Bills still haunted by ancient drafts

By Anthony Bialy  |   Tuesday, May 19, 2009  |  Comments( 99 )

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Planting a tree benefits the generations ahead. Meanwhile, chopping one down makes people residing in the future unwittingly miserable. It’s not to put too much pressure on the Buffalo Bills’ first-rounders Aaron Maybin and Eric Wood as they participate in their first regular minicamp, but they absolutely can’t fail.

It seems obviously intuitive, but the fallout from a wasted first-round pick can contaminate a franchise for years ahead. It’s enlightening to remember what happens when the Bills have missed with their first selection. Specifically, some of this team’s blown first-round picks over the past decade have set the team back a decade.

For example, a trade with the Dallas Cowboys allowed them to essentially redeem their 2005 first-rounder a year early; having J.P. Losman for an extra season didn’t help. Quarterback prospects are about as reliable as a roulette wheel, and yet it’s still inexcusable when one taken in the first round bombs.

Blame the coaches for yanking his chain or his teammates for not being collectively that good, but Losman’s futile tenure as Buffalo’s passer is still causing headaches. Of course, it led to Trent Edwards’ drafting in 2007 and concerns about Edwards’ play in 2009; meanwhile, right now is around when a solid class of 2004 quarterback would be cruising into his prime.

The Bills have coped with talented attitude problems, too. For example, imagine if Willis McGahee, 2003’s first choice, had ever played like he thought he could. A player with a decent outlook would be a weapon in Buffalo’s arsenal leading up until this season, but Tom Donahoe’s second-greatest folly still hurts.

Much more of the same goes for all-time useless lump Mike Williams. If the Texas slug had even been half-competent for his draft place, the Bills would have had 20 percent of their line set every year up to and including this one. Tellingly, Williams affected this year’s draft, too, as his embarrassingly inadequate play set off a chain of events where Jason Peters took his place, got a fat head, stopped playing well, and was traded for a pick the team used to add Wood.

Similarly, Maybin is replacing a useless disaster on the other line: Erik Flowers’ five career sacks wouldn’t even be a good season total. There’s no reason to stop being disappointed in him just because it’s been nearly a decade since he was acquired. Worst, this team could be looking forward to contributions this upcoming season from a quality defensive end taken in that spot.

The Bills drafted Maybin in 2009 because they are still hurting from a pick made in 2000; that should scare anyone away from pursuing a career in general management. It’s nearly impossible to choose a player who’s absolutely certain to find success as a pro, even in the first round.

Maybin and Wood will be attempting to drive down the failure rate; their ability to do so is being gauged during the current voluntary activities. The good news is that their placement is promising. Wood was put into the lineup as a guard soon into the workouts, while reports say Maybin was promisingly used as the second-tier left defensive end.

Already, both are getting opportunities to be factors from their respective line positions. If it’s any motivation, they should be aware that the Bills circa 2020 will be affected by how the pair performs starting this week.
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CommentsComments: 99  |  Sign Up  View all comments
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No.1
09:27 AM
05/19/2009
Nice piece Anthony. We're all set up for a good debate today. Would this team have been further along in its development had...
No.2
09:48 AM
05/19/2009
Today’s read is a painful reminder of how inept the Bills front office has been over the past decade. Interestingly Bialy...
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No.3
Goose		10:01 AM
05/19/2009
The last 3 no#1 picks---Mckelvin, Lynch and Whitner are starters, Lynch has gone to a Pro bowl, McKelvin looks like he can become...
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