rayonsports.com

For the second year in a row, Rayonsports.com will offer a first round mock draft for the NFL’s annual selection process of college talent. Here are our guesses as to who will be chosen in the draft, which is mostly a crapshoot for the league’s 32 teams:

1. Cleveland Browns – Myles Garrett (DE, Texas A&M). Garrett has been the consensus top pick for awhile, and to hard to imagine the Browns passing up this can’t miss edge rusher.
2. San Francisco 49ers – Mitch Trubisky (QB, North Carolina). New 49er GM John Lynch seems enamored with Trubisky, who has risen up team’s draft boards rapidly for some reason, despite his only having 13 games of college starting experience.
3. Chicago Bears – Jamal Adams (S, L.S.U.) The Jay Cutler era is officially over in Chicago, and the Bears signed Mike Glennon as a possible replacement. But is he really the answer? I could see the Bears going QB here, but Adams is too good a prospect to pass up.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars – Jonathan Allen (DT, Alabama). Conventional wisdom has the Jags picking a running back here, but I can see Tom Coughlin and Doug Marrone adding to their young stable of up-and-coming defensive players instead.
5. Tennessee Titans – Marshon Lattimore (CB, Ohio State). The Titans are thin at cornerback so this choice makes sense. He’ll be an instant fit in defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau’s defense.
6. New York Jets – O.J. Howard (TE, Alabama). The cream of the tight end crop this year may be the best receiver in the draft, including the wide receivers.
7. Los Angeles Chargers – Solomon Thomas (DE, Stanford). An elite edge rusher, Thomas would be an excellent bookend paired with last year’s top pick, Joey Bosa, in the Chargers’ defense.
8. Carolina Panthers – Leonard Fournette (RB, L.S.U.). Adding a stud back like Fournette would be the best way to help Cam Newton regain his 2015 form, so I can see coach Ron Rivera liking this addition.
9. Cincinnati Bengals – Malik Hooker (S, Ohio State). Coach Marvin Lewis adds a major playmaker to his already stout defense. Strong defense is needed in the AFC North in order to compete with Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
10. Buffalo Bills – Mike Williams (WR, Clemson). A partner in crime to line up opposite Sammy Watkins at wide receiver will help the Bills’ offensive production in the passing game, complementing one of the NFL’s top rushing attacks.
11. New Orleans Saints – Christian McCaffrey (RB, Stanford). A versatile weapon for Drew Brees to utilize in coach Sean Payton’s offense would be a shot in the arm for the Saints, who have gotten a bit stagnant since their 2009 Super Bowl win.
12. Cleveland Browns – Deshaun Watson (QB, Clemson). The Browns got this pick from Philadelphia as part of last year’s Carson Wentz trade. They get their future franchise quarterback with the bonus pick.
13. Arizona Cardinals – Derek Barnett (DE, Tennessee). Although Bruce Arians is an offensive-minded head coach, they’ll be hard pressed to pass up a top prospect like Barnett if he falls to them.
14. Philadelphia Eagles – Haason Reddick (LB, Temple). The Eagles know Reddick well, with him having played at Temple, and they’ll jump at the chance to add him to their defense.
15. Indianapolis Colts – Corey Davis (WR, Western Michigan). The Colts need to upgrade Andrew Luck’s corps of offensive weapons, and Davis would be a welcome addition.
16. Baltimore Ravens – Marlon Humphrey (CB, Alabama). An addition of much-needed help to a thin secondary, in a division where you have to match up with the likes of A.J. Green and Antonio Brown.
17. Washington Redskins – Reuben Foster (LB, Alabama). Foster is too good a prospect to pass on at this point, despite his off the field issues. A smart pick by Jay Gruden and the ‘Skins.
18. Tennessee Titans – John Ross (WR, Washington). using the Los Angeles Rams’ pick acquired during last year’s draft, the Titans add a speed demon weapon for Marcus Mariota.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Dalvin Cook (RB, Florida State). The Bucs look in-state for an input of youth into their running game.
20. Denver Broncos – Cam Robinson (T, Alabama). John Elway will jump out of his chair to pick the big Crimson Tide blocker if he’s available this late.
21. Detroit Lions – Jabrill Peppers (S, Michigan). He is a player who is hard to pigeon-hole into a specific position on defense, but his versatility will be a nightmare for opposing offensive coordinators when he establishes himself in the league.
22. Miami Dolphins – Gareon Conley (CB, Ohio State). The Fish need to strengthen their secondary to take another step forward in 2017, and Conley would be a good addition to help achieve that goal.
23. New York Giants – Garrett Bolles (T, Utah). The Giants had one of the NFL’s weakest run games last season, and need to make upgrades along their offensive line to improve in that area.
24. Oakland Raiders – Takkarist McKinley (DE, UCLA). Oakland has a stud in Khalil Mack, but still needs help to improve the pass rush. McKinley would be a strong addition to their D-line.
25. Houston Texans – Patrick Mahomes (QB, Texas Tech). The Texans are a decent team lacking a good quarterback, and after ridding themselves of Brock Osweiler, they’ll take home-state signal caller Mahomes to be their next savior.
26. Seattle Seahawks – Kevin King (CB, Washington). This would be a strong pick for the Hawks regardless of whether or not they trade Richard Sherman.
27. Kansas City Chiefs – Malik McDowell (DL, Michigan State). A big body lineman to help offset the loss of Dontari Poe.
28. Dallas Cowboys – Adoree Jackson (CB, USC). The Cowboys do a bit of a reach to fill a need in their secondary.
29. Green Bay Packers – Charles Harris (DE, Missouri). The Pack goes for an edge rusher to help shore up their defense.
30. Pittsburgh Steelers – Tim Williams (DE, Alabama). Another of Nick Saban’s many Crimson Tide pro prospects, he will be a good fit for the rugged Steeler defense.
31. Atlanta Falcons – Forrest Lamp (G, Western Kentucky). The Falcons can use some O-line help to keep QB Matt Ryan upright, and Lamp is high on their list.
32. New Orleans Saints – Ryan Ramczyk (OT, Wisconsin). The Saints got this pick from New England for Brandin Cooks, and they’ll use it to give Drew Brees some more protection along the front line.

