I keep forgetting that the Bills finished 4-12 and have the third pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. They started off very poorly but then looked, dare I say it, sharp during the final few weeks.
Ryan Fitzpatrick had a pretty solid season after the team released Trent Edwards. He may not be a long-term solution at QB, but I don’t think the Bills should waste that number three pick on a quarterback. They have a talented one in house who still has plenty of potential to mature and settle into his current role.
The Bills also should not be looking to draft a running back with that early pick. They still have Fred Jackson, who had a very good season. And they also don’t yet know what they can get out of C.J. Spiller, who they picked in last year’s draft.
The Bills also have a fair amount of talent at the wide receiver position. If they want to work on that position, they should do so either through free agency or with a mid- to late-round draft pick.
Where Buffalo needs a lot of help is on defense. They couldn’t stop the run to save their lives this season. Their pass defense was okay, but could use some patchwork. The primary focus should be on the front seven, especially the men right on the line of scrimmage. If they have time left in the offseason afterwards, that would be the time to fix up the secondary.
It has been a while since the Buffalo area has seen success from its football team, but there are some sunny days to be had by the Bills, and I think they’ll have their fair share of them in 2011. I am not, by any means, predicting a postseason appearance, but I don’t think it will be too long before they are contending with New England and New York for the AFC East and a playoff birth, something they haven’t had in 11 years now.
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