So with their 1st pick, the Buffalo Bills go for a defensive back in Cornerback Stephon Gilmore from South Carolina.
What's my opinion? Well, first let me say that this was not a surprise. When the Bills were on the clock, Gilmore was the most likely pick. I'm not thrilled, but I'm not disappointed. The secondary needed some help. I mentioned before that this was an issue. In my opinion, it was not necessary to address the issue this year. I think the front office looked at the secondary and saw: 2 Old Timers, 1 Injury Prone guy, and an unproven 2nd year with potential. I wouldn't necessarily disagree. That is a fair assessment of the secondary. However, those 2 old timers (McGee and Florence) still have a couple years in them. The coaches love Aaron Williams and want to see him get more playing time. So, I can see why the Bills went with Gilmore. He was the best available and there is good reason to look at CB as a place for improvement.
Gilmore should fit in well. He's not necessarily a ball hawk, but I'll take solid coverage and superior tackling skills to risky ball hawks any day. He only makes a break on the ball when it is the best option to do so. The ball hawking will develop with time. He'll also need some improvement when playing on the line. His skills are solid, but he tends to give a little too much cushion. This will get him burned in the NFL more often than not. I'm sure the coaches will address this in the preseason.
What would I have preferred at this pick? Well, I only saw 1 guy worth taking over Gilmore: Michael Floyd. He would have been a great compliment to Stevie Johnson. The Bills desperately need a 2nd starting WR. It seemed like a good fit. Instead, Floyd falls a few spots to the Cardinals. I'm sure he is thrilled to be playing opposite a guy who is one of the best WRs in the league, Larry Fitzgerald. Michael Floyd was the guy. Many would say Riley Reiff would have been a better choice. I wouldn't agree. His stock has been falling recently and I think it's with a good reason. Reiff can be a solid RT for someone, but he won't be a good LT. He simply lacks the speed and footwork to match up against the best pass rushers in the league.
The only other option outside of Floyd was to trade down. Buddy Nix has said in an interview that they had many options to move up and a couple teams interested in getting them to move down. Nix said he was unlikely to move up and waste a draft pick. I agree. The talent was not there to warrant moving up. It would have cost too much to get into the top 5 picks, which is where they would have had to go to get someone worth trading up for. However, I would have liked to see them move down. The talent does not drop off much over the next 10-15 picks. They could have moved down and picked up an extra pick or 2 later in the draft.
But that's all in the past now. I'm looking forward to seeing Gilmore in action. He should fit in well with that secondary.
For next round, don't be surprised to see the Bills go for a tackle if the talent is there. Certainly OT and WR are the best choices for the 2nd round. I plan on blogging my opinion on at least the first 3 rounds, so stay tuned for more analysis.
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