The secondary, the secondary, the secondary.
It is no secret that the NFL has become a passing league. Teams, on average, threw the ball 36 times a game in 2012, compared to just 25 running attempts.
The Bills had so many holes on defense a season ago that one finds it hard to know where to begin, but having the ability to cover tight ends, or cover anybody late in the game for that matter is a good place to start.
Along with a very, very strong crop of cornerbacks in the 2013 Draft, the safety position is as deep as any position in the draft. Finding a safety who can cover, along with the ability to come in and help the run defense is an aching need for the Bills, maybe even moreso than a quarterback.
The dilemma, as we've all learned the hard way, is that you just don't take a safety with the eighth overall pick. Problem is, the two best safeties in the draft, Texas' Kenny Vaccaro and Florida's Matt Elam may not be there when the Bills are up in the second round.
Are the Bills sold that 2011 fourth round pick Da'Norris Searcy is ready to step into the vacancy left by the release of George Wilson? It seems unlikely. Searcy struggled in coverage in the limited opportunities he saw in 2012. He's an adequate tackler, but there isn't anything Searcy does that stands out, and nothing really separates him from the now departed Wilson.
Do the Bills move Aaron Williams to safety? It's a position he's familiar with, and a position he occasionally was put into as a Longhorn, and his skills seem to lend themselves to making the transition to safety in the NFL.
With your second round pick in 2011, you'd like to see him amount to more than just a nickel corner, which is all Williams looks like he'll ever be at this level. A move to safety could be the best thing for Williams moving forward. But it's a huge question mark, and not one that would give the Bills enough comfort to avoid addressing safety in the draft.
So with safety not a possibility with the number eight pick and questions whether Vaccaro and Elam will be there in the second round, the Bills and their fans should be head over heels if Alabama CB Dee Milliner is still available at number eight. Milliner is an absolute ball hawk, a shut down corner and would complement last year's first round pick Stephon Gilmore.
Plain and simply Milliner is a starter the first day he puts on a Bills jersey. All you need to do is watch the film. He's a sure thing, and along with Gilmore, would instantly give the Bills one of the best corner tandems in the NFL. And did we mention Buddy Nix and his love affair with players from the SEC?
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