Archives for April 29, 2017

'If the Bills decide to add a running back during this draft, Wyoming's Brian Hill would be a nice fit. He can do a bit of everything and had over 1,800 rushing yards to go with 22 touchdowns last season. Buffalo has to replace Mike Gillislee somehow.'

'Heading into the second night of the draft, here's a look at Buffalo's remaining draft picks this year and the team's picks in 2018.'

'Eddie Jackson, safety, Alabama.'

'By the way, that was the first time that three different teams traded up to get a QB in the first round on draft day.'

'ampaign with a nine-game stretch in which he threw for 2,833 yards and 31 touchdowns and completed nearly 70-percent of his passes.'

'Jones certainly doesn’t lack confidence in his catching ability. “I have the best hands in this draft,” Jones said.'

'With Jones, like White, McDermott raved about their character off the field. With Dawkins, the Bills disregarded off field issues.'

'“I can bring some depth in this secondary, we already have some great guys,” White said. “I’m looking forward to adding to the great players we already have.”'

'Dawkins will be joining a coaching staff that is well aware of Temple and the players the Owls produce. New coach Sean McDermott, the former Eagles defensive coordinator has former Eagles long-time offensive line coach Juan Castillo as his offensive line coach.'

'Like Reddick, Dawkins significantly boosted his draft stock with his performance at the Senior Bowl in late January.'

'Earned a Senior Bowl invitation after this season, when he was an All-American Athletic Conference First Team selection by Phil Steele. Was also a ECAC First Team All-Star. Named a Fourth Team All-American by Phil Steele in 2015. Was one of four true freshman offensive lineman to start at left tackle in 2013. He spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy between his time at Rahway and Temple.'

'McDermott began to chuckle when informed Buffalo selected Dawkins one spot ahead of the Panthers, who were also in need of an offensive lineman. "Well said," the Panthers former defensive coordinator said with a laugh, when asked if he might have had some inside information.'

'"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," head coach Sean 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."

'The Bills lost a ton of their pass-catching talent this offseason and have health questions surrounding No. 1 wideout Sammy Watkins. Jones comes in and should help right away. He has great size (6-foot-2, 201 pounds) and speed (4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash) and put up some absolute monster numbers at East Carolina, increasing his catch and yards totals with each passing season. That all culminated in a 158-catch, 1,746-yard, eight-touchdown campaign during his senior season. He should give Tyrod Taylor another reliable target on the outside right away, and though he's not a huge big-play threat, he will help move the chains consistently.'

'Jones, 22, is a long, physical receiver who put up some impressive numbers at East Carolina. The 6' 1", 197-pound receiver is the all-time receptions leader in FBS history with 399 receptions in four years, including 158 catches in his senior season. The numbers get better for Jones as he put up 1,746 yards in receiving this past year with eight touchdowns. For his career, Jones put up 4,279 total receiving yards and 23 touchdowns.'