Bills trade back in draft could be the best move they have made in years
The Buffalo Bills were sitting at number 8 in the NFL draft, and they could have easily taken their quarterback with that pick, but instead they dealt the pick to the Saint Louis Rams who selected Tavon Austin.
What many forget to realize is that the Buffalo Bills moved down to pick number 16 to draft E.J. Manuel and gained an additional 2nd round pick number 46. Well while the E.J. Manuel pick was good enough for the Bills, the 46th pick has turned into the biggest surprise in the NFL so far.
That pick was LB Kiko Alonso from Oregon. Many people had moved him down their draft boards because of his off the field issues. Well Buffalo and their scouting staff stood by their eye and drafted him anyway.
The Buffalo Bills have had 2 of the 5 rookie of the week awards already with their first three picks being nominated 4 times. E.J. Manuel won rookie of the week when he led a come from behind victory to beat the Carolina Panthers, and Kiko Alonso won Rookie of the week, when he helped seal the win for the Bills against the Ravens. Alonso is tied for 1st place in the NFL for interceptions and leads the league with the most picks by a linebacker.
This draft has been a gold mine for the Bills and company, the scouting staff really needs to be given a big hand. If the Bills can get Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin going, they could be a very dangerous team.
On the other hand, Tavon Austin who was taken with the 8th pick has struggled badly in the NFL. From this draft trade it is looking like the Buffalo Bills have won, but it is still early.
NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com