Archives for April 2017

'“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.'

'Dawkins was a second-team All-ACC player at Temple in 2015, and earned first-team honors in 2016. Dawkins is regarded as a strong run-blocking offensive lineman with a 35-inch arm length.'

'Watkins, 23, is about the enter his fourth season in the National Football League after being selected by the Bills with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. In his three seasons with the Bills, Watkins has 153 receptions for 2,459 yards and 17 touchdowns in 37 games played.'

'Here are some of the best available players who are still on the board, by position of need…'.

'This was a huge need for the Bills, and Jones was the best of the prospects remaining at the position. At 6-foot-2, 200-pounds, the Bills are adding a wideout that brings size to the position — and a player that head coach Sean McDermott believes can work both inside as a slot receiver and outside.'

'Three picks for one is a steep price to pay to move up only 12 slots at that point in the draft, but the Bills' hand was likely forced by three separate factors: their thoughts on Dion Dawkins about his potential to start right away for the team, the lack of offensive line depth remaining in the 2017 NFL Draft, and Sean McDermott's intimate knowledge of what the Carolina Panthers needed and were possibly inclined to address at 64th overall.'

'"Thinking Zay Jones getting picked by Bills in OJ Car Chase shirt easily tops the Jack Link's Sasquatch yesterday," ESPN sports reporter Darren Rovell tweeted.'

'Though the Bills haven't made the official decision on Watkins just yet, the move to not pick up his option would be perplexing, to say the least.'