Inside The Bills

Kick return candidates

Here during OTAs there are a few kick return candidates on the roster and special teams coordinator Danny Crossman is not short on talent.

Taking reps on kick return in OTAs this week were Marquise Goodwin, T.J. Graham, Brad Smith and Tashard Choice. Leodis McKelvin has been mentioned as an option as well, but he’s been limited to just individual position drill work in practices coming off his groin surgery earlier this offseason.

Nevertheless the speed quota is more than filled in the return game for Buffalo.

Rookies missing for school

At OTA practices this week there are a handful of rookies missing. In most cases it’s because of school semesters still going at their respective colleges.

Among the rookies missing are WR Robert Woods, WR Marquise Goodwin, WR Brandon Kaufman, DT Aaron Tipoti, CB Nickell Robey, DB Jordan Dangerfield and WR Kevin Norrell.

By league rule rookies cannot practice with their respective clubs until their college class graduates.

Jersey numbers for Alonso and Woods

Here are the jersey assignments for Buffalo’s two second-round picks from Friday.

WR Robert Woods will wear jersey number 10.

LB Kiko Alonso will wear jersey number 50.

No official number has been selected for WR Marquise Goodwin, Buffalo’s third round selection.

Sharpening routes has been Goodwin’s focus

Bills third-round pick Marquise Goodwin is seen as a developmental wide receiver due in part to the spring practice time he lost at Texas every year as he ran track. But that makes Buffalo think his upside is higher knowing he hasn’t had that extra time on the field like most of the other prospects in the draft class. Goodwin has been training throughout the pre-draft process and there’s one part of his game in particular that he’s spent the most time refining.

“Running routes and just being able to finish through games. It was a question whether I could run routes rather than running in a straight line. Little did people know, yeah I ran vertical; really I ran a lot more routes with cuts more than I did vertical. For people to be skeptical about if I could be a polished route runner it was totally over my head. I’m glad for the opportunity that I have now. It’s all good now.”

Bills head coach Doug Marrone stated Friday that it’s on the coaches to develop Goodwin’s skill set and make him a weapon at the NFL level.

Goodwin measurables vs. Austin

Bills third-round pick Marquise Goodwin from Texas not only has elite speed, but world class speed clocking a 4.27 40-time at the NFL Combine. Here’s how he stacked up to some of Tavon Austin’s measurable at the NFL Combine back in late February.

Player    College     Ht        Wt     40    10 Yd   Reps Vertical Broad Jump
T.Austin    WVU     5’8 1/2  174     4.34    1.45       14        32            10’0
M.Goodwin Texas  5’8 7/8 183     4.27    1.43       13         -              11’0

Goodwin had an astounding 42-inch vertical at his pro day and an 11’5″ broad jump.

Though Austin was the featured player in West Virginia’s offense, Goodwin found it hard to get consistent playing time on offense, due mainly to the time he missed in spring practice when he was running track. But Goodwin doesn’t envy guys like Austin.

“No, definitely not envious whatsoever. I’m a real Christian guy and in the Bible envy is a sin,” said Goodwin. ”I try my best not to sin as much as I can. I really don’t look at Tavon Austin and look at myself and try to compare both he and I because we’re two different individuals, definitely have two different opportunities. With that being said I definitely don’t envy what he has. I’m really happy for him actually.”

Goodwin’s Combine numbers

Here are Marquise Goodwin’s NFL Combine numbers.

He ran a 4.27 40-time, his 10-yard split was 1.43 seconds and he had an 11-foot broad jump. He also had 13 bench press reps, which is pretty good for a receiver.

Goodwin said the fastest time he was told he ran on a hand time was 4.17 and 4.19.

Bills add more speed with WR Goodwin

The Bills have doubled down on the receiver position and have taken Texas WR Marquise Goodwin, who is so fast he tried out for the Olympic sprint and relay team. But Goodwin explains that he’s not a track star.

“Track guys just have linear speed,” said Goodwin. ”I have proved I have more than linear speed. Track really are known to not be able to catch. I have good hands. I run routes. I get out of my breaks. I can run other routes than just running a nine. I’m tough. I have taken on hits. I have blocked. I have even got mvp for blocking in one game and I didn’t even touch a ball that game. I don’t think a track guy could go out there and get MVP for blocking.”

