Archives for April 29, 2017

'Riddick, who is the brother of former Bill Robb Riddick and my favorite ESPN analyst, had the highest praise: He said White would have been the first corner he would have taken in the draft. That was saying something since Ohio State's Marshon Lattimore was the No. 11 pick by New Orleans, Alabama corner Marlon Humphrey was the 16th pick by Baltimore, USC's Adoree' Jackson was No. 18 by Tennessee and Ohio State's Gareon Conley was picked No. 24 by Oakland. (In his mock draft, Riddick had White being taken with the fifth pick.)'

'The Bills would love to come out of this year's draft with a starting right tackle, No. 2 receiver and weak-side linebacker. With three picks Friday, those positions will undoubtedly be under the microscope. Here is a look at five of the top available players heading into the draft's second day at the Bills' positions of need…'.

'Buffalo Bills – Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina. With a couple of teams ahead of them who could use a wide receiver, the Bills will probably have some anxious moments. If Jones gets to them, he fills an obvious need and will compete immediately to be the No. 2 receiver.'

'Thanks to a dizzying flurry of trades across Thursday and Friday night, the Bills addressed all three areas. It was a little crazy, all the flipping of picks, but in the end, the Bills knew exactly what their prime needs were, and they took an aggressive approach to shore them up.'

'His dad is Robert Jones, a Cowboys linebacker for 10 seasons, including three that ended in Super Bowl victories, two of them when Dallas beat Buffalo. Zay’s uncle is Jeff Blake who had a 14-year NFL career as a quarterback, making the Pro Bowl as a Bengal.'

'In addition to swapping second round picks, the Bills gave the Los Angeles Rams one of their third round picks, No. 91 overall, and received the Rams' fifth round pick, No. 149 overall, in return.'

'Jones fills a huge need for the Bills, who have Sammy Watkins and not much else at wide receiver. Jones will immediately compete with Philly Brown and Andre Holmes to be the No. 2 receiver in Buffalo, and it's not hard to envision him winning the job.'

'Jones clearly knows how to get open on the field. The East Carolina wide receiver finished his career with 399 receptions. His most productive season came in 2016 when he recorded a ridiculous 158 receptions for 1,746 yards and eight touchdowns.'

'Buffalo was praised by the national media for trading down and selecting LSU cornerback Tre'Davious White in the first round. Grades for East Carolina wide receiver Zay Jones have been just as positive.'

'As pointed out by SB Nation, Jones was shown wearing a shirt that featured former Bills running back O.J. Simpson. The shirt puts a spin on Simpson's slow-speed car chase from 1994. Instead of the police trailing Simpson, the shirt shows a series of white Ford Broncos trailing a police car. More than likely it was just an odd coincidence, but Jones' shirt certainly had Bills fans talking.'

'Buffalo traded three picks to the Atlanta Falcons to move up to No. 63. Atlanta received the 75th, 149th and 156 picks from the Bills.'

'As a player, Dawkins has a ton of room to grow, but he had a productive final season in college. According to Pro Football Focus, Dawkins ranked in the top 10 in the country in both run-blocking and pass-blocking efficiency. He allowed just two sacks, two quarterback hits and five hurries this season at Temple.'

'Head coach Sean McDermott said that Dawkins will get the opportunity to compete for a starting job on Buffalo's offensive line at right tackle. His biggest competitor for the job will be Jordan Mills. The veteran lineman has struggled in his career so Dawkins has a chance to start immediately.'

'Ed Orgeron, White's coach at LSU, praised the Bills' first pick for being a terrific player and person.'

'It's important to note that the Bills wouldn't be giving up on Watkins by declining the fifth-year option. The former No. 4 overall pick would make $13.258 (guaranteed for injury) in 2018 if the Bills picked up the option. If they decline the option, Watkins would be eligible to become a free agent after the 2017 season, but the Bills could still place the franchise tag on Watkins. That would be more expensive than the option, but it gives the Bills the luxury of time to make the decision.'