The fourth and final segment of our Buffalo Bills’ 2016 season review takes a look at what the team needs to do to finally snap the 17 year playoff drought. Of course, the first and most important thing they need to do is find a new head coach who can change the attitude and the culture of a franchise that has been mired in mediocrity for almost two decades. Here is a summary of the Bills’ biggest needs and our suggestions on how to fill them:

Head Coach

The lack of discipline under Ryan needs to be corrected. If the Pegulas and Doug Whaley decide they need to have some semblance of continuity, then promoting interim coach Anthony Lynn to the job full time would be a good option. Two candidates who have been lined up for interviews are relative unknowns – Sean McDermott, defensive coordinator for Carolina, and Harold Goodwin, offensive coordinator for Arizona. A dark horse candidate who I liked before Ryan was hired is former Buffalo backup quarterback Frank Reich. He is currently offensive coordinator for the Eagles, and did a pretty good job helping develop rookie Carson Wentz there. He’s not a flashy or hot candidate, but the fact he knows the fan base and understands the team’s history is a plus. He seems to have the right demeanor to be a good head coach also, and really was basically a coach on the sideline for Jim Kelly during his playing days.

Quarterback

If the Bills want to try to build on what they’ve accomplished on offense, then bringing back Tyrod Taylor is the best option. A new head coach will likely have input in that call, however. No matter what, the Bills will need to replace EJ Manuel as their primary backup. As far as veteran free agents go, the pickings are slim. They might be better off just continuing to develop Cardale Jones and drafting another lower round player to compete with him. Middle round options with some possibilities include Iowa’s C.J. Beathard and a familiar name, Chad Kelly from Ole Miss.

Receiver

The Bills have 3 impending free agent receivers in Robert Woods, Marquise Goodwin and Justin Hunter, four if you count Percy Harvin, who should not be retained after contributing nothing after being re-signed this year. It would behoove them to try to retain Woods and Hunter and then try to strengthen the unit through the draft. Good receivers can be plucked in the middle to late rounds if your scouts are doing their jobs. Some options there are Corey Davis from Western Michigan, Travis Rudolph of Florida State and Oklahoma’s Dede Westbrook.

Safety

This is the Bills’ biggest area of need and may very well be where they look to improve their defense with their top draft choice, which will be the tenth pick of the draft. There are three top players who might be available there – Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers, a versatile star, Malik Hooker of Ohio State and LSU’s Jamal Adams. Any of these three would be able to step into Aaron Williams’ starting spot in the lineup. An interesting free agent possibility is Duron Harmon of New England, who could be a diamond in the rough for the Bills’ currently depleted secondary.

Defensive Line

The Bills need to start looking toward the future with Kyle Williams aging and Marcell Dareus being a player they can’t count on. A couple of draft prospects are Notre Dame’s Jarron Jones and Clemson’s Carlos Watkins, who are both nose tackles. If they decide to try to improve the pass rush, a couple of draftable edge rushers are Josh Carraway of TCU and Auburn’s Carl Lawson.

Placekicker

The Bills have a lot of needs but Dan Carpenter was so bad this season that they may have to use a draft pick on a new kicker. The top prospect is Auburn’s Daniel Carlson, who also can punt. If they can convince him to come here, Los Angeles Ram kicker Greg Zuerlein is one of the NFL’s best. Signing him would be equivalent to when they inked Steve Christie back in the “Plan B” free agency days.

