Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘While the trade up to draft Allen was met with much vitriol, at least on Twitter, from Bills fans, the pick of Edmunds was lauded because Edmunds will fill an immediate need at linebacker, either inside or outside.’

‘Edmunds will not turn 20 years old until May 2 which makes him one of the youngest players in this draft. He’s also one of the biggest linebackers in the draft at 6-foot-4 and 253 pounds, yet he ran an impressive 4.53 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine.’

‘ Will Buffalo be part of history again and take part in 2018’s quarterback-centric first round?’

‘The Bills are desperate to add a downfield threat at wide receiver, and if they don’t trade away their second-round picks in a deal to move up for a quarterback, and Chark slips to them at either No. 53 or 56, Beane should pick him without giving it a second of thought.’

‘So, for this purpose of this exercise, let’s assume the Bills don’t make the QB deal and stay put at 12. If none of their preferred QB options are available and they go in a different direction, linebacker should be the pick, and two players who could walk in and be day one starters are Virginia Tech’s Tremaine Edmunds and Georgia’s Roquan Smith.’

‘Beyond quarterback, the Bills are desperate at linebacker as only one of the three starting positions is currently in good hands – we think – with second-year player Matt Milano. With Lorenzo Alexander soon to be 35 years old, and Preston Brown gone to Cincinnati, the Bills must find two starters.’

‘The league released the full 2018 schedule Thursday night, and before any flex-scheduling possibilities come into play, the Bills are slated to play 15 of their 16 games at 1 p.m. Fifteen! You would have thought the Bills finished 2-14 last season with a schedule like this.’

‘Jackson’s athleticism is off the charts, and he made plays that left fans shaking their heads in disbelief on his way to passing for 69 touchdowns and rushing for 50 more in three seasons. Some of his scrambles were even more impressive than Tyrod Taylor’s many escapes for the Buffalo Bills the past three years. Say what you want about Taylor, but to make that comparison is saying something.’

‘He signed with the Bills because he knows he’s going to get a real opportunity — unlike in Cincinnati — to win the starting job. So even if one of these young studs walks across the stage next Thursday night in Dallas and slips a Bills jersey over their head, McCarron’s focus will remain fixated on being Buffalo’s starter on opening day.’

‘“Moving from 21 to 12, the natural assumption, I get it, they’re moving up to get a quarterback,” Beane said. “We improved our draft position, that was a second-round value jump (on the Jimmy Johnson draft points chart) going from 21 to 12. We’re excited about where that moves us on our draft board and to what players will be available there.”’

‘“I’m not going to get into details,” said Beane. “Richie is on the reserve/retired list which is not a part of our 90-man roster and that’s really what it is. I don’t think it’s the time to get into it. Let’s leave it as is.”’

‘“He’s a guy I’ve gone up against in terms of coaching against him,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “I know what he brought to the table from a wide receiver position, he’s a veteran player and he also adds some return ability. I thought it was a good signing for us and my hat goes off to Brandon and his staff identifying Jeremy out there.”’

‘“I think you’ve seen spread quarterbacks come to the league the last five years and they’ve ended up being pretty successful at the next level,” he said. “And I think you’re definitely starting to see a lot more of those concepts, and the high-tempo type offenses, NFL teams adopting more of that philosophy. I can only control what I can control and whatever organization I get to, whatever playbook, whatever offense they run, I’ll be excited to learn and to begin to master.”’

‘It was quite a 2017 for Mayfield as he had a Heisman season for the ages, setting the all-time FBS record for QB rating at 198.32 thanks to a 70.5 completion percentage, 4,627 passing yards, 43 touchdowns, and only six interceptions as he led Oklahoma to a 12-2 record, the Big 12 championship, and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.’

‘“This guy is what the quarterbacks look like when they get out of a truck,” said Browns coach Hue Jackson at the NFL Owner’s meetings in late March, practically drooling over Allen’s 6-foot-5, 235-pound physique and his rocket-powered arm.’