Bills Mock Draft: Highway to the Danger zone

Archer Norvell class="post-date-wrap left relative post-date-mob">

April 2, 2014

Round 1: Eric Ebron TE UNC

Bills need a big target as well as added athleticism at the tight end position. Eric Ebron fits both. Standing at around 6’4 250, Ebron gives the Bills an explosive weapon that can line up in the slot, or inline. Now some ask “why not Mike Evans?” In this case I decided to pick someone who would help QB EJ Manuel the most. Last year EJ was deadliest on passes up the seam or crossing routes making some very elite throws to Scott Chandler up the seam, but struggled on passes outside the numbers, particularly out-routes or fades. Evans may give the Bills a big target on the outside, however Ebron would make what EJ does best even better. Ebron could use his 4.5 speed up the seam and be a big play waiting to help. For the sole purpose of making EJ better, he would accomplish that with flying colors.

Round 2: Jawuan James OT Tennessee

the 2nd pick will be addressing the biggest need which is right tackle. The RT play was awful last year for the Bills and was a big part of the Bills giving up 48 sacks. Jawuan James stands at 6’6 320 and is very quick and agile for someone his size. James would come in right wait and give the Bills two young tackles with lots of talent. With James on one side and Cordy Glenn on the other, not only will the run game be better, but EJ will have more time to rip the defenses to shreds.

Round 3: Terrance Brooks S FSU

The Bills lost a great safety in Jairus Byrd who flew south. To replace him, the Bills get an underrated talent in Terrance Brooks from the greatest college in the world. Brooks was mainly a center fielder at FSU and with his 4.4 speed he can cover a lot of ground and make it seem like Byrd isn’t even gone. Plus he can play CB in a pinch. Brooks along with Aaron Williams would give the Bills a young and deadly safety tandem.

Round 4: James Gayle DE Virginia Tech

Switching to the 4-3 means the Bills have depth issues at the DE position. Right now they only have two set guys in Jerry Hughes and Mario Hughes but no depth. James Gayle would give the Bills that depth as well as a good rotation with Jerry Hughes. Gayle isn’t big (6’4 260) but he has a good quickness and burst that can get under the blockers. He is not that good at run defense and struggles in coverage and lacks a lot of pass rushing moves but at the very list he gives a Bills a good 3rd down pass rusher.

Round 5: Aaron Colvin CB Oklahoma

Colvin was considered a 2nd round pick before tearing his knee in the Senior Bowl. Now he falls to the 5th round where the Bills would gladly take him. He is a physical corner who loves playing the run and with the Bills having plenty of depth at the DB positon, he can be redshirted this year and be ready for 2015 when he can be a key contributor. Since most picks from the 5th-7th round don’t pan out, this would be a good value pick for the Bills.

Round 6: Ethan Westbrooks DE West Texas A&M

The Bills use their 6th round pick on a very talented freak from a small college who is very raw. Westbrooks is very athletic who has gotten by with just talent and no need to worry about pass rush moves. He would be a good backup for Mario and maybe Mario can show him a few things about being a DE. This is a good pick for depth purposes.

Round 7: Kenny Shaw WR FSU

Bills fans have been clamoring for the big WR and I was thinking of going there in the 7th, instead I decided to go with someone who is not big but is a hard worker and can latch on to the 6th WR spot. Kenny Shaw is not big (5’11 170), or fast (4.5 40), he even got destroyed. However he is a tough hard worker who always came back and been Mr. Reliable. He was relied upon many times in big games, being a reliable target for EJ Manuel and Jameis Winston. He even was a great special team player. Kenny Shaw would not only give the Bills some of that FSU energy, he also is a good 6th WR and is an improvement over Chris Hogan.

In the draft I got the big target, the right tackle, and the safety. Eric Ebron may be a controversial pick, but I feel he helps EJ the most. The only position that looks weak is a the DE position where the quality depth is very thin. Hopefully Mario and Hughes stay healthy enough where Ethan Westbrooks is not forced into a role early on. Oh and I got Kenny.