With new general manager Buddy Nix committed to rebuilding the Bills through the college draft, acquiring more picks has become a topic of discussion as the off-season rolls along.

Buffalo, which has 10 picks in the April draft, is in position to add a few more were it willing and then able to enter into discussions with other clubs about trades.

Strong safety Donte Whitner, the No. 8 overall pick in 2006, and running back Marshawn Lynch, No. 12 overall in 2007, are two players whose careers hit a crossroads last season and could become bait in trade talks.

The play of Buffalo's defensive secondary was among the few highlights of last season's 6-10 finish, making Whitner expendable.

He hasn't been a bad player - just not the impact player people expected of a Top 10 pick.

Last season, rookie Jairus Byrd secured the starting free safety job with a rookie record nine interceptions. Converted wide receiver George Wilson won the starting strong safety job with four picks while Whitner nursed a series of injuries.

Wilson and safety/linebacker Bryan Scott have been given new contracts. Wilson, who started 12 games, emerged as a vocal team leader, a role Whitner played while Scott showed his versatility by filling in at linebacker when injuries hit. He's also a bigger player than Whitner and tackles well.

Whitner's Twitter account has been humming as speculation about his future heats up.

"Just win, and it all goes away!" he responded one day, adding, "Just so people out there don't get it twisted. I do understand that people are upset about us as a team."

A lot of fans are upset with former GM Marv Levy for giving the OK to draft Whitner.

Players picked after him in 2006 include: QB Jay Cutler (No. 11 by Denver), DT Haloti Ngata (No. 12 by Baltimore), RB DeAngelo Williams (No. 27 by Carolina), WR Santonio Holmes (No. 28 by Pittsburgh) and center Nick Mangold (No. 29 by the New York Jets).

In Whitner's defense, he performed whatever role former defensive coordinator Perry Fewell asked of him, putting the team first.

The issue for new coach Chan Gailey and Nix is determining if he has a role to fill on their team or if they be better off trying to land something for him.

Lynch, meanwhile, has watched his career fly off the track with off-field problems with the law and the emergence of Fred Jackson as Buffalo's No. 1 back last season.

Jackson finished with 1,062 yards rushing and added 46 catches vs. Lynch's 450 yards and 28 catches. Lynch served a three-game suspension for violating the NFL's conduct code.

Gailey seems to like Lynch's running style and said he believes it takes two running backs to get through a long season. Whether those players are Jackson and Lynch or Jackson and a draft pick remains to be seen.

"The guy's extremely talented," he said of Lynch. "He can catch the ball, run it, run it with power, can get on the edge. I hope we're able to take him and use him. We're fortunate to have a couple guys that are good football players at that position and we need to build off that."

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