Bills Top 5 Options in Round One: 3. Michael Floyd

Posted on April 20, 2012, 5:25 pm by Dylan Stebbins

With the draft fast approaching, I put together a top five list of available athletes for the Buffalo Bills to draft in the first round. I took into talent, need, realistic availability for the Bills at 10 and Buddy Nix’s draft history into account when coming up with who I believe are the top five best options for the Bills to pickup at number 10. So far Cordy Glenn (OT/G, University of Georgia) came in at number five, and David DeCastro (G, Stanford University) was number four. And coming in at number three…

Michael Floyd, wide receiver, Notre Dame.

6-3, 220 lbs. 22 years-old.

The Bills have done wonders this offseason in going out and getting the right guys, as well as taking care of their own. Stevie Johnson got a big contract extension with the Bills this offseason after much speculation that he would leave, but the Bills still have a large question at wide receiver: who lines up opposite Stevie and takes the pressure off him? Well Michael Floyd could be that guy for the Bills at number 10. He would be the first Notre Dame wide receiver to be drafted in the first round since the great Tim Brown was drafted by the Los Angeles Raiders in 1988.

Floyd has all the tools to be a great wide receiver in the pros, and many people are now starting to say that they believe he is the best wide receiver in all of the draft (ahead of Justin Blackmon). He has great size at 6-3, and shows that he can both run passed you (4.47 40-yd dash) and power through you. He does the little things that you love to see out of elite wideouts, such as block down the field and make the big third down plays, so his on-field maturity in that aspect will attract GMs possibly even above the Bills spot at 10.

His biggest strength is that mixture of size and speed that I mentioned above. Floyd will be able to use that to his advantage against the smaller corners in the game, and he won’t be taking on the best corner on the other team with Stevie Johnson on the other side. He has unbelievable hands and has the range to extend to make catches that most wideouts can’t. He’ll get upfield on you fast and, if he slips by you, good luck catching him. At times the Bills were frustrating to watch on third downs, but Floyd is a very reliable players in those clutch situations which is something the Bills need very bad to take the next step. Not only will he be clutch on third downs, but Floyd can make the plays in the redzone. Every good team needs an elite pass catcher in the redzone and Floyd offers that and more.

He doesn’t really have many weaknesses. He may not be a guy that you see consistently blowing by guys, but he will be able to do it every so often. And plus, if you watched the Bills at all last season you know they have plenty of guys that can blow by the defense, so that’s not the type of wide receiver they are looking for here. They need a big body that can bang out the tough yardage and in the redzone, Floyd is perfect there.

It’s starting to look like Floyd may go before the Bills even pick, but if he does land in Buffalo he’d be the perfect player to put opposite Stevie Johnson. Ryan Fitzpatrick could really use some help when he’s sitting in the pocket. The addition of Floyd would make the Bills group of wideouts seem elite as opposed to just average as it does now.