Archives for April 2017

'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.'

'Full-time starter for better part of four years and one of the premier mirror-and-match cornerbacks in the game. Has the feet, athleticism and instincts for prolonged coverage responsibilities and his twitch will always have him near the throw. Best suited for all forms of man coverage. Should compete as special teams performer. Lacks run-support physicality to be an every-down corner, but he's talented enough to challenge for slot duties right away.'

'Buffalo managed to turn the No. 10 pick into White, a third-round pick this year and a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. It's tough to argue with the pick, especially after the Bills lost cornerback Stephon Gilmore in free agency. White will come in and compete with Kevon Seymour and Ronald Darby to be a starting cornerback for the Buffalo Bills on day one.'

'At Green Oaks High, White was the valedictorian of his class. It's safe to say that the cornerback won't have any issues learning Buffalo's playbook.'

'In exchange for the 10th pick in this year's draft, the Bills received Kansas City's first round pick (No. 27 overall) and third round pick (No. 91 overall) in this year's draft and the Chiefs' first round pick in the 2018 NFL draft.'

'This is an ideal scenario for the Bills, who wanted to get out of the No. 10 pick. Earlier in the night, the Chiefs were aggressively calling teams in the top 10 about a trade. There was a possibility they would move all the way up to No. 5 in a trade with the Tennessee Titans, but they were able to wait and only move up to 10. They still got their guy, picking Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes.'