Goodwin said his best ever 40 time was 4.24.

Not so fast-Austin’s time a little slower

Now that all the WRs have finished running at the NFL Scouting Combine, the official times for the 40-yard dash are in. And West Virginia’s Tavon Austin saw his official time adjusted to 4.34 in the 40. Initially this morning, he was clocked at 4.25.
That’s still very good for Austin, who told reporters at the Combine Friday, “I am the all around best player in the draft.” That’s debatable, but he’s certainly one of the fastest.
Texas Marquise Goodwin’s official time is 4.27, the best time among WRs this weekend.

Austin powers through Sunday AM workouts

The Sunday workouts are really the big crowd pleasers at the NFL Scouting Combine, with QBs, WRs, and RBs take the field.
And already, we have our first star of the 2013 Combine.
West Virginia WR Tavon Austin has become the top performer on the field so far. It started this morning, when he ran a 4.25 in the 40-yard dash-the second best time in the 40 ever at the Combine. Moments later, his time was equaled by Texas WR Marquise Goodwin.
Then, when the WRs and QBs took began the passing drills, Austin continued to shine. He showed a tremendous burst of speed once he caught the ball and made sharp cuts on his pass routes. Austin’s catches during the drills earned some applause from the other players on the field on a couple of occasions–that’s how impressive he was.
The major drawback on Tavon Austin is size. He measured in at five feet, eight and a half inches tall, 174 pounds. That’s not the kind of size the Bils are looking for at the WR spot. But he’s thickly built and seems to have good hands.
His workout today may have pushed him into the top half of the first round.

WRs Austin, Goodwin blaze in 40

The two wide receivers expected to run fast 40 times did not disappoint here at the NFL Combine on Sunday morning.

West Virginia WR Tavon Austin and Texas WR Marquise Goodwin both ran sub-4.3 40 times as both clocked in at 4.25 on their first runs.

Goodwin’s number might not have been as eye popping knowing he is a former Olympic sprinter. Austin was known to be fast, but this time might have even caught scouts off guard.

Each of them ran a second 40 that was “slower” than their first. Goodwin ran a 4.29 and Austin clocked a 4.31. Austin could sneak into the bottom of round one as he is a dynamic all-purpose threat despite being small in stature. Goodwin also is not a big receiver, but is deemed as more of a late day two draft choice.

Fan Friday 2-15

Hey Bills fans, NFL Combine week is coming up and we’ll have wall to wall coverage on Buffalobills.com with daily video reports, video interviews with prospects and members of the Bills front office. We’ll also have the John Murphy Show live in Indianapolis on Wednesday and Friday night from 7-9 pm with the podcast on Thursday evening. And of course plenty of written content for your to peruse through the course of the week. Keep it here all next week with our coverage of the Combine on site beginning on Thurs. Feb. 21^st. Now to your questions from AskChris@bills.nfl.net and on Twitter @ChrisBrownBills.

1 - Chris:
Q:  With the new coaching staff taking over how much of an impact will Coach Pettine and some of his former Defensive Jet Assistants have on providing (Coach Marrone) insight on the Bills current Offensive Talent since they had to prepare for the Bills two times a year?

CB: I think there’s some validity to that point, but I think coach Pettine or any other Bills defensive coach will only provide input on a Bills offensive player if it’s asked of them. Generally the coaches stick to evaluating their side of the ball, but are certainly open to offering opinions if they’re asked of them. I  think this could be one of those unique circumstances where Pettine, Jim O’Neil and Anthony Weaver could have something to offer the offensive staff on their players.

2 – Chris

I am a statistic guy by nature. I was very surprised that George Wilson was the 2nd leading tackler on the team. He did it very quietly. What I did notice is that he didn’t have the big plays from years past.

In fact neither he nor Searcy had any interceptions. The only linebacker with any interceptions was Bryan Scott. Tackles by linebackers were mostly by Nick Barnett.. Sheppard seemed to get lost on most run plays.

