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Draft Preview: Bills pick 23rd
Posted: Tuesday March 30, 1999 11:10 AM
For the next 23 days, CNN/SI will offer a daily look at one pick from the 1999 draft, finishing with Cleveland. Check back for a new preview each day. The Buffalo Bills have had a quiet off-season this year -- they've yet to sign any free agents away from other teams and have been content to re-sign their own players. Buffalo re-signed cornerback Ken Irvin with a four-year deal and used much of their offseason budget to give quarterback Doug Flutie a four-year, $22 million extension. The Flutie deal, combined with the $25 million contract Rob Johnson signed last year, gives the team two $5 million-a-year quarterbacks, but upon closer inspection, that's not necessarily the case. Flutie's deal included a $6 million signing bonus, but after that, most of the money is in the last two years of the contract. Flutie's base salary for 1999 is just $400,000, and in 2000, he'll be paid $3 million. It's hard to count Flutie out for anything, but it's certainly possible he could retire after two more years. If that were to happen, the Bills wouldn't have to pay the $5.5 million and $7 million Flutie's due to make in base salary in 2001 and '02. So if Flutie plays two more years, it's really just a three-year, $9.4 million deal. While they haven't gained anything in the offseason, they haven't lost much either -- tight end Lonnie Johnson signed with the Chiefs, and that looks to be the only significant loss. Best bet for No. 23 The Bills have a few needs they could address, and some could still be solved with thrifty pickups in free agency. The team waived veteran Quinn Early last month, leaving Andre Reed and Eric Moulds as the only proven receivers on roster. Kevin Williams had 29 catches last year, but he hasn't had more than one touchdown in the last three seasons. Look for Buffalo to pick up two receivers in the draft, but that's not necessarily worth their first-rounder. One option would be to add some youth to their pass rush -- Bruce Smith is 35 and Ted Washington and Phil Hansen both turned 30 last season. With promising young defenders like Gabe Northern and Marcellus Wiley, Buffalo is slowing easing from their Super Bowl years into the next era. A solid defensive tackle like Iowa's Jared DeVries or LSU's Anthony McFarland would give them depth inside, though McFarland will likely be off the board by the 23rd pick.
The best scenario for Buffalo is to upgrade their secondary -- in New York's Aaron Glenn, New England's Ty Law and Miami's Terrell Buckley, the AFC East has plenty of high-profile cornerbacks. Buffalo has Irvin, Thomas Smith and Donovan Greer, and as the Dolphins and Patriots both look to improve their receiving corps, this could be an increasing liability. Smith is a great cover cornerback, but he also has five interceptions in six years, and Buffalo could use a playmaker in the secondary. The draft's top cornerbacks, Georgia's Champ Bailey and Arizona's Chris McAlister, will likely be gone in the top 10 picks, but after that, the rest of the group could fall to 23rd. Of those, Ohio State's Antoine Winfield, Vanderbilt's Fred Vinson and Alabama's Fernando Bryant look to be Buffalo's best options. Of the three, Winfield is arguably the most physical, despite being only 5-foot-9. Last year's Thorpe Award winner would fit in well in Buffalo -- with Chris Spielman gone to Cleveland, this would put a tough, hard-hitting Buckeye back in the Bills defense. Click here if you have a question or comment about the upcoming NFL Draft. We'll answer a few questions and publish selected comments once a week between now and April 17.
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