Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

With the 2010 NFL Draft a month and a half away, mock drafts are plentiful. In fact, there are already 139 mock drafts published for the big day. If you took a minute to scan through a few of those drafts, you probably noticed that there are as many as six or seven players mentioned that might go to your favorite team come April. Obviously, only one (or maybe none) will end up being on the team you root for, but part of what makes the 2010 NFL Draft so interesting is the different possibilities that can change your favorite team’s future.

In this article, we’ll break down the possibilities that lay ahead for the Buffalo Bills. With that said, let’s get to it.

Buffalo Bills

::NFL commissioner Roger Goodell walks up to the podium at the 2010 NFL Draft and begins to speak::

With the ninth pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select…

We know that all these mock draft picks are just guesses at this point; however, the Buffalo Bills are in such a dilemma as to who will be available at their pick in the first round, that it’s hard to even speculate.

If we took the time to identify the Bills problems last year it would take all day, so we’ll give you a quick view at the stone cold fact and get them out of the way. 

On offense, the Bills finished 32nd in the NFL in 3rd down percentage at a whopping 26% (yes, worse than the Cleveland Browns and the Oakland Raiders). 30th in the NFL in yards per game. 29th in the NFL in time of possession. 30th in the NFL in passing yards per game. 28th in the NFL in sacks allowed. Their defense was slightly better, but you get the picture.

With the calculated failures of Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick, it seems evident that the Bills should consider targeting a quarterback to rebuild the team (a la Mark Sanchez in ’09, and Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan in ’08). While Buffalo can’t expect that a QB can change their team’s fortunes as quickly as those three quarterbacks previously did, they can hope that the effort of rebuilding and starting with a franchise QB will put them on the right track.

Terrell Owens is as good as gone, Marshawn Lynch has enough problems with the law that he can’t be trusted, and thus their best offensive threat (perhaps remains to be seen, but from a fantasy football perspective) is undrafted running back Fred Jackson. As you can see, the Bills don’t exactly have the keys to success in a fiercely competitive AFC East division.

The top two quarterbacks, Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen, could undoubtedly be gone by the 9th pick in this draft. With that in mind, the Bills could be left to stretch for a skill player, or build up their trenches with a young offensive tackle to anchor their line. Six of the top nine teams could use a franchise QB (St. Louis, Washington, Seattle, Cleveland, Oakland and Buffalo), and even though most of them won’t draft one, it doesn’t leave much room for error on the Bills part. They need to take this draft seriously as they move forward from a failed regime of the past half-decade.

Let’s follow through and start looking at their potential options in the upcoming 2010 NFL Draft:

Quarterback: Whether we’re talking about Bradford or Clausen, the Bills will be making the necessary move to slowly get back into contention in the AFC. I’m sure they would love their chances with either, but let’s assume that Clausen goes to the Washington Redskins at No.4 because he is seemingly a smaller risk than the aforementioned Bradford. Still, there is no guarantee he will be available at No.9 overall. If healthy, Bradford can most likely jump in from day one and provide some much needed accuracy at quarterback (Edwards completed just 56-percent, Fitzpatrick was 60-percent). Without many skill players surrounding the signal caller, Buffalo will be forced to emphasize the run game and Bradford can easily make that transition work well with his uncanny accuracy (measured as a 10 out of 10 on most scout’s ratings). 

Offensive Line: We’re envisioning Clausen and Bradford being crossed off Mel Kiper Jr’s big board prior to the Bills pick at No.9. So where do teams go when all else has failed? They look towards one of the deepest drafts in the past decade and fill in their offensive tackle position with their favorite of the bunch. With top talent like Russell Okung, Brian Bulaga, Trent Williams and Anthony Davis (stock falling) available in this years draft, Buffalo should have no trouble snagging a top tier OL if they can’t get their hands on a franchise quarterback

Sure, if the Bills selected a offensive lineman, they could hear some boos at Radio City Music Hall, but who makes those fans experts? The smart, safe choice is to rebuild from the ground up, and that involves taking a franchise left tackle. 

Wide Receiver / Running Back: It’s improbable that the Bills go after a running back in Round 1 even with so many question marks surrounding Marshawn Lynch. Fred Jackson filled in admirably as a starter in 2009 and should continue to improve if Buffalo can address their offensive line issues. Their return game in Buffalo was solid enough in 2009 so reaching for a player like C.J. Spiller (a speedy running back who can return kicks) is probably not the best usage of their pick.

Dez Bryant is definitely the No.1 rated wide out on the list, and he looks to be the type of player that could instantly help whoever is the Bills quarterback will be in 2010. Lee Evans is a solid, yet unspectacular wide receiver on one side who can go off some games and hide in others. Our feeling is that Bryant could be a missing cog in an offense that lacks a true playmaker. 

In fantasy terms, it’s probably best to stay away from the Buffalo Bills circa 2010. Fred Jackson could provide some definite RB3 potential, but with unknowns in the passing game and Marshawn Lynch still in the mix, he could see plenty of long afternoons. Lee Evans has the potential to play like a No.1 fantasy option but that key word (potential) is problematic. In reality, a WR3 ranking is probably where he goes in drafts. As for the quarterback situation, even if Buffalo lands Bradford or Clausen, in the upcoming April draft you are going to want to stay away.

Much like some of the other teams we have focused on, the offensive line must be the first solution to the problem, and all the facets of their game will improve with the right left tackle in place. Whether it is Davis, Okung, Bulaga, or Williams, the Bills should work the trenches and solidify their line.

NFC 2010 NFL Draft Coverage:  STL  |  CAR  |  SEA  |  GB |  WAS

AFC 2010 NFL Draft Coverage:  BUF  |  JAC  |  BAL

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