He and Moats early in the year couldn’t fight off the blockers. A middle linebacker should be leading the team in tackles. Like Poz did while he was here. Sheppard should have 30-35 more tackles for the year.

Moats seemed one dimensional, in that he could rush the passer. That was Aaron Maybin’s downfall.

Nigel Bradham was making plays and hustling on every down. He can only get better. 

Where do you see Buffalo drafting a linebacker this year? Will it be middle or outside? 

Thanks 
Gary in Indianapolis

CB: I think tackle statistics can be misleading at times. Often it’s where on the field the tackles are made rather than how many of them one makes. It’s kind of a moot point now regarding Wilson and Barnett now that both of them are no longer here.

As for where Buffalo could address the linebacker position, I believe it’s wide open. I think they could go inside or outside. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if they drafted one at each spot.

There is some premier talent at the top that would be worthy of the eighth pick like Georgia’s Alec Ogletree, who I like a lot because of his versatility and elite athleticism. He was a safety that became a linebacker and made it work. I know that makes some fans skittish sometimes to see that. Ogletree is athletic enough to play OLB or ILB. He lined up inside for Georgia.

Oregona’s Dion Jordan is another athletic anomaly that could go that high, though he’s coming off an injury. I like LSU’s Kevin Minter who is a late first, early second ILB. Alabama’s Nico Johnson is another ILB option in the third round. On the outside, Arthur Brown from Kansas State and Khaseem Greene from Rutgers are good day two picks though they might be on the short side for a 3-4 scheme at 6’1”.

Southern Miss’ Jamie Collins and UCONN’s Trevardo Williams are two other OLBs that could figure in the third round.

3 – Chris,
Who would you like to see the Bills get at QB, Glennon is getting all the hype, but Nassib is a Marrone guy.

RR21RaceFan

CB: You’re right that Nassib played for Marrone and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett for that matter. What needs to be kept in mind is they know all they need to know about Nassib. Now they have to determine where he fits in the entire class of QBs. If there are prospects that they rank considerably higher than him and they have the opportunity to take the higher rated prospect that’s what they’ll be compelled to do. If the difference is marginal they might lean in favor of Nassib.

With the quarterback class a bit muddled with no consensus top talents I think it helps Nassib’s chances of being considered among the top signal callers. I’m still trying to watch more tape of these guys and I’ll admit it’s hard to like one considerably more than the other with what I’ve seen so far. It’s not nearly as easy as it was last year.

4 – Chris –

Is Marquise Goodwin a possible target for a WR spot in the draft?  He’s an elite athlete who competed in the 2012 Olympics and was the big play threat in the Texas offense.  He’s also a value as a kick returner.

Also, would his teammate Alex Okafor be a target if he’s there in the second?  Is Buffalo still looking to upgrade the end position?

Mike
Bills fan in Texas
CB: I don’t know that Goodwin, who projects as a third round pick is a guy that fits the profile of what Buffalo is looking for at the receiver position. At 5’9” and 179 pounds he’s not a fit to play outside and beat physical corners for jump balls and such. The Bills already have this kind of receiver in T.J. Graham. So I do not see him as a mark for the Bills.

As for Okafor he’s an interesting prospect and did well at the Senior Bowl. The problem I see there is he’s considered a DE only and my suspicion is the Bills are going to be looking for defensive ends that can also line up as OLBs to allow Mike Pettine to be multiple with his scheme. Okafor doesn’t have the athleticism to run and cover as an OLB in a 3-4 or a 4-3. He’s strictly an up on the line end in a 4-3 by most accounts, so I don’t know that he works for Buffalo either.

5 – Chris,
Thank You for keeping us updated each week, my question is with Leodis McKelvins contract being up and Aaron Williams still developing and not known, is there a chance we could go after FA Aqib Talib?

Thomas Neaverth

CB: I don’t see the Bills pursuing Aqib Talib. He just doesn’t fit the character mold for a player that the personnel department looks for. He’s had some run-ins off the field and twice had fights with teammates in Tampa Bay. So while talented I don’t see him as a target for Buffalo.