Below is the ninth edition of Mock Draft Watch – a rundown of the latest mock drafts compiled by Buffalobills.com via local and national NFL reporters …
Tuesday, April 17 – Peter King, Sports Illustrated#10 WR Michael Floyd, Notre DameKing's take: Buffalo will break the Cardinals' hearts by stealing Floyd to pair with Stevie Johnson and give quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick a true second weapon and bona fide deep threat. But I'd rather have the kind of enforcer in the secondary that so many teams covet. The 6'1", 213-pound Barron is a player whom multiple teams will try to trade up to get.
Tuesday, April 17 – Nolan Nawrocki, Pro Football Weekly#10 LB Luke Kuechly, Boston CollegeNawrocki's take: Dave Wannstedt's defenses in Dallas, Chicago and Miami featured some notable linebackers, including Ken Norton (Cowboys) and Zach Thomas (Dolphins). MLB Kelvin Sheppard was better suited for the Bills' odd front than the speed-based, upfield attack Wannstedt plans to deploy and the middle of the defense still could use a centerpiece. Elite inside 'backers such as Patrick Willis, Brian Urlacher and Jerod Mayo command in the neighborhood of $10 million annually, making a surefire pick such as Kuechly as attractive as a top cornerback or offensive tackle and arguably more valuable as the unit's signalcaller.
Tuesday, April 17 – Pat Kirwan, CBS Sports#10 OT Riley Reiff, IowaKirwan's take: As Buddy Nix said to me last week, "There are a few tackles in this draft that can start right away." Reiff is well-coached and NFL-ready for either the right or left side. Not a flashy pick, but a solid one. He will go against Mario Williams every day in practice. That should get him ready for the season.
Tuesday, April 17 – Pete Prisco, CBS Sports#10 OT Riley Reiff, IowaPrisco's take: I think this is the same in a lot of mock drafts. So it's probably not right.
Tuesday, April 17 – Clark Judge, CBS Sports#10 OT Riley Reiff, IowaJudge's take: With Demetrees Bell out of picture, a left tackle is a priority.
Wednesday, April 18 – Don Banks, SI.com#10 WR Michael Floyd, Notre DameBanks' take: The Bills could certainly play it safe and take an offensive tackle like Iowa's Riley Reiff. But if Buffalo wants to compete with the Patriots and Jets, it needs to be more daring and dangerous on offense. There are those who believe Floyd's transition to the NFL will be quicker than any other receiver in the draft, and his game is being compared favorably to Kansas City playmaker Dwayne Bowe.
Wednesday, April 18 – Mel Kiper, ESPN.com (Insider) Three-round mock draft
#10 WR Michael Floyd, Notre Dame
#41 OT Jonathan Martin, Stanford
#71 LB Mychal Kendricks, CalKiper's take: Not in order, but I've hit my top three needs if I'm Buffalo. There are front offices that have Floyd as the top wide receiver in the draft, so getting him at No. 10 is pretty fair, given I've had him at about that spot on my Big Board. Floyd is a big target who will pick up the route tree quickly and give Ryan Fitzpatrick a much-needed new option. Martin is a guy who once carried a solid first-round grade and could be a total steal at No. 41. Kendricks has immense physical talent and could be plugged in immediately, something the team did with Kelvin Sheppard last year.
Thursday, April 19 – Joe Buscaglia, WGR 550#10 CB Dre Kirkpatrick, AlabamaBuscaglia's take: A pick of a cornerback makes a lot of sense for the Bills. It fills a need with the uncertainty of Terrence McGee, Drayton Florence and Leodis McKelvin's collective futures with the team. Buddy Nix mentioned at the pre-draft luncheon that they're always looking for a shut-down corner, and then proceeded to call cornerback the most difficult position on defense Thursday on WGR. That line of thinking leads one to believe that taking a player like Kirkpatrick would be a need that the team would like to address early on in the draft. Nix said that he trusts Kirkpatrick after researching his off-the-field incident in January, and just chalked it up to being young and making a mistake. Kirkpatrick fits Wannstedt's model of a cornerback.
#41 WR Rueben Randle, LSUBuscaglia's take: The Bills get Randle in the second round, giving them a bigger threat that can get vertical on a defense. His poor statistics are a product of playing for a revolting pair of throwing quarterbacks in his time at LSU. He's likely a player that can step in and compete for the number-two job right away. I don't think he'll ever be a star, but certainly good enough to be a dependable second option.
#71 OT James Brown, TroyBuscaglia's take: The Bills get their offensive tackle in the third round. Brown came in to One Bills Drive for a visit, and showed an extreme amount of athleticism for the position at Troy. He really stood out against Clemson's Andre Branch, thwarting his efforts all game long. He has very good footwork for someone coming from as small a school as he does. Despite being 6-foot-3 and 306-pounds, Brown has 34.5-inch arms. For comparison's sake, his are longer than the 6-foot-7 Mike Adams by half an inch. Potential starter.
Friday, April 20 – Evan Silva, Rotoworld#10 OT Cordy Glenn, GeorgiaSilva's take: Glenn was one of the first players the Bills hosted for a pre-draft visit. While that isn't necessarily a surefire indication of interest, Glenn's game is eerily similar to former Buddy Nix pick Marcus McNeill's. Both are athletic, physically dominant "waist benders" whose technique is criticized despite exceptional down-to-down play. Glenn would be an upgrade on Erik Pears at right tackle initially, and perhaps move to the left side if Chris Hairston doesn't markedly improve in camp
Friday, April 20 – Wes Bunting, National Football Post Three-round mock draft
#10 OT Riley Reiff, Iowa
Bunting's take: Reiff is an athletic tackle with good range off the edge, natural change of direction skills and has the ability to sit into his stance on contact. He needs to get stronger and fill out a bit more. However, this former tight end recruit has the type of athleticism and demeanor to mature into the kind of blind side protector the Bills are looking for.
#41 WR Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers
Bunting's take: Physically reminds me some of Hakeem Nicks. Isn't as NFL ready, but can go get the football, breakdown and separate on all levels of the field. Looks like a future NFL starter who might need some time, but the talent is most definitely there.
#71 QB Brock Osweiler, Arizona State
Bunting's take: If everything falls into place for Osweiler, meaning he develops as a quarterback mentally, has time to work at his trade and falls into a perfect fit for him physically (Steelers, Eagles, Raiders) he does have the talent to eventually fight for a starting job in the NFL. However, he rates much closer to a developmental later round pick and reminds me some of Cardinals QB John Skelton.
