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The Buffalo Bills’ 2013 draft was significantly different than past drafts under GM Buddy Nix, which tells me that new head coach Doug Marrone had a major say in what type of player his squad would feature. The Bills seemed to put a high priority on speed and toughness, and didn’t shy away from players who carried off-field baggage. The Bills also may have found a gem among the undrafted free agents they signed after the draft, landing Da’Rick Rogers, a wide receiver from Tennessee Tech. Rogers finished his career at Tech after being kicked off the team at Tennessee for failing multiple drug tests. Rogers was considered a better player than 2 other Volunteer receivers who were drafted high – Cordarelle Patterson and Justin Hunter. Also, right after the draft, the Bills dealt LB Kelvin Sheppard, who was considered a major building block of the defense by the prior regime, to Indianapolis for LB Jerry Hughes, a former number one pick of the Colts who was an underachiever there. Hughes is considered a better fit for new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s scheme. Here is a look at the Bills’ draft picks:

QB EJ Manuel 

1. EJ Manuel (QB – Florida State) – the Bills traded down from the eighth pick to 16th before choosing Manuel, but most experts still feel the pick was a “reach”, and that Manuel could’ve been had much later. Still, he supposedly has a “higher ceiling” than any of the other QBs in this draft, once he gains experience. Manuel is a big, physical player with great athletic ability, and whether he works out or not will likely mean the difference between whether the team continues on the road to mediocrity or finally becomes a playoff contender.

WR Robert Woods 

2A. Robert Woods (WR – Southern Cal) – all of the draft experts agree this was a great pick for the Bills, as Woods is considered the most “NFL ready” of any receiver available in the draft. He should be ready to step into the starting lineup from day one and be a terrific complimentary receiver to Stevie Johnson.

2B. Kiko Alonso (LB – Oregon) – Alonso was a bonus pick, acquired from the Rams for trading out of the eighth spot. He’s supposed to be a quick, physical player who will add much-needed toughness to the Bills’ defense. He has a DUI and burglary arrest on his record, so he’s an obvious risk. However, strictly as a player, he seems to be a rangy linebacker who is a good tackler but can also be good in coverage. According to some scouts, he was the guy “making all the plays that Dion Jordan was supposed to be making”. (Jordan was picked third overall by Miami). He has a great chance to be an opening day starter in the Bills’ new 3-4 defense.

WR Marquise Goodwin

3. Marquise Goodwin (WR – Texas) – an Olympic hurdler, Goodwin is a speedster but wasn’t even a starter for the Longhorns. Obviously, by releasing players like David Nelson and Donald Jones and then drafting players like Woods and Goodwin, Marrone is looking for more dynamic playmakers at the wideout spots. Goodwin is described as “highly athletic and surprisingly tough”.

S Duke Williams

4. Duke Williams (S – Nevada) – draft experts universally gave the Bills high marks for this pick. Williams, like Alonso, is considered a tough player who should challenge Da’Norris Searcy for George Wilson’s starting safety job. Some words used to describe Williams in draft scouting reports – grit, nastiness, thumper, enforcer.

S Jonathan Meeks

 5. Jonathan Meeks (S – Clemson) – the Bills doubled up on safeties in the later rounds, which led to immediate speculation that they won’t re-sign Jairus Byrd beyond his one-year “franchise tag” contract. I hope that’s not true. The Bills can’t afford to let young playmakers walk away. Meeks has good size and probably better coverage ability than Williams, and can play both strong and free safety.

6. Dustin Hopkins (K – Florida State) – Hopkins is described as “a special kicker” who has a great NFL upside. With incumbent K Rian Lindell in his mid-30s, he has a chance to make the roster, and has one advantage – his former holder at Florida State is current Bills’ punter Shawn Powell.

TE Chris Gragg

7. Chris Gragg (TE – Arkansas) – another pick acquired from the Rams for moving down in round one. Gragg, for a seventh round pick, gets surprisingly high marks from the scouts. Some say he “can’t block a lick”, but that he could be a good downfield receiver in the right situation.

