nate Solder as someone who could slip into the mid-2nd round. 

Any thoughts?

I've always enjoyed my couch scouting – and have enjoyed reading the articles and comments of other Rumblers here as well. I've also shared a lot of the frustrations of bills fans wondering out loud that “I think I could have drafted better the last 10 years,”

All the comparisons of Aaron Maybin to Von Miller got me thinking... are they really that similar? Should I join the please dont draft Von Miller bandwagon?

I decided to compare scouting reports between the two players. I bet you can't guess which profile belongs to which player! (I've changed the wording slightly to prevent cheating) The answer is below..

Player 1

-Needs to get stronger in both his upper and lower body

-Explosive first step and burst

-Inconsistent in use of pass rushing moves

-Natural pass rush tools and quickness

-Outstanding body control

-Finds the ball quickly

-Hustles

-Struggles to hold at the point of attack

-Struggles to seperate from big tackles

Player 2

-one of the most dynamic pass rushes in the draft

-explosive off the line

-instinctive pass rusher

-Speed rusher with nose for qb

-good burst and acceleration

-undersized – lacks ideal bulk

-does not anchor well against the run

-overreliant on speed and athleticism

So the 2nd one is Von Miller.... but I lied because the first one is actually a profile from DeMarcus Ware and not Aaron Maybin. Sure looks like a Maybin draft profile though doesnt it?

My point isn't to endorse Von Miller... just recognize that trying to project how a player will do in the NFL is extremely difficult. NFL scouts develop their entire lives to trying to hone their craft and still miss with regularity. In my opinion, there's really not much of a point in second guessing them (until I have the benefit of hindsight that is.)

Regardless of who the Bills draft I'll be excited, for at least temporarily I'll think “maybe we'll have a pass rush/can stop the run/can shut down a tight end” next year. Till then, I'll just enjoy reading all of our couch scouting.