Shortly after the NFL draft every year, each team’s coach and/or general manager step in front of the cameras and pronounce “We got all the players we wanted”, or some version of this. In looking at the Buffalo Bills’ draft selections for 2011, it’s important to keep in mind that the process that began last season of rebuilding the club into a respectable NFL team was done in an unusual manner. The team’s “personality” at this point centers around players who aren’t superstars but worked their way to where they are the hard way – as low round draft picks and even undrafted free agents. Consider the key players on both offense and defense for the Bills – Ryan Fitzpatrick (low budget free agent signing from the Bengals), Fred Jackson (undrafted free agent), Stevie Johnson (7th round pick), Donald Jones and David Nelson (undrafted free agents), Kyle Williams (5th round pick), Arthur Moats (6th round pick), George Wilson and Bryan Scott (undrafted free agents). This being the case, we’ll evaluate the Bills’ picks with the idea that they all, regardless of which round they were picked in, have a legitimate opportunity to make the final roster.
1. Marcell Dareus – there was no question going into this draft that the Bills’ biggest need was adding youth, strength and speed to their front seven on defense, so this pick is a great one. As noted in a previous post, Dareus is capable of playing both tackle in a 4-3 scheme and end in a 3-4, so he’s a perfect fit for the Bills’ “hybrid” scheme. It’s encouraging that when he visited One Bills Drive after the draft to be introduced to the media, that he was really excited and wanted to go in and see the stadium.
2. Aaron Williams – cornerback from Texas who was rated by many as a first round talent. He’s a big, physical corner who tackles well (remember Antoine Winfield?). Incumbent starter Terrence McGee has had trouble staying on the field the last couple of years because of nagging injuries, Ashton Youboty and Drayton Florence likely won’t be back, so this was a need position.
3. Kelvin Sheppard – a hard-hitting linebacker from LSU, the Bills’ coaches fell in love with him when they coached him at the Senior Bowl. He’s an emotional player known at LSU for emotional speeches, learned the schemes quickly during Senior Bowl week practices and handled all the calls during the game. You have to love this post-draft comment from Sheppard: “I see we got big Marcell up in front of me now, so I’m going to try and get his big butt fired up so he can keep the linemen off of me.” That sounds like it could be another Darryl Talley/Bruce Smith type of relationship beginning.
4a. Da’Norris Searcy – defensive back from North Carolina who plays both safety spots and in his own words “plays with a linebacker mentality”. This choice may be a sign that Donte Whitner won’t be back. His strength is playing physical and supporting the run defense, but he has some ball skills too – he led his team with 4 interceptions last year despite missing 3 games.
4b. Chris Hairston – he was a 3 year starter at left tackle at Clemson, but the Bills will put him at right tackle. He blocked for C.J. Spiller during his career. He’s big and athletic and has long arms, which helps in pass blocking. He’ll have plenty of competition from the roster holdovers, but starting for 3 years at a major college against SEC competition will help him hold his own.
5. Johnny White – this pick was a head scratcher at first since he is a running back, which isn’t a need position for the Bills. But take a look at his history at North Carolina – he came in as a running back, was switched to cornerback, then back to running back, then, because of suspensions and injuries to other players, to wide receiver, then back to RB. Oh, and he was an outstanding special teams “gunner”, the position Steve Tasker basically invented during his time with the Bills. ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay called him the most underrated running back in the draft. Because running back is an extremely injury-prone position in the NFL and because he can help on special teams, this could be a good pick, unless White turns out to be that annual guy who looks like a superstar in August, then gets cut. He does seem to fit in perfectly with the team’s “guys from nowhere” identity.
6. Chris White – from Mississippi State, another linebacker. He has a reputation for playing hard on every down. He also played for the South in the Senior Bowl, so the Bills’ coaches got a close-up look at him and must have liked him. He’ll likely have to make the team with special teams play.
7a. Justin Rogers – a cornerback from Richmond, not exactly a football powerhouse. One thing that stands out about his play in college is his great interception numbers. Hopefully that means he has good coverage skills and can catch the ball. He has NFL-caliber speed but lacks size. But, those numbers – 12 picks and 5 returned for touchdowns – jump out at you.
7b. Michael Jasper – Bills’ fans clamoring for more size on defense will love this pick. The guy weighed 440+ lbs. in college, but has “slimmed down” to 395 (see picture below). He played guard in college, at Bethel, but is projected as a nose tackle. At the combine, he ran a respectable 40 yard dash and showed great athletic ability for a man his size. You get the feeling this guy is going to be a fan favorite as he tries to make the team this summer. Another William “The Refrigerator” Perry maybe?
Some of the picks surely won’t make the team, and sometimes the ones who stick and the ones who get cut aren’t the expected ones. In any case, you have to give the Bills credit for trying to improve their defense in a big way.
Michael Jasper (69) had enough athletic ability to be a pulling guard at Bethel.