Buffalo Bills

Overview

The Bills looked like a team on the rise after losing their opener in New England by one point and rolling over the Buccaneers in week two.  The Bills floundered to a 1-4 start culminating in head coach Dick Jauron being shown the door after week 10.  After a disappointing 6-10 record the Bills hired Chan Gailey to be their next head coach and are currently slated to pick 9th in the draft.

Assets

There is solid depth at running back with Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch who have both posted 1,000 yard seasons in recent years.

Lee Evans has the talent to be a top 10 receiver, he has just been overshadowed this season by Terrell Owens.

Rookie tight end Shawn Nelson looks like he is going to be a keeper.

Rookies Andy Levitre and Eric Wood won starting jobs at guard and center respectively so there is a good base to build the offensive line around.

Rookie corner Jairus Byrd tied for the league lead in interceptions and earned a Pro Bowl berth despite missing the last two games of the season.

The secondary is solid and the Bills pass defense excels at turning the ball over.

Liablities/Needs

The quarterback position is a mess right now.  Neither Ryan Fitzpatrick or Trent Edwards have been able to get the job this season and Brian Brohm was overwhelmingly mediocre in his lone start of the season.

The offensive tackle position is still a liability for the Bills and they could use a left tackle to anchor the line.  An upgrade here would go a long way to settle down the quarterback position.

After Evans and Owens there is not a lot of depth at the receiver position and it is not known whether Owens will be back next season or not.  He probably is not adverse to it, but, one can expect that he will test the waters this spring and see what else is out there for him.

Rookie Aaron Maybin has been a disappointment after a lengthy holdout.  He failed to record a sack and there were those who thought it was going to take a year or two for him to bulk up enough to handle offensive lineman.

The pass rush was slightly better this year but still needs improvement and their are reports that Aaron Schobel, who led the team with 10 sacks this season, is contemplating retirement.  If Schobel retires the team will be starting from scratch in terms of rebuilding its pass rush.

The linebacker corps lacks any real dynamic playmakers and could use an upgrade.

Bottom Line

With the Bills settling on an offensive coach in Gailey the popular opinion seems to be that the Bills will go with an offensive player in the first round.  With that said look for Buffalo to target a left tackle or a quarterback with the ninth pick.  If Schobel retires going after a pass rusher is not out of the question either given there is no pass rushing depth past Schobel right now.

Offensive tackles Trent Williams and Anthony Davis are both expected to go somewhere in the top fifteen picks and are likely targets the Bills will consider.  Russell Okung is the top tackle prospect but is expected to be off the board before the Bills select.

If the Bills decide they need a quarterback then Sam Bradford and/or Jimmy Clausen will be considered as well depending on how they work out and who is still available when the Bills pick.

The Bills run defense was atrocious last season and Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain would go a long way to shoring up the run defense.

If the Bills opt not to take a tackle in the first round then USC’s Charles Brown or West Virginia’s Selvish Capers are potential options in the second or third round respectively.

Colt McCoy might be a better fit for the Bills at quarterback as he is a bit more mobile than Bradford or Clausen, has shown he can bounce back from big hits, and should be available at the top of the second round.

The Bills could also opt for Tony Pike if he is still there in the third round.

Defensive tackle Arthur Jones (Syracuse) is a potential second round prospect for the Bills.

Missouri’s Sean Weatherspoon and South Carolina’s Eric Norwood are potential outside linebackers the Bills could look at in the second round as well.