The Buffalo Bills are picking 9th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. I will be creating a big board that I think the Bills will/should follow on draft day. When a team makes up a big board, they rank the prospects they like so as the draft unfolds, they can cross off players who have been drafted and keep an updated list on the best possible prospects available. When they're on the clock, the team can look at their big board and decide between the top 2-3 prospects left on their board.
Since the Bills pick 9th, I will make a big board of my top ten prospects. This ensures that when the Bills are on the clock, they will be guaranteed to take one of these prospects. I don't believe the Bills are in the market for a QB so I will omit the top QB prospects from my list. I will include only prospects at positions that the Bills will be in the market for in the first round. The best case scenario for Buffalo will be an early run on QB's such as Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and possibly even Derek Carr which will allow other prospects to fall and give the Bills better options when it is their time to select a player.
1. Jadeveon Clowney (DE) South Carolina - If the Bills had their pick of the prospects, I expect #1 on their big board to be Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney is 6'5 and 266 of pure muscle. He ran a 4.45 at the combine which is just unreal. He is said to be a once in a generation prospect but also gets criticized for taking plays off which is a big red flag for a potential 1st overall pick. Clowney won't drop to the Bills at 9th as I fully expect him to be taken 1st overall. If the Bills were to acquire Clowney, they would have to trade up with the Texans and the price it would cost would be way too much in my opinion. While I would love for him to be paired up with Mario Williams at the DE position, I'll gladly watch him go to the Texans and see how his motor holds up after he's been paid the big bucks.
2. Sammy Watkins (WR) Clemson - While I have Clowney as my clear cut #1 prospect, I struggled in slotting my next three prospects between Sammy Watkins, Greg Robinson and Khalil Mack. I gave Watkins the nod because of all of the chatter I hear regarding the Bills and how badly they want to move up for Watkins. I personally would put Greg Robinson at #2 but I don't see the Bills trading up for him because the OT position is deep with quality candidates who may fall to #9 so Watkins finds himself at #2. Watkins plays much bigger than his size but he's still 6'1 which is similar to what the Bills already have and if I'm drafting a WR, I'm drafting a big WR for EJ Manuel. No matter how big you play, 6'1 is still 6'1. Watkins won't fall to the Bills and I don't want to trade up to anything higher than #5 to draft him which is possible if Clowney, Robinson, Mack and Manziel (or another QB) go in the top 4. I anticipate several teams calling the Raiders for that pick to select Watkins with the Bills being one of them. Question is, do the Raiders stay put and draft Watkins themselves or do they trade out? Would be interesting to see how they handle that scenario.
3. Greg Robinson (OT) Auburn - Greg Robinson is an absolute beast. Robinson is 6'5 and 332 and an absolute mauler in the run game. Robinson led a an insane rushing attack behind QB Nick Marshall and RB Tre Mason at Auburn en route to their National Championship appearance. Robinson excels in the run game moreso than the passing game but he has the skills to be a well-rounded LT for 10-12 years. For all of the trade up talk, I haven't once heard the Bills been attached to Greg Robinson. Having him at RT would be a luxury, or having Cordy Glenn at RT after Greg Robinson takes over the LT position. With that being said. I expect Greg Robinson to be long gone by the time the Bills pick at #9. My projection is #2 to the St. Louis Rams.
4. Khalil Mack (LB) Buffalo - It's great to see a University of Buffalo product ranked so highly. While he's #4 on my big board, he's found himself atop many analysts big boards and mock drafts this off-season. Mack is versatile, has a high motor and makes plays consistently. Mack has good size for the position and is thick from top to bottom. He uses this body to win one-on-one battles and when engaged, doesn't stay engaged long. He has a quick burst and wins with hands, shedding blockers to get to the ball carrier. If you are unfamiliar with Mack, just watch what he did against Ohio State last year. Not only did he fit in against a superior opponent, he stood out. Mack is a safe prospect who plays the game the right way, with a relentless, high motor who will be taking down opposing QB's for years to come. Some say Mack could go #1 to the Texans because he fits their defense better than Clowney. I don't see him getting past the Jaguars at #3. The Browns have a few different needs at QB, OT and WR so if he falls to them, I would be interested to see if new head coach Mike Pettine gives himself a shiny new toy for his defense.
