Pitoniak Has His Bills Pick

The rumors have been flying fast and furious at One Bills Drive as they always do in the hours leading up to the draft.

We’ve heard the Bills believe Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert has the potential to be a franchise quarterback, so they will use the No. 3 overall pick on him.

We’ve heard they believe dangerous pass-rusher Von Miller is a tad too small for their liking, so they’ll pass on the Texas A&M linebacker.

We’ve heard they would rather trade down and add draft picks.

So what do I think?

Methinks there are a lot of lies and misinformation being disseminated. Draft day has always been a day for mass deception, plenty of end arounds.

Me also thinks this is one of the most significant drafts in franchise history.

The Bills must hit a home run with the third pick, the 34^th pick, the 68^th pick and the 100^th pick. They must find an impact starter with their first-rounder and immediate contributors with their other high choices in order to make up for 11 years worth of pitiful drafts. (First-round busts Mike Williams, J.P. Losman, John McCargo and Aaron Maybin come immediately to mind.)

Personally, I would prefer they take Miller, a dynamic player who recorded 27 sacks the past two seasons and who wowed everyone with his athleticism and strength during the Scouting Combine drills. He would fill a dire need for a Bills team that managed just 27 sacks last season and must find a way to get some pressure on Tom Brady and Mark Sanchez.

I wouldn’t, however, be surprised to see Buffalo go with Marcell Dareus, the massive defensive tackle from Alabama. He clearly would fill a huge need for a Bills team that finished last in the NFL against the rush, yielding more than 200 yards per game a ridiculous eight times.

Buffalo’s smallish defensive line has been pushed around too much. At 6-foot-3, 319 pounds, Dareus has a reputation for not giving much ground. In 33 games for Bama, he recorded 71 tackles and 11 sacks. He’s extremely agile and could be the type of backfield disruptor they’ve lacked since the days of massive nose tackles Pat Williams and Sam Adams.

In a few hours, we’ll know which rumor was true, and we’ll be back with an analysis of the man general manager Buddy Nix and coach Chan Gailey believe will make an immediate impact on a team that’s missed the playoffs for 11 consecutive years.

Scott Pitoniak is the author of 14 books, including five about the Buffalo Bills. This is 27^th NFL draft he has covered.