Our friendly AFC East bloggers have gone at it again with another series of questions in this, the second installment of Around the AFC East. The answers are getting detailed and thorough so I've decided to split them into 3 separate stories. First up is Brian Galliford from Buffalo Rumblings :
Looking at the Bills' draft choices, it seems like you picked up a gem in Xavier Omon. At round 6 pick 13, he was a steal. Is he the draftee you're happiest with? If not, who is? Conversely, who are you least happy with and why?
Buffalo Rumblings : Omon may end up being a gem, but he's certainly not the draft pick I'm happiest with, and I don't view him as a steal, either - as a Division II product, he was drafted exactly where he was supposed to be drafted. I like the kid's cutting ability and nose for the end zone, but even if he does end up making the active roster, he'll be sitting behind Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson on the RB depth chart. He won't see much field time - if any - in '08, barring injury.
The draft pick I'm happiest with is, not surprisingly, CB Leodis McKelvin. Buffalo was absolutely devastated by injury at corner last year (as well as the rest of the roster), and the team didn't have a true #1 corner to begin with. McKelvin has elite athleticism and a knack for the big play; he's got Pro Bowl cornerback written all over him - especially if he can hone his ball skills - and in a division that features some good receivers, most notably Randy Moss, getting that corner was a great move by the team.
I ended up liking all ten of Buffalo's draft picks, but I thought the poorest fit in terms of what the Bills needed offensively was TE Derek Fine. Although he's not likely to see an overwhelming amount of time offensively this season, Fine is the type of tight end that the Bills already had in abundance - short, slow, and a short-area worker. Trent Edwards likes throwing to his tight ends, but the team doesn't have an athlete that can stretch the field vertically at the position. It would have been nice to see the team add that type of threat; Fine is a good pick because of his special teams ability, but he'll never be a go-to guy for Edwards.
I can see Leodis McKelvin being the guy he's happiest with, but it's easy to pick a first round guy as your favorite. It's like me liking Jerod Mayo. No kidding. But, I'll defer to Brian on this one; he knows his team needs. However, I seriously Leodis will be productive and make an impact day one. A rookie lining up against Randy Moss? He's gonna get schooled in a heartbeat. I have doubts he'll be a major impact this year, but 2009 he'll be a weapon to contend with.
As far as Omon, he may not fit right away, but he could be a good choice to provide some depth at RB. You can only run Lynch for so long. And, with Fred Jackson the oldest at 27, there's quite a future for Buffalo at that position.