5. Jake Matthews (OT) Texas A&M - If Jake Matthews is on the board at #9, the Bills should hand their envelope to Marquise Goodwin and have him sprint up to the podium to select the Texas A&M prospect. Matthews is a guy that may or may not be there at #9 but could also be a trade up candidate for the Bills if they want to move ahead of the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons really need an OT and with Greg Robinson expected to be gone, Jake Matthews looks like the next guy on the list. The Bills could trade up to #5 and poach Matthews from the Falcons or they could stay put and cross their fingers something weird happens and Matthews slides past Atlanta and into the Bills laps at #9. Could Atlanta prefer Taylor Lewan over Matthews? Not likely but also not impossible.
6. Mike Evans (WR) Texas A&M - I criticized Sammy Watkins a bit earlier for his lack of size. Mike Evans will receive no such criticism from me. Evans is my ideal WR target in this draft. The Bills have plenty of WR options for EJ Manuel but they don't have any like Mike Evans. Evans is 6'5, 231 lbs. with 4.46 speed. He can win with his straight line speed or with his physicality going across the middle or high pointing a jump ball. He's everything you want in your #1 WR in the mold of Brandon Marshall and Vincent Jackson. Speaking of Vincent Jackson, that's who Evans might find himself playing across from in the fall. After Tampa Bay shipped Mike Williams to the Bills, it created a need at WR. The Buccaneers may look to create a Brandon Marshall/Alshon Jeffrey type receiving tandem by drafting Mike Evans at #7, two spots ahead of the Bills. What may help Evans fall to the Bills is if Johnny Manziel falls to the Buccaneers at #7 and they pull the trigger on him because from the sounds of it, the new regime are not fans of last years second-half starter Mike Glennon. Evans is the first prospect on this list with a realistic possibility of falling to the Bills and if that were to happen, I would welcome him to Buffalo with open arms.
7. Taylor Lewan (OT) Michigan - Now we get into the realistic options. The Bills should be able to land one of the top three OT's and at this point, it looks like Lewan will last longer than Matthews. Lewan has some character issues but he also has a nasty streak that you look for in a lineman. He is big, fast and physical. He can get out in the screen game which the Bills should utilize more and can be a mauler in the run game as well. You just have to make sure he avoids suspensions and penalties. If the 6 prospects on this list are gone ahead of him, I will be fine with taking Lewan at #9 even if Ebron is still on the board.
8. Eric Ebron (TE) North Carolina - While I said I would take Lewan over Ebron, that doesn't mean I would be unhappy if the Bills took Ebron. Ebron looks to be on the board for the Bills at #9 and if there isn't a run on QB's then he may be the best optional available. He was brought in for a pre-draft visit and would bring a new dynamic to the offense, making him a very good fall-back option if prospects 1-7 are off the board. Ebron's hands can be shaky at times and doesn't have much blocking experience but he's the new aged TE that will immediately become Manuel's best friend.
9. CJ Mosley (LB) Alabama - Prospects 9-10 on this list, starting with CJ Mosley puts my happiness with our first round pick into a different tier. I like CJ Mosley and think he would be great for our defense but in the first round at ninth overall, I think we have bigger needs to address. Mosley does everything good and some things great from the LB position and has been well coached in college so he should be able to have an immediate impact however I think he'll have that type of impact with a team that is not the Buffalo Bills being taken somewhere in the teens.
10. Zack Martin (OT) Notre Dame - I added Martin on this list just to round a top ten list. I don't want Zack Martin. I do like his versatility but I don't want to take the 4th ranked player at his position just 9 picks into the draft no matter how deep the position is or how big your need is. Martin is said to have small arms which makes a move to the inside of the offensive line more likely however many people thinks he can stick at RT. I don't want to deal with those type of question marks. Having him become an 'excellent guard' is not a consolation I want to deal with at ninth overall. I'd rather splurge on CJ Mosley and hope a RT prospect falls to us in the 2nd round.
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