The SB Nation two-round NFL mock draft continues along with each lead NFL team blogger making the pick for their team. Up now is the Buffalo Bills with the No. 10 overall pick.
2012 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: Round 1, Pick 10
With the 10th pick in the 2012 SB Nation NFL Writers Mock Draft, the Buffalo Bills select Ohio State offensive tackle Mike Adams.
Brian Galliford of Buffalo Rumblings breaks down the choice and I respond after the jump. For more on the Bills, make sure to check out BuffaloRumblings.com.
Brian Galliford explains: Bills GM Buddy Nix is one of the most transparent personnel evaluators in the league, always willing to tell some degree of the truth when speaking with reporters. In discussing the draft this winter, two themes have emerged: Nix has a desire to pick up an extra draft pick if possible, and he’s not particularly fond of the top of any positional group this year in terms of valuing those prospects worthy of a Top 10 pick.
Translation: the Bills seem ready and very willing to move down. Had I had that option in this here mock draft, I’d have most certainly explored it. I considered no fewer than 16 players with this selection. Every one of them felt like a reach.
In that light, knowing I’d be reaching, I decided to reach for a player that seemed like a Nix type of prospect. With Demetrius Bell looking like a sure bet as a free agent departure, the Bills have exactly one left tackle on the roster in second-year pro Chris Hairston - and the team admits that he’s probably not ready to be handed a starting job yet. He needs a competitor for that job, and the 6’7", 323-pound Adams fits Buffalo’s size requirement (the nine linemen Nix has acquired in just over two years are, on average, 6’6" and 331 pounds) better than other similarly-skilled prospects at the position.
Yes, Adams is highly inconsistent and has some red flags. No, he is not franchise-caliber. But he’s experienced, had very strong performances against top competition, and would be playing in a Bills offense that emphasizes getting the ball out of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s hands as quickly as possible. He’s mobile enough to move around in the Bills’ spread-type attack, get to the second level as a run blocker out of those alignments, and can be polished up into a quality starter by line coach Joe D’Alessandris.
Adams fits what the Bills are looking for at tackle better than the likes of Riley Reiff and Jonathan Martin, in my opinion. Could they get him lower? Absolutely - and again, a trade down is looking like the Day 1 goal for Buffalo. They may even be able to do better in a pinch if they’re forced to stay at No. 10; Michael Floyd, Kendall Wright, Melvin Ingram, Luke Kuechly and Dre Kirkpatrick, among others, all make sense. But on a roster that suddenly looks like it could be playoff-competitive, finding quality depth at left tackle is an absolute must. The earlier they address it, the better their chances of finding a guy that can push to start.
Dan Kadar reacts: A lot of people will certainly question this pick. Adams has been considered by many the fourth-best tackle prospect this year. After being suspended early in the season, Adams flew largely under the radar. He gained some momentum at the Senior Bowl, but has struggled during the rest of the offseason process. The reasoning behind the selection is sound, however. Adams does fit the mold, but it’s early for him. It’s really a tough spot for Buffalo. If they don’t take a tackle in the first round, there might not be a starter-quality one in the second round. To me, Stanford’s Jonathan Martin makes sense. He’s an inch and 15-20 pounds under the mold for the Bills. But he’s a quality tackle who has been downplayed throughout the shorts and shirts offseason process.
Mocking the Draft's Top 5 Remaining Prospects
| OVR | Name | Pos. | College | Report |
| 7 | Dre Kirkpatrick | CB | Alabama | scouting report |
| 8 | Courtney Upshaw | OLB | Alabama | scouting report |
| 9 | David DeCastro | G | Stanford | scouting report |
| 10 | Jonathan Martin | OT | Stanford | scouting report |
| 12 | Devon Still | DT | Penn State | prospect notes |
See More:
