Defensive End

The Bills managed just 28 sacks in 2011. Marcell Dareus led the way with 5.5 sacks, while Chris Kelsay had 5. After those two, no one had more than 3. They’re switching to a 4-3 defense. They’ll be set at defensive tackle with Marcell Dareus shifting inside next to Kyle Williams, who is expected to make a full recovery from foot surgery. However, defensive end is a different story. Chris Kelsay can be one starter, but he’s a declining player at age 32, 33 in October. At the other defensive end position, they don’t really have anyone. This should be their priority during the draft. I expect them to take either Quinton Coples, Whitney Mercilus, Melvin Ingram, or Courtney Upshaw at 10 and maybe another end at another point. They really need to improve their pass rush.

Tight End

The Bills raised some eyebrows when they started Scott Chandler, a 2007 4^th round pick with one career catch, at tight end. The 6-7 263 pound Chandler was a solid blocker, but managed 38 catches for 389 yards and 6 touchdowns this season. He’s a free agent and if he’s brought back, it should be as a run blocking red zone threat in two tight end sets. They’ll need a complimentary tight end. If Dwayne Allen or Coby Fleener are available when they draft in the 2^nd round, they could be the pick.

Wide Receiver

Steve Johnson just had another great season, catching 76 passes for 1004 yards and 7 touchdowns. However, he’s a free agent. He’ll need to be resigned. Opposite him, neither David Nelson nor Donald Jones were all that impressive this season. Bills GM Buddy Nix mentioned that he wanted to add a big bodied receiver this offseason. This is a strong wide receiver class in free agency, so they may go that route. They could also spend a pick in rounds 2-4 on a receiver, because this is also a pretty deep wide receiver draft class.

Quarterback

I don’t know if these two things were related, but Ryan Fitzpatrick really struggled after being given a long term extension last season. They have an out in his contract that would save them a lot of money, but I expect him to be brought back because there really isn’t a better option available to them. However, they could still use a mid rounder on a developmental quarterback behind him.

Offensive Tackle

Demetrius Bell has grown into a very good left tackle. However, he can’t stay healthy. He was really good in limited action this season, but has just once played more than 8 games in the last 4 seasons. He’s also a free agent. In his absence, Chris Hairston wasn’t very good. Buddy Nix (who is very candid about these things) said that he wants Bell to return for the right price, but that they’d also be looking at offensive tackles in the draft.

Cornerback

Nix also said that he wanted to add two more cornerbacks to the mix. This makes sense. They have some aging players at the position and their lack of depth was exposed this season. One of them should be a young cornerback through the draft to pair with 2011 2^nd round pick Aaron Williams for the future. Leodis McKelvin seems more comfortable as a nickelback, depth cornerback type.

Outside Linebacker

They’re making the switch to a 4-3 without sufficient 4-3 outside linebacker depth. Kelvin Sheppard is probably the middle linebacker, while Nick Barnett is expected to move outside. They’ll need one more linebacker outside, however, because I don’t think Danny Batten is the best fit for a 4-3. Meanwhile, Barnett is getting up there in age so they might want to find a future successor. Kirk Morrison could be an option if he’s resigned. He didn’t play much in their 3-4, but he would be a better fit in a 4-3.