With the 9th pick Buffalo should select…REALLY?!?!?!?!?

The Buffalo Bills are in a tough spot this year as they head into the 2010 NFL draft.  Buffalo’s biggest issue is that they have too many holes to fill. so no draft choice will unanimously make every fan happy.  As a blogger that covers this Bills team I have my thoughts which probably make most Bills fans upset, but I do believe I have the answer for Buffalo’s first round draft choice in the 2010 draft.  First we have to look at the holes this team has.  It is safe to say that Buffalo does not have a QB for the future, heck, they don’t even have a QB for the present.  Buffalo is also in need of a player who can anchor the LT position as all of their attempts to do so last year failed miserably.  Once free agency hits, Buffalo shouldn’t be surprised to see Terrell Owens jettison for greener pastures, with the most likely destination being in San Francisco.  But, this would leave Buffalo with a need at WR, as all of their other wide outs have yet to separate themselves from the pack and display anything significant to merit a starting spot.

On defence Buffalo is in a tough spot as DE Aaron Schobel has yet to decide his commitment to returning to the rebuilding Buffalo Bills.  Chris Kelsay has shown he should not be a starting DE and is far over payed for the skill set he has displayed.  Buffalo will be moving to 3-4 this off-season and with both of Buffalo’s starting DE’s from last year possibly not returning (Schobel retiring, Kelsay may be released) it is possible that Buffalo could look at locking up a DE in this years draft.  Buffalo also has had one giant hole over the last several seasons at linebacker.  This will be particularly worse once they move to the 3-4 as they are already very thin at this position.

So which direction should Buffalo go.  The popular consensus has been that Buffalo should either choose a QB (if available) or to finally acquire the LT that will anchor this line for the next ten years.  But that is not the direction I think the Bills should go.  Buffalo already has one of the youngest offensive lines in the NFL, by acquiring yet another young lineman, Buffalo will just be risking stunting their lines growth for yet another season.  Buffalo desperately needs veteran leadership in this area and should use free agency or seek a trade to fill this void.  Buffalo also needs to understand that filling the QB position at this time will be counter productive as well.  Buffalo’s line should play better this year but will still be young and learning on the job.  Attempting to bring in a young QB in the hopes of grooming him for the future will be pointless as Buffalo has yet to find their QB for 2010.  Also, Buffalo’s last two picks at QB didn’t exactly bare ripe fruit either (Losman and Edwards).

With this pick Buffalo should choose a linebacker.  More importantly they should pick an inside linebacker.  The ideal pick for Buffalo should be Rolando McClain, a 6-4 and 256 monster of an inside linebacker out of Alabama. As Buffalo rebuilds it will be important for them to take a page from the New York Jets, to build a solid defense and then work on the offense.  McClain is a great fit as a 3-4 inside linebacker and would work well in that system.  He has a large wingspan and covers a lot of ground.  The thing I am most impressed with is that he seems to rush the passer, play in coverage or play the run with the same high skill level and intensity.  The 2010 draft features a few very highly rated defensive prospects, but it is my feeling that McClain could end up being the most NFL ready and productive player of this draft class.  Although he does not have top end speed, he still shows great instincts and leadership, despite his age (20), to make all of the necessary plays.

McClain is a solid pass rusher and would help in the event Aaron Schobel did decide to retire.  I do realize there are other players fans may want to see Buffalo pick ahead of McClain, but McClain could very well carry the best return on Buffalo’s investment.  But with that said Buffalo would have the option to possibly take DE Derrick Morgan out of Georgia Tech.  Although Buffalo’s Georgia Tech ties are already running high, I would not bank on this pick.  Morgan is not ideally suited to be a 3-4 DE, nor is he suited to be a 3-4 linebacker which pretty much leaves him as a very talented role player, which is not what Buffalo should be wasting it’s pick on.

Some draft boards have predicted that somehow either Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen will fall to Buffalo at the 9th pick.  This is very far fetched as I find it hard to believe that St Louis, Washington, Cleveland, and maybe Oakland and Seattle will somehow all pass on one of these individuals.  With that said, it did happen to Matt Leinart, so stranger things have happened.  But Buffalo should steer clear.  Buffalo has far too many holes to fill to waste a pick on a player that wont be ready or at least shouldn’t take the field behind such an inexperienced line.  QB really should just not be an option at this point unless they are trading for one or signing one out of free agency.

Anthony Davis and Bruce Campbell are two other names that come up a lot.  Davis is a very talented OT out of Rutgers.  But with that said he is projected to be a mid round pick and not a top ten choice.  This would be a reach for Buffalo should they choose to go with Davis.  Campbell is an OT out of Maryland, Campbell is by far the most intriguing prospect as he is by far the most athletic OT in the draft.  He can run 4.9 and could anchor this line for years to come.  My belief, is that if Buffalo didn’t need to fix their run defense and ensure they have a defense that can keep them in games, this would be my choice for Buffalo’s first round pick.  But this would only lead Buffalo into more problems as they require veteran leadership on the line and not another young body.

So I stick to my decision, Buffalo should go with Rolando McClain.  The best part is, I am most likely the only one to even suggest Buffalo goes in this direction, but that is fine by me.  I was one of the first to hype up Fred Jackson over Marshawn Lynch and look how that turned out.  But if Buffalo chooses not to go in the direction of McClain, I think the best choice would be for them to go with Bruce Campbell, who has the size, strength and athletic ability to truly excel for the Buffalo Bills.

Tags: Aaron Schobel, Anthony Davis, Bruce Campbell, Buffalo Bills, Chris Kelsay, Derrick Morgan, Fred Jackson, Jimmy Clausen, Marshawn Lynch, Matt Leinart, Rolando McClain, Sam Bradford