With the 2011 regular season freshly over it is time to go back and evaluate every team’s draft classes based on performance this year. I will use a formula to grade each pick and calculuate a final grade for each team. Today we grade the Buffalo Bills.
GRADING SYSTEM
ROUND 1 – graded from a 0-5 scale
ROUND 2 – graded from a 0-4 scale
ROUND 3 – graded from a 0-3 scale
ROUND 4 – graded from a 0-2 scale
ROUND 5 – graded from a 0-1 scale
ROUND 6 & 7 – no scale, point awarded if player was productive
*I reserve the right to award a bonus point to any player who outperformed their draft position.*
FINAL GRADING SCALE
90-100 - A
80-89 - B
70-79 - C
60 – 69 - D
0-59 - F
2011 Draft Class
Round 1: Marcell Dareus DT, Alabama - 43 Tackles, 5.5 Sacks
Analysis: Dareus gave the Bills exactly what they were hoping for when they took him with the 3rd pick. He will be producing at a high level for them for years to come.
Grade: 5/5
Round 2: Aaron Williams CB/S, Texas - 32 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 Forced Fumble
Analysis: Williams had a decent rookie year, but I’d bet the Bills were hoping for a little more from such an early second rounder.
Grade: 3/4
Round 3: Kelvin Sheppard LB, LSU - 70 Tackles
Analysis: The Bills got great production out of this tackling machine from the Bayou.
Grade: 3/3
Round 4: D’Norris Searcy S, UNC – 34 Tackles, 1 INT
Analysis: Searcy played in all 16 games with moderate production, and that is good value for a 4th round selection.
Grade: 2/2
Round 4: Chris Hairston OT, Clemson - 56 Tackles, 1 Sack
Analysis: The Bills made a good pick here as Hairston played in 13 games and ended up starting 7 of them.
Grade: 2/2
Round 5: Johnny W hite RB, UNC – 38 Rush Yds, 1 rec, -3 yds
Analysis: There aren’t a lot of opportunities to get carries when you are behind Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller on the depth chart but White didn’t do much with the limited touches he did get. He gets a fraction of a point for making the team.
Grade: 0.25/1
Round 6: Chris White LB, Mississippi St. - 8 Tackles,1 Forced Fumble
Analysis: White appeared in 7 games before getting hurt, and flashed some potential.
Grade: 0.25/0
Round 7: Justin Rogers CB, Richmond – 16 Tackles, 1 INT, 373 return yds
Analysis: Rogers really came on late in the season. He showed plenty of potential at corner and made an even bigger mark as a return specialist.
Grade: 1/0
Round 7: Michael Jasper DT, Bethel College – No Stats
Grade: 0/0
TOTAL SCORE 14.5/17 85%
FINAL GRADE: B
Analysis: The Bills found a lot of young playmakers for their defense in this draft. They especially boosted their secondary with the Williams, Searcy, and Rogers picks and they all gained valuable experience this season. Hairston has the potential to grow into an every day starter at one of the tackle positions, and Sheppard and Dareus appear to be long-term fixtures in the front seven.
Other Grades:
Day 1: Carolina Panthers
Day 2: Denver Broncos
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