Archives for April 28, 2017

'“I feel real good about the end of the first day … we did our homework and put ourselves in a position to have two first-round picks next year, picked up a third (this year) and picked up Tre’Davious White, so I’ll be able to sleep fairly well tonight,” McDermott said.'

'"We really felt like the value we were looking at, very rarely can you do that, we can cash that into a first-round pick in 2018 and then add a third-round on top of that," coach Sean McDermott said. "A very unique situation for us."'

'The Bills now have eight picks to use between now and Saturday. But the key to the deal is that they have the additional first-round choice next year, when the quarterback class is expected to be stronger.'

'A franchise that had made too many decisions for the wrong reasons over the years made a bold but sensible move. It's a low bar, I'll admit, but the Bills did the smart thing, the sort of maneuver the good franchises make, instead of trying to make an immediate splash to dazzle the masses.'

'This was the sort of maneuver that you wouldn't have expected from Whaley, especially when he's trying to win in the short term and preserve his job. I'm sure McDermott will claim it was a group decision, but it looks like the move of an empowered coach who has time to build a winner.'

'The Chiefs used the choice for Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but there was hardly any overwhelming belief among most analysts that he'll be a franchise player. The bottom line is that the Bills had to trust their conclusion that a transformative talent — which is what the 10th pick has to be — wasn't going to be there.'

'White wore jersey No. 18 at LSU as a junior and senior. That number is reserved for players who lead “on and off the field” with a selfless attitude. Bills coach Sean McDermott stressed character during the pre-draft process, and in drafting White lived up to his word.'

' A solid person, a solid football player, a guy that we had on our board – we felt like if we could get him, it would be a good pick for us and there we saw him at [pick] 27. He’s a guy that wore number 18 at LSU, and we know what that means in terms of the tradition of wearing number 18 at LSU. So you know what type of person we’re getting, what type of football player. He’s versatile – he plays inside, he plays outside, he’s also a returner in terms of the special teams value – so we feel good about it.'

'Here is our final mock draft roundup…'.

'Third round, 75th overall: Jake Butt, TE, Michigan.'

'That’s because McDermott has preached the importance of character when evaluating college prospects, and Foster comes with some significant off-the-field concerns. He was booted from the NFL Scouting Combine for getting into an altercation with a hospital worker, and apparently had a diluted urine test, which would put him in the NFL’s substance-abuse program and subject him to random drug testing.'

'“We really felt the value we were looking at, very rarely can you do that when you can cash that in with a 2018 first-round pick and get a third-rounder on top of that, it was a very unique situation for us,” McDermott said of the trade. “We felt good about that, and we felt good about the pick with Tre’Davious White. Solid person, solid football player, we felt like if we could get him it would be a good pick for us and there he was at 27.”'

'With this trade, they now have eight picks this year — one each in the first and second rounds, two in the third, none in the fourth, three in the fifth, one in the sixth, and none in the seventh.'

'You have the new head coach, Sean McDermott, who plays his cards closer than a Texas Hold ‘em champion, ready to put his stamp on a mediocre team caught on a hamster wheel and could be the hero in this story if he can put his words into action.'

'Not bad for Buffalo’s first-year coach Sean McDermott, though he went out of his way to praise the work of general manager Doug Whaley and his scouting staff, all of whom appear to be in severe job jeopardy.'