Part 4 of the Buffalo Bills’ 2012 season review looks at the holes the team has, and some ways they can fill them. Last season, in pointing out the team’s needs and possibilities of filling those needs through free agency, I never even mentioned the possibility of bringing in Mario Williams or Mark Anderson, since the team’s history showed they had no interest, or no realistic shot, at signing those types of big-name players. So this year, all possibilities have to be considered. The biggest task the front office has in the off-season is to re-sign the 2 most important unrestricted free agents – Andy Levitre and Jairus Byrd. When a team has as dismal a record for as long a period of time as the Bills do, they have to at least make every effort to keep what little talent they already have on hand around. I believe they will, if only to give new coach Doug Marrone the best possible chance to succeed. Here is a look at the positions of greatest need, in my opinion, that the Bills have, and what options they have to fill those needs:

Quarterback

GM Buddy Nix has made it clear that the team will draft a “quarterback of the future” this off-season. The Bills need an upgrade at the position, but in my opinion shouldn’t look to free agency or trades to do it. They need to draft a young signal-caller, not add somebody else’s headache to the roster. There is already speculation that the team is targeting Marrone’s QB at Syracuse, Ryan Nassib, who is projected as a second round pick but is moving into the first round on some draft boards. If Nassib lasts until round 2, the Bills should jump on him, but a better strategy may be to choose Arkansas’ Tyler Wilson with their top pick (number 8 in round 1). Some “mock” drafts have the Bills taking him, and ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper recently compared his style to that of former Bill Jim Kelly. That’s all the endorsement I  would need to pick the kid. The Bills should stay away from Matt Barkley of USC, whose stock fell due to a disappointing 2012 season but who is still seen by many as a first rounder. I don’t feel a laid-back Southern California surfer dude is a good fit for Buffalo.

Running Back

With C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson on the roster, the Bills, on paper, don’t need another running back, but if they decide to part ways with Jackson to open up a bigger opportunity for Spiller, they may want to find another back, preferably one who fills a different role than Spiller, like a big, bruising short yardage back. Spencer Ware from LSU and Rex Burkhead of Nebraska are examples of that type of back, and would be available in later rounds in the draft.

Receivers

There aren’t many projected “can’t miss” prospects, like Calvin Johnson or A.J. Green, in this year’s receiver class, but there are plenty of good ones available. Two underclassmen from Tennessee who declared for the draft early are Cordarrelle Patterson and Justin Hunter, who are both big, tall receivers who can go up and get the ball even when covered. One or both could be available in the second round of the draft, should the Bills choose to pick a QB in the first round. If the Bills go the free agent route, two intriguing prospects are Mike Wallace of Pittsburgh, who would fill the need for a deep threat to play opposite Stevie Johnson, and New England’s Wes Welker, a slot receiver who isn’t a downfield threat but who is extremely productive and great at moving the chains. The Bills may have a need for a tight end if Scott Chandler starts the season still rehabbing from a knee injury. A good veteran free agent prospect to consider if that’s the case would be Dustin Keller of the Jets, who has ties with the defensive coaches from New York that Marrone has already brought in. There are at least 5 “gold standard” tight ends available in the draft, but I can’t see the Bills using their high pick on that position.

Linebacker

Pencil in Bryan Thomas of the Jets as a possible free agent signing by the Bills, with his connection to new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. Another interesting player is Houston’s Connor Barwin, a former teammate of Mario Williams. The Bears’ Brian Urlacher is a free agent, and apparently not a big fan of the team’s firing of Lovie Smith as coach. Could the Bills make another big free agent splash and sign him? The Bills could use their top draft pick on a LB, since it’s a position of great need. Some mock drafts had them taking Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o, but his imaginary girlfriend problems could send him plummeting down the draft boards. Jarvis Jones of Georgia and Sam Montgomery from LSU are two top-notch “rush” linebackers the team could consider.