A closer look at the positions the Buffalo Bills could target at the NFL combine in Indianapolis:

Positions of need: Whether or not the Bills keep Tyrod Taylor for the final season of his contract, they are expected to be in the thick of the race for a quarterback early the draft. There has been little sign from the new regime in Buffalo that Taylor is the franchise quarterback, so the Bills could package part or all of their two first-round picks (Nos. 21 and 22) and two second-round picks to move into the top 10 to select one of the best quarterback prospects. There should be a second tier of quarterbacks available if the Bills fail to move up in the first or second round.

Quarterback isn't the only need for Buffalo, which could opt to use its high volume of picks to fill several holes on the roster instead of trading up. Defensive tackle is the most glaring need after the midseason trade of Marcell Dareus and with the possible retirement this offseason of soon-to-be free agent Kyle Williams. Linebacker and cornerback could be areas of need depending on whether free agents Preston Brown and E.J. Gaines return, and the Bills could use help along their offensive line with center Eric Wood's career-ending neck injury.

Three players the Bills should focus on at combine:

Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA: If Rosen slides down through the top 10 as ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest mock draft projects, the Bills would have several opportunities to trade up and land one of the top-tier quarterback prospects of the draft. The Colts (No. 3), Browns (No. 4), Buccaneers (No. 7), Bears (No. 8), 49ers and Raiders (Nos. 9 or 10) would all be logical trade partners if Rosen falls to No. 11, as Kiper projects. However, the Bills would have to worry about the Broncos (No. 5) and Jets (No. 6), depending on where Kirk Cousins lands. There could also be another quarterback-needy team such as Arizona (No. 15) that tries to trade up. Then again, ESPN NFL draft expert Todd McShay projected Rosen to be taken by the Giants at No. 2, so there might not be a chance for Buffalo to land him. Either way, the combine will be another chance for coach Sean McDermott, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and general manager Brandon Beane to get an up-close look at Rosen and determine if he is the future face of the franchise.

When asked in June what he looks to see in a quarterback, Beane said, "The intangibles are the thing that you can't necessarily measure from the film. I can turn on the film and watch some things. You obviously want to see quarterbacks live, but what's this guy's makeup? What's his leadership? Do guys rally behind him? I go back to Carolina. Jake Delhomme, one of the greatest leaders I've ever been around. He was undrafted. The guy willed himself to lead the team the years he was in Carolina. His intangibles were a 12 on a one to 10 scale."

Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma: If the Browns (No. 1) or Giants (No. 2) select Rosen, the Bills would have to look elsewhere if they want to trade up for a quarterback. The Bills could use the combine to determine whether they are comfortable with Mayfield from a character standpoint, but they also would have to make a call about his lack of ideal height for an NFL quarterback.

"You draw them up, from a physical standpoint, they look like Cam [Newton]," Beane said in June. "But how many are there like that? You want a guy, the stature, the height, you know, they're standing over, they're not worried about linemen in their face. It gives them the vision and all that."

Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State: If the Bills do not trade up from Nos. 21 and 22, the projected top four quarterbacks -- Rosen, Mayfield, USC's Sam Darnold and Wyoming's Josh Allen -- almost certainly will be off the board. That opens the next tier into play, which includes Rudolph and Louisville's Lamar Jackson. The Bills probably will have concerns about Rudolph's (and other quarterback prospects') lack of experience taking snaps from under center.

"The one thing that people I think miss a little bit when they're watching [is] the college game schematically has just been so dumbed down that these guys know before the ball's snapped right where they're going," Beane said in June. "There's no progressions. There's no audibiling. That's the challenge that the college guys have, and it's brutal. And these quarterbacks that are getting drafted high that have never taken a snap from center, have never called an audible ... that's tough."