Part 3 of our annual Buffalo Bills’ season review deals with the defense and special teams. Defense was supposed to be departed coach Rex Ryan’s area of expertise but instead was the main reason for their failure to reach their goal of making the playoffs. Consider these games: 1) at home against the Jets, they allowed Ryan Fitzpatrick, who otherwise had a horrible season, to have one of the best performances of his career, as the Jets cruised to a 37-31 win. 2) at Miami, after the offense built a 17-6 lead, the unit totally melted down, allowing Jay Ajayi to run for over 200 yards as the Dolphins rallied to win. 3) at Seattle, they couldn’t even slow down Russell Wilson and the Seahawks in the first half, forcing the offense to try to play catchup in the second half. 4) at Oakland, the offense took control of the game and built a 24-9 lead, only to watch the defense again inexplicably fall apart and allow the Raiders to score 29 unanswered points and rally to win. 5) at home against Miami, after supposedly preparing to stop Ajayi all week in practice, they again give up over 200 rushing yards to the Dolphin back, including the run in overtime that set up the winning field goal when only 10 Bill defenders were on the field. Here is a position-by-position look at the Bills’ defenders and special teamers:

Defensive Line

It’s supposed to be an area of strength on the team. Inside at tackle, there’s Kyle Williams, a team leader who is getting up in age, and Marcell Dareus, who signed a huge contract and then totally let his team down, first getting suspended and then coming back out of shape and suffering minor injuries that kept him out of the lineup. He is a prime example of the type of player that the franchise has to deal with – inconsistent and unreliable. The new head coach has to somehow fix this problem – either develop the players into men who can be counted on, or cut ties with them and move on, regardless of where they were drafted or how big their paychecks are. Rookie Adolphus Washington got benched for the team’s final game for supposedly not practicing hard enough, but for most of the year was as reliable of a player on the defensive line as the team had. The rest of the D-line roster is pretty much veterans who will have to work hard to impress a new coaching staff to keep their jobs – Corbin Bryant, Jerel Worthy and Rex Ryan favorite Leger Douzable. DeAndre Coleman was another of Whaley’s in-season signings who never had much impact.

Linebackers

There are 11 players available on the Bills’ roster who are listed as linebackers, but some of them may be better players on the defensive line, since there isn’t much depth there. Where these players play and whether or not they even make the team will depend on the opinion of a defensive coaching staff which will probably, and should, undergo wholesale changes. Jerry Hughes has played both DE and LB with the Bills, and is most effective as a pass rusher, although his play fell off markedly this season, another example of Bills’ players who got new contracts, then regressed. Shaq Lawson missed half the season due to injury, then showed a few flashes of decent play, but not much consistency. He certainly didn’t make the impact you’d expect from a first round draft pick. Two of Whaley’s free agent signings, Zach Brown and Lorenzo Alexander, had good years but the Bills’ penchant for not stopping the run and giving up big plays leaves them open for scrutiny also. The same could be said for Preston Brown. Rookie Reggie Ragland was a player who the team had high expectations for, but an injury ended his inaugural season before it started. He could be a wild card in a much-needed attitude adjustment for the defense. Ramon Humber and Lerentee McCray were special teams players who were also brought in during the season. They are marginal talents who will likely struggle to make the roster next year. Veteran Brandon Spikes is almost surely gone.

Defensive Backs

The fall-off in play of Buffalo’s cornerbacks was one of the big disappointments of the 2016 season. Stephon Gilmore was wildly inconsistent, and the Bills would be smart to not hand him a big money contract, or even waste salary cap dollars putting the franchise tag on him. Ronald Darby had a solid rookie season in 2015, but the sophomore jinx hit him badly this year. Nickell Robey-Coleman regressed also, and was consistently burned by bigger receivers while playing the slot corner position. Rookie Kevon Seymour had his ups and downs, but in my opinion showed as much promise as both Gilmore and Darby and would be a good option to start if Gilmore departs. Out of the in-season players that Whaley brought in, Marcus Roberson looked like he could be a guy who should be given an opportunity next year also. Corey White struggled at corner, then made the switch to safety due to injuries there. He had his hills and valleys there also, but the fact that he appears to be a team player says he deserves a look as a depth player again next year. Aaron Williams suffered another neck injury and may have to retire, and he heads a long list of safeties who played, and got hurt, as the season unfolded. Here’s the rest of the list: Colt Anderson, James Ihedigbo, Robert Blanton and Philip Thomas. Corey Graham is the other safety, and he is getting up in age. Jonathan Meeks is strictly a special teamer, and not all that impressive of one. The Bills’ final roster included defensive backs Sergio Brown and Shamiel Gary. Who?

Special Teams

Special teams weren’t that special in 2016. One bright spot was the kick return work of Brandon Tate, a player who should be brought back next season for sure. New coaches usually mean a new punter and placekicker. Punter Colton Schmidt’s play fell off from 2015 and he needs to be challenged in training camp next year. Kicker Dan Carpenter kicked his way out of Buffalo this season. A poor campaign culminated in a dreadful showing in the home finale against Miami that was likely the final nail in his coffin.