Buffalo Bills: Was Trading Down in 1st Round the Right Move?
By Paul Taylor
Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills take a big gamble by trading away the 10th pick in this year’s NFL draft and selecting cornerback Tre’Davious White.
The Buffalo Bills got their man — sort of — after selecting Tre’Davious White with the 27th pick in the 2017 NFL draft. Head coach Sean McDermott said White fits the Bills DNA (in large part due to his excellent character), despite the cornerback’s reputation for not being the best of tacklers, à la Stephon Gilmore.
Regardless, in many ways the selection of the 22-year old was not the biggest news for Bills fans on Thursday night. Arguably of more importance, was the decision to move down in the first round.
As reported by Ryan Talbot of NewYorkUpstate.com, the Bills traded the 10th overall pick in this year’s draft to the Kansas City Chiefs. In return, they received the selection they used to take White, the 91st overall pick in this year’s draft and the Chiefs’ first round pick in 2018.
In the process, the Bills passed on plenty of talent, including the likes of quarterback DeShaun Watson, linebacker Reuben Foster and cornerback Marshon Lattimore. (Talbot referenced sources who said the Bills would have most likely picked Lattimore, if they hadn’t managed to trade their original draft pick.)
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The question is, did the Bills make the right decision in trading away the 10th overall draft pick? As is often the case with these types of scenarios, it comes down to perspective.
On the positive side, a lot of experts believe the right move was made. The thinking is that none of the players available at positions of need with the 10th pick, were surefire, no-miss, franchise-types.
However, you could argue that you can never really know for sure anyway. (Ryan Leaf or JaMarcus Russell anyone?) Further, the Bills still passed on players regarded as better bets that White.
In truth, you could go back and forth and second-guess yourself all day. The Bills get a valuable first round pick in next year’s draft, but once more, there are no guarantees.
Ultimately, we’re not going to know for several years whether McDermott and company made the right move or not. This is down to a combination of how White and other players they passed on perform, while similarly waiting to see how the 2018 first round pick from the Chiefs pans out. (Assuming the Bills keep that pick.)
Either way, one thing we can claim with real conviction, is that the decision to trade down was made by McDermott, not Doug Whaley. As a result, you sense the imaginary noose around the neck of the Bills’ current General Manager continues to tighten with every passing day.
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What’s your take on the Bills’ first night at this year’s draft? What did you make of their decision to trade down in the first round? What is your opinion of White? Share your thoughts in the comments section.