The NFLDraftguys staff is going simulate playing the GM of each of the 31 teams picking in the first round and justify their picks. You can look forward to a new pick every other day leading up to April 28, when the staff will be in Radio City Music Hall to see if they took our advice.
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Follow the progress of the On The Clock Draft Board, where you can see exactly how the first round would play out if the NFLDraftguys staff were making the calls in the war room.
Sean Baca
With the 12th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft the Buffalo Bills SHOULD take Leon Hall, CB, Michigan
The Bills defense was not great against the pass or the rush in 2006. They do have needs elsewhere as well, including the offensive line but I believe that will be addressed in free agency.
Leon Hall is sound in all phases, Hall can support the run and play any technique at the corner position. His ability to play tight, and in zone makes him such a solid all-around corner. There are some questions with their current corners in the free agent market as well. The Bills need help now that Clements has left and Hall is the best CB in the draft. Hall is the type of player that alleviates questions and locks up one corner for his team, both in the passing game and in his superb run support.
Marc Faletti
With the 12th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills SHOULD select Chris Houston, CB, Arkansas.
Dwayne Jarrett: 5 for 35. Dwayne Bowe: 5 for 68. Robert Meachem: 4 for 65, 1 TD. Sidney Rice: okay, Rice owned Houston for 126 and a TD, but everyone's allowed a bad day.
No other CB in the draft faced 4 possible 1st round receivers, and if they had, it's unlikely they would've held 3 of them to 1 good catch combined (Meachem's 27-yard TD). Houston more than held his own against the best of the WR class of 2007, and when you combine solid game performances like those with eye-popping speed/strength numbers from the Combine, you have a pretty intriguing CB.
With Clements gone, Buffalo needs someone to man the corner. Houston needs coaches who'll teach him to gamble less and tighten up the technique that caused pass interference problems. Bills DB coach George Catavolos has a solid track record and should be able to make a good corner great by harnessing the raw power of Chris Houston for Buffalo.
Cecil Lammey
With the 12th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills SHOULD take Marshawn Lynch, RB, California.
Willis McGahee is gone and soon will be forgotten. The Bills traded the underacheiving McGahee for a 3rd and 7th this year, plus a 3rd next year. He is now the Ravens headache, and the Bills will look to the versatile Lynch to provide a spark in the running game. Having lost fan favorites Willis McGahee and Takeo Spikes the Bills need to draft a top pick that has a ton of fan appeal - as well as on the field performance. Lynch fits both profiles to a tee.
Marshawn Lynch can do it all. His game is more complete than that of Adrain Peterson. Lynch has the size to run inside effectively, yet the speed to take it the distance on any play. His vision and instincts are elite, and he is very elusive in the open field. He runs through arm tackles with ease and is always fighting for extra yardage. Receiving the ball out of the backfield is second nature to Lynch. He has very sure hands, and it's nearly impossible for a LB or S to cover him on a swing/screen pass. He's the closest RB the Bills have had to Thurman Thomas since the Thurmanator himself was tearing up the league.
Bills fans need to trust in Marv Levy and company. Marv is a tireless worker, and despite what it may seem, he does have a master plan. A big part of that plan is drafting Marshawn Lynch.
Sigmund Bloom
With the 12th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills SHOULD take Marshawn Lynch, RB, California.
Every Bills fan out there should be praying that Patrick Willis or Adrian Peterson falls. In my version of the draft, the Niners scoop up Willis, leaving the Bills a consolation prize of Lynch.
Lynch will be an excellent main part of an RBBC in Buffalo with his superb vision, receiving ability, and ideal low to the ground build. The Bills have almost left themselves no choice but to come out of the first day with a RB to take some responsibility away from Anthony Thomas. Im sure Dick Jauron knows how to get the most from Thomas, but that's likely an RB that will give you 12-15 good carries between the tackles.
Of course, the real answer is that they should trade up for Peterson. Every time you hear murmurs that Peterson's durability is a red flag, listen a little closer, that's probably the voice of Marv Levy.
