By now, I think most of you are familiar with how I like to write these posts: I do a brief synopsis of the team going forward and how their recent draft class might have impacted such an envisioning. So here it goes with the Bills: I don't know.
Last year, the Bills got out to a pretty hot start and then just tanked. At the bye week, they were 4-2 en route to a 6-10 season. Just weird, especially considering how much talent the team has. I think that they really undershot expectations last season.
So, I don't want to pump them up too much (see: last year), but I think the Bills have a potentially bright future ahead of them. This division is looking tough in some areas, but not so rough that the Bills will always be playing catch up behind three other teams. And, with what I think was a pretty darn good draft, I imagine the Bills might be in serious contention for a playoff spot. Maybe.
The nice thing about this draft, for the Bills, was that need and BPA seemed to line up pretty well early on. With a slacking secondary, the Bills needed to upgrade at a CB position pretty badly. As such, they used their first round pick on CB Stephon Gilmore from South Carolina. While this may be a slight reach, I do really like the pick. He's a physical player who needs to loosen up his hips a bit.
Gilmore is joined by what may be one of the biggest steals of the draft: OG Cordy Glenn from Georgia. The Bills need o-line help, and this is first round talent in the second. Also new o-line additions OT Zebrie Sanders from Florida State and OG Mark Asper from Oregon will join the Bills, having been picked in the fifth and sixth rounds respectively. To round out the offense, the Bills picked WR TJ Graham from North Carolina State in the third round.
On defense, the Bills were looking for some more LB help, and they got a touch there, picking LB Nigel Bradham from Florida State in the fourth round and LB Tank Carder from TCU in the fifth. He wins the best name for an ILB contest. Hands down.
And just for good measure, the Bills also picked up another CB in Ron Brooks from LSU. He will be joined by last pick, seventh rounder John Potter the kicker from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Er, I mean Western Michigan.