NFL
Buffalo Bills' draft lands two potential starters
by CHRISTOPHER GORDON Orchard Park Editor

Marshawn Lynch

After the Buffalo Bills drafted California running back Marshawn Lynch with their top pick in Saturday's NFLentry draft, Bills' General Manager Marv Levy said he was one of three players the Bills were considering with that pick.

Early in the second round, the team swapped second-round picks with the Detroit Lions and gave up a third-round pick to move up nine spots to draft Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny.

When asked if he was one of the other players the Bills considered, Levy said, "Yes, he was."

After an offseason that has seen the departure of several starters, including running back Willis Mc- Gahee, linebackers London Fletcher-Baker and Takeo Spikes, as well as cornerback Nate Clements, the Bills now have two players who could step right into starting positions.

In the case of Lynch, Levy said the team graded him almost as high as Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson. The team believed that after Lynch, there was a drop-off at running back.

"There are a couple of outstanding running backs in the draft, and we feel good that we did find one of them," said Levy.

Paul Posluszny

At 5 foot 11 and 215 pounds, Lynch ran a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash at the combines and possesses a good combination of size and speed.

Back in the Bills' Super Bowl years in the early 1990s, Levy coached running back Thurman Thomas, who will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, this August. One of Thomas' greatest assets was his ability to catch the football, and one of the reasons the Bills liked Lynch was because he, too, is considered a good pass catcher out of the backfield.

In three seasons at California - including two as a starter - Lynch caught a total of 68 passes for 600 yards and six touchdowns.

He also ran for 3,230 yards and 29 touchdowns in his three collegiate seasons. He averaged an eye-popping 6.6 yards per carry, and the Bills believe they have a running back who has the ability to break away from defenders.

"The primary reason that we drafted this man is for running the football," said Bills' Head Coach Dick Jauron. "The fact that he can do other things is a bonus, but he runs the ball well."

Lynch, who openly admits he is a "mama's boy," said his mother will move with him to Buffalo. He said she works for a telephone company and hopes to land a job working for one here. And with her love of bingo, Buffalo will also be a good fit for Mrs. Lynch as well.

"My mom works for a telephone company, so I looked for a telephone company there where she can work, and I asked if they have a bingo hall down there," said Lynch. "They told me they had a bingo hall and a telephone company there, so my mom is going to be solid."

As far as his ability to fit into the professional level, Lynch knows that there are still parts of his game that he needs to improve.

"I know on the next level that I will have to take care of the quarterback, so my pass protection and my all-around game (needs improvement)," said Lynch.

Oftentimes a running back tries to follow a similar style to a current or former player. Lynch said his style is not one that he can describe as being like another player.

"It's a weird style because I never know what I'm going to do. It's based on reaction and instinct," said Lynch.

In college, he lined up in the slot as a receiver at times, so Lynch said the two players he is like in that regard are Chargers' running back LaDainian Tomlinson and former St. Louis Ram Marshall Faulk.

After some potential red flags of character issues about Lynch, including a drive-by shooting incident in high school and allegations by an ex-girlfriend of domestic and sexual assault (which were dropped), Levy said the team did a thorough background check on Lynch.

"Character is very important to us and we did look into the matter very closely," said Levy. "Allegations, sometimes when you look into them, you find there is really not much substance to it."

"I was at the high school going to see my godbrother and little sister get ready for graduation, and we were parked in front of the school," said Lynch, who was raised in Oakland, Calif. "A guy walked by and let off five shots. Nobody was hit in the car, but it was a scary incident for us. About 20 minutes after it had all happened, my mom received a phone call from somebody telling her that the shots were not intended for me and that it was a case of mistaken identity."

Many people believed Mississippi linebacker Patrick Willis (who was drafted by San Francisco one pick before Lynch) was the best at his position. But Levy and the Bills' brass felt differently, and as Posluszny slid down near the end of Round One, the GM admitted that the team tried to trade back up into the late first round, fearing that a team such as the Colts might grab the player the Bills coveted.

Perhaps it is more than just his ability that caught Levy's eye. In 1987, the Bills used their first-round pick on another linebacker from Penn State, Shane Conlan, who was defensive rookie of the year. In college, Posluszny patterned himself after Conlan, even wearing the same number, 31.

Penn State is often referred to as "Linebacker U" because it produced such greats as former Steeler all-pro Jack Ham as well as Conlan. But Ham has called Posluszny the greatest linebacker ever at the school.

Amidst a group of outstanding names, Posluszny left the Nittany Lions as the school's all-time leading tackler with 372. In 2005 and 2006, he won the Bednarik Award as the nation's top defensive player and won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker.

"After my freshman year, I had to change my number, and 31 was available," said Posluszny. "I learned about 31 and Shane Conlan. After I saw it, I said I wanted to play like him. I ended up wearing 31 the rest of my career."

Also, Conlan and Posluszny work out at the same gym and talk on the telephone, so Posluszny said he finds it ironic that 20 years after Conlan became a Buffalo Bill, so did he. Like Conlan, Jauron said he hopes Posluszny will eventually become the Bills' starting middle linebacker.