Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

ESPN's Len Pasquarelli gives the Buffalo Bills a grade of C+ on their draft this year, primarily because of the cloud of uncertainty surrounding their first-round selection of Miami running back Willis McGahee. I'm still confused as to why they did this, but as Pasquarelli indicates, the Bills didn't select anyone who is likely to crack the starting lineup this year, so it seems that GM Tom Donahoe is, in fact, thinking in terms of the future. This makes sense, I guess, since the Bills have used free-agency to fill many of the needs they had after last year (except for tight end, where the Bills still have a gaping hole). So I guess Donahoe's approach this year was to pick quality players who could contribute in small roles for now but grow into starting roles when the current nucleus starts attaining free agency.

Still, I don't know if I would have taken McGahee. But then, I'm sitting at home writing a blog entry about the draft, whereas Donahoe is being paid the big bucks to actually execute the draft. (And no, I'm not willing to make the same concession toward the current President of the United States.)