Kawika, meet Maualuga

By Anthony Bialy  |   Thursday, April 23, 2009  |  Comments( 12 )

Buffalo Bills
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While the second defensive layer is a secondary need for the Buffalo Bills, that may not stop them from adding Rey Maualuga in this weekend's NFL draft. The explosive USC linebacker could be good enough that the team would consider picking him up with one of its two first-round picks.

The unconventional choice would mean neglecting their hugest needs, but a player like Maualuga may offer enough spectacular value to make the Bills stray from the expected course. From Buffalo’s perspective, Maualuga is a hybrid player: He’s a potential starter who also might be the best available regardless of position.

His draft bios read like descriptions of the position’s archetype. At 6-foot-2 and 249 pounds, he’s remarkably quick for his size, just as a linebacker should be. Maualuga possesses the all-around talent to pursue quarterbacks, rushers or would-be receivers, doing it all with rabid intensity. He’s described as playing an absurdly physical style with a touch of the crazy freelancer streak. As a pro, he’ll have to be prudent about choosing his spots to avoid becoming one of the league’s Angelo Crowells. But it’s better to have a linebacker enter the league with too much enthusiasm than not enough.

The biggest advocates for drafting a linebacker would be two other Bills LBs. Kawika Mitchell would certainly be eager to align next to a fellow doomsday playmaker. Meanwhile, Paul Posluszny and Maualuga could top eBay in misspelled bootleg jerseys, not to mention pair to inflict agony on foes.

It would be great to join Maualuga, last year’s Bednarik Award winner as college’s best defensive player, with Penn State’s two-time winner Posluszny. An inside linebacker in college, Maualuga could stay in the middle; that would allow the veteran to slide to the weak side. That would in turn permit the Big Ten player to compete with more aggression as the Pac-10 stalwart patrolled the formation’s center.

The question is: Can Buffalo afford Maualuga? It has nothing to do with his contract; facing glaring needs, going with a linebacker during the first round would be costly, especially with needs at tight end, defensive end, and, as of this week, left tackle.

On the other hand, if Buffalo decides its three current tackle options of Langston Walker, Kirk Chambers and Demetrius Bell can fill the two starting roles, it could wait a little while to add offensive linemen. That would provide the Bills with the chance to have first-round fun by grabbing Maualuga, with a pick remaining to use on one of their other two big needs.

The Bills could partly justify adding Maualuga if they feel he’s just too amazing to pass up at spot 11. More specifically, management could rationalize that the best way to compensate for unimpressive defensive ends is a thoroughly unstoppable linebacker corps.

If Russ Brandon, the marketer who is also in charge of signing players for some reason, hadn’t let Cato June leave town without a contract, the Bills would be set with linebacking starters. As it stands, they could still improve the unit. Buffalo must decide if Maualuga is so marvelous that the upgrade he would provide is worth its first choice. Even if the Bills don’t desperately need him, they could still use him.
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