1 - Kerley a receiver McDermott respectsOn Monday, the Bills signed Jeremy Kerley to a contract. McDermott had plenty of experience coaching against Kerley, which was a factor in Buffalo pursuing him.
"Yeah, with Jeremy we were able to add Jeremy over the weekend," said McDermott… "He's a guy that I've gone up against in terms of coaching against him; I know what he brought to the table from a wide receiver position. He's a veteran player, also adds some return ability. [I] thought it was a good signing for us, and again, my hat goes off to Brandon and his staff identifying Jeremy out there."
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Earlier this offseason the Bills brought Kaelin Clay back to the team to the team in a free-agent signing. Clay and Kerley add some speed to the receiving corps.
With the 2018 free agency period officially open, here's a look at Buffalo's pickups.
2 – McDermott: It's a new yearLast season, the Bills ended the playoff drought that plagued the franchise for 17 years. The Bills were underdogs throughout the 2018 regular season, down to the last play in the Bengals, Ravens game on New Year's Eve. McDermott wants everyone to understand that, just because the team made the playoffs once, does not make them a lock for next season.
"The reality of our situation is such that eight of the 12 teams that made the playoffs in 2016 didn't make the playoffs in 2017," said McDermott. "We have to turn the page from what happened last year and understand that this is a new team; it's a new year, new personalities, and so we've got our work cut out for us. We've got a long way to go; that really hasn't changed. We're excited about the guys that we've added to the roster and the work that, apparently, has been put in since the players have left us 'x' amount of months ago. Really, we've got to earn the right, and that starts today."
Since the 2017 campaign for the Bills ended, the team has lost multiple players to retirement or free agency, but added players this offseason as well. McDermott believes the workouts that started Monday are the first step in the season's new start.
"Yeah, every year's different in the NFL - that's our league, right," said McDermott. "Every team is different, so you've really got to start over day one, and that's what we're here to do today. Our players worked extremely hard, it appeared, in and out of the meeting rooms and the coaches were prepared and the staff was ready to go all the way up and down the board. My hat goes off to the team, here, and that's not just the players and coaches, but everyone in this building that was ready to go from the first minute that the players walked in this morning."
3 - Seven-round mock has Bills taking QB at 12It's hard enough to get four or five picks right when creating a mock draft. NFLDraftScout.com released a mock draft for all seven rounds of the upcoming NFL draft.
In the mock draft, there are no trades meaning that in this scenario, Buffalo decided the asking price to move up in the draft was too much. At pick 12, Buffalo takes a quarterback.
The Bills select Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville (6-2, 216, 4.44).
The Bills might need to trade up to secure a quarterback. But if the asking price is too much, Buffalo could stay put and see if Jackson falls to them.
Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield were all selected within the first five picks. That left the next option, Jackson, the only option for QBs considered round one quality.
The Bills select Will Hernandez, OG, UTEP (6-2, 327, 5.14)
*After taking the quarterback earlier in the first round, the Bills need to protect him. *
The Bills adding a big guard to their lineup will not only help the run game that Buffalo has used so effectively for the past few seasons, but also keep whoever is under center, safe.
The rest of the predicted picks for the Bills goes as follows:
Second Round
53. Buffalo Bills: Josh Sweat, DE/LB, Florida State (6-5, 251, 4.53)
56. Buffalo Bills: Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M (5-10, 201, 4.45)
Third Round
65. Buffalo Bills: Brian O'Neill, OT, Pittsburgh (6-7, 297, 4.80)
96. Buffalo Bills: Rashaan Gaulden, CB/S, Tennessee (6-1, 197, 4.61)
Fourth Round
121. Buffalo Bills: Andre Smith, LB, North Carolina (6-0, 237, 4.63)
Fifth Round
166. Buffalo Bills: Scott Quessenberry, OG/C, UCLA (6-4, 310, 5.09)
Sixth Round
187. Buffalo Bills: Darius Phillips, CB, Western Michigan (5-10, 193, 4.40)
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