1 - Mock draft goes trade up for BillsWith April right around the corner, the 2018 NFL Draft is quickly approaching. This year's event is slated for Apr. 26-28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
On Monday, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller offered his latest predictions with one month remaining until the draft. Miller made a bold prediction for the Bills, as he has them trading up to the sixth overall spot.
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Here's Miller's insight following his prediction of the Bills moving up for the sixth selection in this year's draft.
*Here's something you won't see in many of my past mock drafts: a predicted trade. But the Buffalo Bills can't sit at pick Nos. 12 and 22 and hope a quarterback falls. General manager Brandon Beane has already made one move up (trading Cordy Glenn and pick No. 21 for No. 12) and should know he has to move again. *
After making the move up to number six, Miller believes the Bills will draft former UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen. He's highly regarded as the purest passer among this year's QB prospects.
Rosen spent three seasons (2015-2017) behind center for the Bruins. In 30 career games, he threw for 9,340 yards, 59 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions.
Rosen saved the best for last at UCLA, posting several career-highs in his junior season. He set highs in passing yards (3,756), completion percentage (62.6), and passing TDs (26).
This is what Miller had to say about Rosen after he predicted the Bills select the 21-year-old QB with the sixth pick.
*Rosen is the prettiest passer of this loaded quarterback group… If he's protected and allowed to play from the pocket, Rosen has a chance to be a Matt Ryan-type quarterback.
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2 – C Russell Bodine still focused on improving after 64-straight startsOn Mar. 19, former Cincinnati Bengals center Russell Bodine signed a two-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. With that free agent acquisition, the Bills added a player whose started in 64-straight games.
Bodine was a fourth-round draft pick by the Bengals in 2014 and started in each game during his four-year career in Cincy. Still, the iron man at center is finding ways to improve.
"You go through four years and 64 starts, whatever it's been, and you definitely learn a few things," said Bodine. "I can say at times I haven't played up to my own expectations for myself, but I certainly think I'm still on the way up. I would say every game at this point, you're still learning; you're always getting better."
A day after Bodine's signing, he spoke with the Western New York media via conference call. One thing that was intriguing about Buffalo was the team's offensive line coach, Juan Castillo, who's entering his 24th season in the NFL and his second season with the Bills.
"I'm excited to get over there and work with Juan," said Bodine. "He's got a reputation for making guys into great players and I'm excited to get going on that end."
3 - Bills among ESPN's biggest draft capital risersThe Bills have stockpiled a bunch of picks and are sitting pretty for the 2018 NFL Draft. The national media has taken notice and is applauding the team's moves.
ESPN staff writer, Bill Barnwell, ranked the NFL teams with the most and least 2018 draft capital. The Bills made the list of teams with the most capital in this year's draft. The top-five teams were: Green Bay (five), Denver (four), Indianapolis (three), Buffalo (two), and Cleveland (one).
Using the draft value chart by Chase Stuart, they measured each team's expected capital, actual capital, and the difference. The Bills stacked up nicely compared to other teams.
Buffalo ranked 21st in expected capital (41.5 points), third in actual capital (72.9 points), and second in difference (plus-31.4 points).
Here's Barnwell's input on the Bills and how they're undoubtedly in one of the best positions in this year's draft.
*There's an enormous difference between the Colts and the other two teams ahead of them on this list. The Bills added a staggering 31.4 points in draft capital. To put that in context, Stuart's model values the first overall pick at 31.6 points. GM Brandon Beane has basically manufactured the top selection in a typical draft through trades while managing to hold on to most of his own picks (or using them for better picks in a trade). *
It's clear there's a coherent plan behind what Beane is doing to rebuild the roster in Buffalo. (It helps that he's also winning games along the way.) SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF THE DAY
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