Jake Matthews is the Right Pick for the Buffalo Bills at 9

Dec 31, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas A&M Aggies offensive linesman Jake Matthews (75) sets to pass block Duke Blue Devils defensive end Kenny Anunike (84) during the second quarter in the 2013 Chick-fil-a Bowl at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The 2014 NFL Draft is coming up and is just three days away.  The debate is on as to who the Bills should take as well as who they are going to take, and who is the best fit for the Buffalo Bills come May 8th at somewhere in the neighborhood of 10:00 pm EST.

I have had two players in mind that I like for the Bills with the 9th pick.  Mike Evans, has been one, but the one I have stuck with since the beginning of these talks and that has been Jake Matthews.  Buffalo has a history of drafting a decent offensive lineman in the past and a couple of years down the road they let them go for whatever reason.  I think this will be different. Different Mind Set, Different Philosophy, Different Management.

There is a stock that is put into players with this type of specialty nowadays, protecting the quarterback.  With Cordy Glenn already in place, and with Eric Wood as the cornerstone of the offensive line, Matthews is the perfect choice to round out this crew.  Buffalo is in need of a right tackle with Eric Pears becoming injury prone and not getting any older.  Either Matthews or Glenn could make the move to right tackle for the Bills.  CBS Sports breaks down Matthews Strengths and Weaknesses.

"STRENGTHS: Matthews is quick off the snap and uses his long, strong arms and good mobility to control his opponents when pass blocking. While perhaps not an elite athlete, he plays with the technique and tenacity to make his father proud, controlling opponents with good initial quickness, excellent knee bend and balance and terrific upper-body strength. Matthews is a terrific run blocker.…he’s at his best simply driving defensive ends off the ball and creating lanes for A&M’s running backs to slice through. Once he gets his hands on his opponent, he exhibits an ability to dictate the matchup. Strong lower-half drive and displays a good understanding of leverage when he can establish low position against thicker defenders.WEAKNESSES: Matthews can get himself in trouble when he stops moving his feet and his lack of elite foot speed and balance may limit just how high he can go on draft day. At times, he’ll bend his arms and lock his knees when opposing a strong bull-rush and appears “light” occasionally in power-on-power situations. –Rob Rang and Derek Stephens (2/5/14)"

Even with his weaknesses, I believe that his strengths will shine and will add value to this Bills offensive line that seems to be in injury trouble every year.  Matthews compares to…

"COMPARES TO: Joe Staley, OT, San Francisco 49ers – Though Matthews won’t blow anyone away with his athleticism, like Staley he’s a sound technician with impressive toughness who exhibits no major weaknesses, and is tough to beat in both facets of the offense.–Rob Rang and Derek Stephens (2/5/14)"

I know a lot of people are high on Eric Ebron and the whole TE in top 10 will come out with a Jimmy Graham Style or a Rob Gronkowski style and be dominante.  I agree but I think that you have to be able to protect your quarterback first before you can give him the tools to be successful.  With the TE situation sitting at average and the Wide Receiving corps a little above average, I believe that the Bills can successfully enhance their TE corps in the second round with the likes of Austin Sefarian-Jenkins and wide receivers come a dime a dozen.  This will allow the Bills to upgrade their offensive line drastically with Matthews right away.  Matthews is a plug and play player and will make an immediate impact come day 1.

Matthews is the right choice for the Bills with the 9th pick overall.  Your offensive starts with your offensive line in every aspect of the game!