I know wide receiver is a huge position of need for the Bills and I know many fans are dying for them to take Notre Dame's Michael Floyd with the tenth pick in round one on Thursday. Listen, I am a fan of what this guy can do for a Bills offense that lacks any sort of wide receiver production past Stevie Johnson. But history shows taking a wide receiver at the Bills 2012 spot in the draft is not even close to a guarantee of success
Since 2001there have been 16 wide receivers taken in the top ten of round number one. Highlighted in bold are the four receivers whose play on the field has been highlighted in bold. In Fitzgerald, Johnson and Johnson you have arguably the three best receivers in the league. AJ Green showed enough last year, with a rookie quarterback, to believe he was a worthy investment. The jury is still out on Julio Jones, a player the Falcons sacrificed a great deal to get. The rest of the list is filled with average at best players to full out busts
David Terrell (Bears, No. 8, 2001)
Koren Robinson (Seahawks, No. 9, 2001)
Charles Rogers (Lions, No. 2, 2003)
Andre Johnson (Texans, No. 3, 2003)
Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals, No. 3, 2004)
Roy Williams (Lions, No. 7, 2004)
Reggie Williams (Jaguars, No. 9, 2004)
Braylon Edwards (Browns, No. 3, 2005)
Troy Williamson (Vikings, No. 7, 2005)
Mike Williams (Lions, No. 10, 2005)
Calvin Johnson (Lions, No. 2, 2007)
Ted Ginn Jr. (Dolphins, No. 9, 2007)
Darrius Heyward-Bey (Raiders, No. 9, 2009)
Michael Crabtree (49ers, No. 10, 2009)
AJ Green (Bengals, No.4, 2011)
Julio Jones (Falcons, No. 6, 2011)
The one thing the three great players have the list all have in common isn't just that they were top ten picks. They were all top four selections. History has shown that you can get a star wide receiver in round one but you better get him early. I prefer to see a team take big people (lineman) quarterbacks or cornerbacks in the top ten. If the Bills take Floyd I think they are taking a guy who is automatically a starter on this receiver deprived team. But that doesn't neccesarily mean they are getting a guy who warrants a top ten pick
