This offseason has been successful for the Bills. They have begun to turn over the roster in hopes of heading in a new direction. They enter the draft with some serious needs and hope to leave New York City with some rookies ready to make an impact in 2013. The playoffs should not be on your mind though, this team is not ready to win as much as seven games in the upcoming season in my estimation.
The 2013 draft class is being labeled a weak one at best. With so much uncertainty surrounding the drafting process, I find it hard to believe we can call any draft class strong or weak or otherwise until a couple years after the fact. There are busts, value picks, sleepers, reaches, and everything in between on draft day. The experts will always fill us in as if they can see into the future. The reality is that we are all just speculating, and grasping at straws to predict the unknown. The best I can do is give an informed opinion on the prospects we all hope will succeed come September.
Having said all that, here are the 10 players I can't wait to see in the NFL from this year's draft class in no particular order.
Luke Joeckel LT, Texas A&M- Most insiders expect that he will be the top pick in the draft, whether Kansas City picks him or trades out of the spot. He has the look of a dominant lineman that can protect someones blindside for the next decade.
Dion Jordan OLB, Oregon- His physical attributes and athletic ability jumped out at me when I watched Oregon's defense last season. I found myself paying attention to the Ducks defense as well as their cutting edge offense. Jordan looked more and more like Von Miller in green and yellow, or whatever color the Ducks were wearing on gamedays.
Tyler Eifert TE, Notre Dame- "The NFL is a passing league." How many times do we hear people utter that phrase. Since the league has gone more aerial, a vertical threat at TE is an every-down mismatch for a lot of defenses. When you think Eifert, think Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham, and Vernon Davis. He looks like he will be in their class in no time.
Bjoern Werner DE, Florida State- I watched a lot of this guy last season. He is a tremendous pass rusher that can get after the quarterback as well as any player in this draft. His persistence is what really makes me want to watch him. Werner finishes every play he starts.
Tavon Austin WR, West Virginia- Anybody that watched any college football this season recognizes this name. Austin is a Swiss army knife on the field. He doesn't need much open space to make big things happen. From the backfield, the slot, and even outside the numbers Tavon is a gamebreaker in every sense of the word. Even before the draft, this 5'9 174 pound prospect has reservations for six, several times over.
Sharrif Floyd DT, Florida- Floyd embodies what it is to be disruptive on the defensive line. he gets up the field in a hurry on pass and run plays. This guy will draw double teams all day in the NFL, and should allow his linebackers to make things happen. He might draw comparsions to Vince Wilfork before his career is over.
Jarvis Jones OLB, Georgia- For some reason I don't hear a lot of chatter about Jones. I cannot figure that out. Jones tallied more than 13 sacks in his only two seasons at Georgia. Those sacks mean something, as they came while playing in the SEC. I have him as the second best pass rusher in this draft, behind Dion Jordan.
David Amerson CB, NC State- Some people have no idea who this guy is. He grabbed 12 interceptions in 2011 so I'd say it's time to get familiar with him. Amerson has the tools to be a great cover corner in the NFL. At 6'1, he should be able to compete with the bigger receivers around the league.
Matt Barkley QB, USC- I am going to the well one more time with a SoCal quarterback. I was on board with Carson Palmer. I believed in Mark Sanchez. At the risk of losing all credibility I am backing Barkley this time around. If he fails me, I will finally learn my lesson. Barkley has started 8 years between high school and college football. That kind of experience is rare, and he was in a difficult situation at USC with NCAA investigations and the lovable Lane Kiffin. In his worst season at Southern Cal he threw 36 TD passes and 15 INTs.
Justin Hunter WR, Tennessee- Hunter is 6'4 with good speed. His height makes him a viable target in the redzone. His speed gives him a chance to make plays all over the field. I think he will be the next Muhsin Muhammad (860 catches, 11,438 yards, 62 touchdowns), and that's pretty good.
For those of you who love mock drafts, I've decided to throw mine below. Enjoy the draft!
2. JAX Ziggy Ansah DE BYU 18. DAL Kenny Vaccaro S UT
3. OAK Sharrif Floyd DT UF 19. NYG Jonathan Cooper OG UNC
4. PHI Star Lotulelei DT UTAH 20. CHI Arthur Brown ILB KSU
5. DET Eric Fisher OT CMU 21. CIN John Cyprien S FIU
6. CLE Chance Warmack OG BAMA 22. STL Jarvis Jones OLB UGA
7. ARI Lane Johnson OT OU 23. MIN Xavier Rhodes CB FSU
8. BUF Cordarrelle Patterson WR TENN 24. IND Larry Warford OG UK
9. NYJ Dion Jordan DE OREG 25. MIN Sheldon Richardson DT MIZZ
10. TEN Dee Milliner CB BAMA 26. GB Barrett Jones C BAMA
11. SD D.J. Fluker OT BAMA 27. HOU Justin Hunter WR Tenn
12. MIA Barkevious Mingo DE LSU 28. DEN Damontre Moore DE TAMU
13. NYJ Geno Smith QB WVU 29. NE Margus Hunt DE SMU
14. CAR Tavon Austin WR WVU 30. ATL Jonathan Hankins DT OSU
15. NO Bjoern Werner DE FSU 31. SF Jesse Williams DT BAMA
16. STL DeAndre Hopkins WR CLEM 32. BAL Alec Ogletree OLB UGA
