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Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

It’s certainly still very early in the draft season but it’s never too early for a mock draft!

Each BuffaLowDown mock draft is featured in the DC Pro Sports Report, WalterFootball.com, Sports Jabber, hailredskins.com and fftoolbox.com mock draft databases. Each site keeps track of a huge number mock drafts all over the web.

Definitely be sure to check out NFL Mocks (a huge friend of BLD) and With the First Pick for comprehensive NFL draft  and college scouting coverage year-round.

1. Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck – QB, Stanford
Don’t let anyone kid you: this is going to be the pick. Period.

2. St. Louis Rams
Robert Griffin III – QB, Baylor
I don’t think the Rams end up picking here. Someone (Cleveland? Washington?) is trading up to nab RG3.

3. Minnesota Vikings
Matt Kalil – OT, USC
The Vikings could go a lot of directions, but it’s hard to turn down a franchise tackle.

4. Cleveland Browns
Justin Blackmon – WR, Oklahoma State
I was sort of hoping Blackmon would fall to Buffalo at #10, but I think Blackmon’s great Fiesta Bowl performance locked up a earlier selection for him.

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It was a tough ending for Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills in 2011. Can 2012 be better? (Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE)

In an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio Wednesday, Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick suggested that the Bills were simply not prepared to handle their excellent start to the 2011 season.

“I guess we weren’t ready for it yet. We weren’t ready to be able to accept the fact that we were playing well and playing as the team that was on the top (of the AFC East).”

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The Bills have a prominent backer in the Empire State's popular governor.

(This won’t be a political post, I promise. This isn’t the place.)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo revealed his 2012 budget recently, and notably it contains the potential for millions of dollars in funding to help keep the Bills in New York.

In a recent media appearance, Cuomo stressed how important it is to keep the Bills in Buffalo:

“The Bills are very important not just to Western New York, but the entire state. We want to keep the Bills here. I’m looking forward to being part of a cooperative effort to keep them here. Obviously money is tight. We all know that. The taxpayers are not in position to be shelling out more money…but the Bills are important and I want to be a big part of keeping them here.”

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Editor’s Note: As we get ready for the 2012 NFL Draft, we’ll be “meeting” some players who just might find their way to Buffalo come April. In this series we’ll take a look at possible Bills draft picks and break down their abilities and potential.

Overview: This very talented but not super productive defensive lineman will be a hotly debated prospect for the next few months. He has all the tools. Will he ever put them all together in the NFL?

Strengths: An incredible physical specimen with Great size (6’6, 272) and long arms. Very quick off the snap. Is effective at beating linemen to the inside and making plays. Does a good job against the run, using his long arms to keep blockers away to make plays. Solid instincts and recognition ability. Excellent tackler who won’t need help to finish off a ball carrier. Versatile enough to switch from DT to DE in college. Plays very hard and is clearly driven to succeed. Still some production despite facing constant double teams in his final season.

Also, according to at least one report, Coples is off to a great start at the Senior Bowl this week. From ESPN’s Todd McShay:

“He was clearly the best player on the field during the South team practice. He made everything look easy, getting off the ball smoothly and showing quick hands, and it’s clear the game has slowed down for him. Coples beat Florida State OT Zebrie Sanders — a late-first-round prospect — cleanly on more than one occasion, and no other offensive tackle had a chance either.”

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Presented without comment:

Hello readers it’s your favorite BuffaLowDown writer once again underlining the points the masses seem to constantly overlook. I’m living in fear right now people, the fear that while it seems we’re on the verge of returning to the NFL playoff picture we may not take the necessary steps to fully complete the return. January’s almost out and believe it or not April’s going to get here quicker than you think, with that being a fact and not an opinion the correct game plan needs to be devised a.s.a.p. so we don’t ruin this opportunity. Now some of you may wonder how exactly could the Bills do this (ruin things on draft day), well I’m about to do my best to explain how they could.

It kills me, but put your money on Brady this week.

Let’s be real: a lot of people love football because it’s the easiest and funnest sport to gamble on. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Personally, I’m too broke to gamble much, but I sure do watch a lot of football. I figure I should help* my loyal readers out with some gambling advice. 

*Help not guaranteed to be actually helpful.

Well, at the very least I’m going to finish in the black this playoffs.

That’s right, I’m 6-2 through the first two rounds with just three playoff games left. I’d recommend you keep letting Brad win you money.

Also, there’s this: Guess who got a score prediction EXACTLY correct last week? From last week’s column:

PATRIOTS (-13.5) over Broncos

I would have taken the Pats even if this line was four points higher. I think the Pats will come out looking to make a statement in this one. The past two years of playoff failures have been eating away at Brady and Co., no doubt, and they’ll be looking to cleanse those feelings with a beat-down of an inferior team. And a beatdown it will be. Look for Belichick to run up the score here.

.Prediction: Patriots 45, Broncos 10

This week is trickier, but I’m feeling good about these picks.

Let’s get straight to it.

49ERS (-2.5) over Giants

Definitely the tougher of the two games to call. But I’m thinking this game comes down to two things: 1) Can the 49ers get pressure on Eli Manning? and 2) Will Alex Smith continue to play well against a furious Giants pass rush?

I think yes on  both counts. The 49ers seem to just have the magic this season. Somehow, someway they find a way to win. But if they let Eli Manning have time to throw, he’s going to make them pay, and this pick will look silly.

Prediction: 49ers 23, Giants 20

And now…

*Note: don’t take the word “Lock” too seriously.

PATRIOTS (-7) over Ravens

I despise the Patriots, so this kills me…but they’re the better team. By a lot. Two big problems with picking the Ravens: the Baltimore defense isn’t as good as its reputation, and the New England defense isn’t nearly as bad as its reputation. If there’s a way to beat the Patriots, you need a great pass rush and a quarterback who can punish the shaky Patriot secondary. The Ravens have neither.

Prediction: Patriots 34, Ravens 17

Last Week: 2-2

Playoffs: 6-2

Regular Season: 43-38-4

Lock of the Week: 13-6 (2-0 in the playoffs)

Editor’s Note: As we get ready for the 2012 NFL Draft, we’ll be “meeting” some players who just might find their way to Buffalo come April. In this series we’ll take a look at possible Bills draft picks and break down their abilities and potential.

Overview: This very talented corner had a big year for college football’s best defense. But should a couple of red flags (a recent marijuana arrest and poor technique) scare teams off?

Strengths: Great size (6’2) and long arms. Good athleticism – fast enough to cover even the fastest NFL wideout. Good recovery speed as well. Very productive on a great defense in college. Tough, aggressive, and competitive.  Annoys the heck out of opposing receivers with his style. Very effective in press coverage. More than willing (in fact, a bit too willing) to help in run support. Not afraid to lay a big hit. Plays very hard with a great motor.

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