It seems pretty clear now that Buffalo Bills GM Russ Brandon had a plan heading into this past off season. Some many think his signing of wide receiver Terrell Owens was a publicity stunt; however it now seems that it was just a part of an overall plan to rebuild this team on the fly.
Brandon has a plan to return the Bills offense to the hurry up offense the Bills use to run under QB Jim Kelly. The rebirth of the K-Gun offense was going to need a few new parts. Brandon made a few smart trades and got his War room to make some fine selections.
Heading into the draft the Bills main needs seem to be at Defensive End and Offensive Tackle. Since Aaron Schobel 2008 season ending foot injury exposed the Bills’ need for another pass rusher, and the trade of LT Jason Peters these were the positions they set out to fill via the draft.
Their first pick in Round One was at 11 and they selected DE Aaron Maybin out of Penn State. Maybin was the 10th rated end in this draft and the second selected. Maybin should start at one of the end positions and help the Bills wit their pass rush. In the end this may be a little bit of a reach but I think it deserves a grade of A-.
After trading Peters to the Philadelphia Eagles the Bills also had the 28th pick in the first round. With this pick they addressed their need of offensive lineman taking Eric Wood the Center from Louisville. Wood was the third ranked Center in the draft, but will likely play left guard for the Bills.
So far through the 2009 pre-season we have seen both Wood and starting RG Andy Levitre get pushed around a lot, but these two players seems to be the foundation of the Bills O line for years to come.
In the second round, the Bills selected CB Jairus Byrd of Oregon. While CB wasn’t exactly a need, every NFL team can always use a good defensive back. It seems likely that Byrd could start his rookie year at the Full Safety position. While he was the 11th ranked CB in the draft, the Bills made him the 3rd CB selected. This may be a calculated risk by the Bills, and as of now it should be ranked as a B-.
After trading their third round pick (73rd overall) and their 4th round pick (110th overall) to the Dallas Cowboys the Bills added another second round pick (51st overall). With that pick they selected Oregon State Offensive Lineman Andy Levitre. Levitre was the third ranked, guard in this draft, and at 51 an excellent value pick. Levitre will start at RG, and one can refer to my note above about his play so far.
With that being said let us look at the grades for the 2009 Buffalo Bills draft:
Round One pick 11- A-
Round One pick 28- B+
Round Two pick 42- B-
Round Two pick 51- B
Talent- B+
Need- B+
Average- B
Now a more Complete Look at the Bills 2009 draft:
Round 1- 11th overall Aaron Maybin DE Penn State
Round 1- 28th overall Eric Wood Center Louisville
Round 2- 42nd overall Jairus Byrd CB Oregon
Round 2- 51st overall Andy Levitre OL Oregon State
Round 4- Shawn Nelson TE Southern Miss.
Round 5- 147th overall Nic Harris S Oklahoma
Round 6- 183rd overall Cary Harris CB USC
Round 7- 220th overall Ellis Lankster DB West Virginia
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