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‘”Seven years out here, man,” Poyer said. “I loved every moment of it. Thank you so much for allowing me to grow as a person, as a player. Teammates, coaches, everybody, man, I loved every moment of it. Sorry we couldn’t get it done, but you’ve got the best quarterback in the league. I know that might go viral, but it’s OK. I get to see y’all twice a year. I can’t wait. You guys come down to Miami. I get to come back to Orchard Park one more time.”‘

‘”It pushed me a lot,” Gore said, regarding going undrafted. “There’s no way 257 people are better than me in this draft, but now that that process is over, I’m a Bill, I’m here to compete, and I’m here to push my teammates, and push the running back room and try to do it on special teams.”‘

‘Valdes-Scantling spent the past two seasons with the Chiefs, winning Super Bowls in both campaigns. He had his worst NFL season in 2023 statistically, as he caught just 21 passes for 315 yards and one touchdown. He infamously dropped what could have been the game-winning touchdown vs. the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11, but did record a 62-yard outing vs. Buffalo in the divisional round and caught a touchdown in the Super Bowl LVIII victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Kansas City saved $12 million on the cap by releasing him this offseason.’

‘Amazon will be getting quite the quarterback showdown with Tua Tagovailoa going up against Buffalo’s Josh Allen. The two quarterbacks both ranked in the top five last season for passing yards and touchdown passes. Tagovailoa actually led the entire NFL with 4,624 passing yards in 2023 while Allen finished just behind him at fourth overall with 4,306 yards.’

‘Parry spent two decades as an NFL official. He began as a replay official in 1999 and was moved to side judge in 2000 before being promoted to referee in 2008, a role which he held until 2018. During his career, Parry was a referee for two Super Bowls (XLVI and LIII).’

‘Williams is hardly the first lacrosse player to dabble in the NFL. Back in 2022, the Denver Broncos hosted former Maryland lacrosse star Jared Bernhardt on a top-30 visit prior to the draft. Bernhardt served as a graduate transfer quarterback for Ferris State in 2021, leading the Bulldogs to an undefeated record and the program’s first Division II national championship. He went undrafted in the NFL, but was signed by the Atlanta Falcons. In the preseason that year, he caught a game-winning touchdown, and eventually earned a spot on the 53-man roster. Bernhardt played in two games, but retired from the NFL the following year.’

‘Gore went undrafted despite a solid college career at Southern Mississippi, where he rushed for over 4,000 yards and 26 touchdowns with a 5.3 yards-per-carry average. He was asked if he feels that his size (5-foot-10 and 210 pounds) was the main reason why he wasn’t drafted.’

‘”He’s a guy whose got play speed, he’s got short-area quickness for a big guy,” Beane said. “We all know, some guys, they can run the track time, but that’s where the mental part comes into it, too. I always say if you run 4.3 but you’re not smart, you’ll never play 4.3.”‘

‘It’s safe to say that Claypool — who has bounced around the league since the Steelers traded him in 2022 — won’t have the same impact in Buffalo that Diggs did. The new Houston Texans’ wideout was a Pro Bowler in each of his four seasons in Buffalo. During that span, the Bills captured four consecutive AFC East division titles.’

‘He made a quick impact in Pittsburgh as a rookie, but has since seen his production wane with each passing season and has bounced around the league over the last two years.’

‘That personality also showed when he initially met with the Bills at the NFL Combine earlier this offseason. In a room full of front office decision-makers including head coach Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane, Coleman’s was endearing.’

‘The 20-year-old said he received a text from Allen on Friday, before he was drafted that said (via the team’s official website), “You’re the guy that I want. I watched a lot of receivers and I want to play with you.”‘

‘Clayton is a former rugby player who has impressive size — he stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs just over 300 pounds — so the Bills are clearly hoping that they’ll be able to mold him into a player who can contribute to the team at some point down the road.’

‘”Folks slept on my son; they slept on me, too — they’ll see. My bloodline is for real. Our (pre-draft) testing was identical. All the scouts were like you can tell that’s my son. I (expletive) with (Brandon) Beane. He’s the real deal. I’m happy to get my son to this point. We’re coming to play.”‘

‘The hysterics began almost as soon as Coleman sat down at the podium dressed in a yellow puffer jacket. A reporter in the room made note of the winter coat and remarked that the team had already begun gearing the Florida State product up for the colder climate in upstate New York.’