2007 DRAFT NEEDS:

BUFFALO BILLS

presented by

by PFT Editor Mike Florio, with Matt Miller of NewEraScouting.com

The Bills arguably are a team on the rise.  The defensive line is solid, and the secondary will survive the departure of Nate Clements. 

On offense, the light might have turned on for quarterback J.P. Losman, and free-agency improvements to the line could make Losman perform even better as he continues to develop chemistry with receiver Lee Evans.

The biggest missing ingredient on offense, however, is a star tailback.  They had one (sort of) in Willis McGahee, but he was under contract for only one more year and the team decided to take what it could get and let him leave -- lest he continue to sow his seed all over the shores of Lake Erie.

With the No. 12 overall pick, then, the Bills need to get a guy to carry the ball.  For starters, they should closely monitor the status of Adrian Peterson.  If he's not drafted by the Browns at No. 3 and if he's on the board at No. 6, the Bills should offer whoever holds that pick (the Redskins or the Bears or someone else) their first-round pick in 2008 for the opportunity to jump up and nab Peterson.

Do the Bills need a 2008 first-round draft pick?  With an owner and a G.M. who are both on the wrong side of 80, it might be prudent to use up some of those future picks in order to improve the team right now.

If Peterson is gone, the next best guy is Marshawn Lynch.  Though No. 12 could be a little high for Lynch, the Packers pick at No. 16; thus, if the Bills plan to slide down, they can't go very far.

The Bills also could use another wideout or two, given that Peerless Price isn't the guy he used to be, and Josh Reed never became the guy they thought he'd be.  With plenty of receivers regarded as potential first-rounders, the Bills will be crossing their fingers that one or two of them are still available when Buffalo uses its second-round pick.  (And that third-rounder the Bills got from the Ravens as part of the McGahee trade could help them to get even higher in the round, if need be.)

Though the Bills currently have five tight ends on the roster, none of them will conjure memories of . . . of . . . heck, have the Bills ever had a high-end tight end?  For the passing game to be all that it can be, the Bills need an inside body who can get open and catch the ball.

On defense, linebackers Takeo Spikes and London Fletcher-Baker are gone.  The Bills might have trouble picking, then, between Lynch and linebackers Patrick Willis and/or Paul Posluszny.  It's an area that they definitely need to address on day one of the draft.

Though the secondary is solid and improving, another cornerback could be useful, if for no reason other than to fill the spot vacated by Clements.

All things considered, the Bills are in much better shape than most league observers realize.  And the fact that the team is being overlooked could make it easier for them to catch others off guard in 2007.