The Buffalo Bills selected Tre’Davious White, cornerback from LSU with the 27th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft
The first move the Bills made was to trade down, which is always a winning move. The team had connections to Mitchell Trubisky, and when he went off of the board, they were in business to move down and collect assets. They were not going to reach for someone that they did not see value in, and didn’t have to, as many in the draft were hunting for Patrick Mahomes. In moving down 17 spots, the Bills picked up the 91st overall pick and the Chiefs first round pick next year. Not a bad haul to start.
On top of that, they hit arguably their biggest need at cornerback. The Bills lost Stephon Gilmore this year, leaving a major hole at the cornerback position. They did little to nothing to add to the position in free agency, and it was something that obviously had to be addressed via the draft. Marshon Lattimore was considered the top cornerback prospect, but he had hamstring injuries.
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Gareon Conley had a lot questions off of the field, Marlon Humphrey is still inexperienced and with Sidney Jones and Fabian Moreau going down to injury in the process to the draft, the top tier of the position became very foggy. Instead of reaching for a questionable fit at 10, they picked up more assets, and found a player who checks a lot more boxes.
White is very technically sound. He was a four-year starter and a defensive leader in the locker room. He has good character, medicals, can play slot or outside and return punts. To add in the 91st pick and the Chiefs next pick turns this into a win-win trade, and a solid haul for the Bills.
First Round Grade: A