Bates/Thompson may say they like to building thru the draft, but GB/Farve doesn't have the time to wait for some wet behind the ears kid to MAYBE become a solid football player. That's what GB has been doing for the last 5 years; waiting (wasting quality Farve years) for some young guy to catch on. Hasn't GB been trying to build their Def thru the draft the last several years?
Bates may give the company line, but I guarantee you he'd like to draft Knight, Surtain, Taylor or Thomas to GB if possible. A quality FA can be had to improve this Def and they don't have to break the bank to do it. Just like the draft, it's going to take a lot of work to make it happen. In the end, acquiring a solid FA will be worth it because they'll have a guy they know can step in and help them.