Bills need to make the 1st round pick the right one

By Steve B. | Tuesday, March 16, 2010 | ( 30 )

Got something to say?

For over 10 years now, the Bills have had more misses than hits when it comes to their 1st round draft pick(s). With either choosing the wrong player, trading for veterans that didn't last (Rob Johnson, Drew Bledsoe) or trading up in the draft, is a huge reason why the Bills have failed to make the playoffs this past decade. A team's 1st round draft choice is suppose to be a guy that usually stays for 10 to 15 years (depending upon the position they play). Here's the Bills 1st round draft picks since 1998:
1998: Traded 1st round pick to Jacksonville for Rob "I Fallen and can't get up" Johnson. Jacksonville chooses RB Fred Taylor with our pick. Fred Taylor would have been a great choice since Thurman Thomas' career was winding down at that point. Instead, we use our 9th pick on a player that was with us for 4 years and was a huge bust.
1999: Antoine Winfield. Great pick, but the Bills chose not to resign Winfield and he was gone after 5 years.
2000: Erik Flowers. Do I need to say more?!
2001: Nate Clements. A good pick but wanted too much money to stay. I don't blame the Bills for not wanting to pay him 8 years, $80 million.
2002: Mike Williams. Donahoe made a huge error in picking Williams over Bryant McKinnie. Williams was on the Bills for 4 years before he was sent packing, while McKinnie is still a starting tackle for the Minnesota Vikings.
2003: Willis McGahee. This was a waste of a pick, considering Travis Henry had 1,438 rushing yards, 13 rushing TD's and 309 receiving yards the season before.
2004: Lee Evans (13th) J.P. Losman (22nd). Evans is a good WR, but he has been inconsistent. Evans would be a great #2 WR to a bigger, more physical #1 WR. Evans lacks the size to be a true #1 WR since he is unable outmuscle DB's and outleap them. Not a bad pick by any means. J.P. Losman lasted 5 years on the team but was badly mismanaged and showed he didn't have what it took to be a full-time starter in the NFL. Donahoe traded our 1st round 2005 pick for Losman which proved to be a big mistake.
2006: Donte Whitner (8th) John McCargo (26th). Marv Levy decided to choose Whitner over Haloti Ngata, that one still has Bills fans scratching their heads... Obviously, that was a huge mistake, but Levy felt he could trade back up into the 1st round and grab a DT. McCargo has been a bust and is still on the team.
2007: Marshawn "20 Dollar" Lynch. It has been rumored that Levy/Jauron wanted shut-down corner Derrell Revis, but Ralph Wilson wanted Lynch. Lynch is a good RB, but it looks like he could be trade bait and IMO was the wrong choice.
2008: Leodis "Take a knee" McKelvin. It's still too early to say if he was the right or wrong choice. McKelvin has shown some promise, but had Bills fans cursing his name after fumbling a kickoff return in the season opener against the dreaded Patriots in 2009.
2009: Aaron Maybin (11th) Eric Wood (28th). Like McKelvin, it's too early to pass judgment, but so far, Maybin looks like the second coming of Erik Flowers. This was another pick that had Bills fans scratching their heads when Michael Oher and Brian Orakpo were still on the board. Let's hope our new coaches can make Maybin into a good LB. So far, so good with Eric Wood. Wood looked great in the games he played in and everyone wishes him a speedy recovery.

Buddy Nix has said he plans to draft well and fill in some holes in free agency using middle of the road guys. So far, Nix & co have only signed two free agents. I like Nix's philosophy that he plans to spend the big money on the players he drafts and those he wants to resign. But, with the Bills not making a big splash in free agency so far, it's hard to get excited about the upcoming season. If Nix's philosophy works, like it did in San Diego, then we'll have a powerhouse team for many years. So if it will take a year or two of missing the playoffs and going through growing pains with the Bills (again) to make this team into a long-term winner, then I'm all for it. Let's all hope that Nix's draft choices, especially the 1st rounders are home runs and not pop flys.

Got something to say?

Share! | RSS | Bleacher Report

Comments: 30 | Sign Up View all comments


	No.1 voodoo chile	07:27 PM 03/16/2010

	"Buddy Nix has said he plans to draft well and fill in some holes..." Sounds like he's in charge of sanding icy roads and...


	No.2 Goose	07:32 PM 03/16/2010

	Stevie--make sure you hit Bills where it says article style or else it will go to the NFL post. The Whitner over Ngata pick will...


	No.3 Derek	10:50 PM 03/16/2010

	Hey on a positive note, the bills signed a ILB and a young 3-4 DE for the next few years...maybe these guys have a sense of what...