With April, otherwise known as NFL Draft month, quickly approaching, the Bills and league will turn their attention from free agency to the upcoming rookie selection extravaganza.
But NFL.com dipped back into a past draft to discuss what could have been teams… had they known how things would play out. In a 2012 NFL Draft redo, the Bills use that knowledge to change their pick. Although, their hand was forced a bit.
Originally at the No. 10 overall pick that year, the Bills select cornerback Stephon Gilmore. The new pick is Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffery instead. But there’s a twist. Would the Bills have re-selected Gilmore? Who knows, because in this redo, he actually is the sixth-overall pick, going to the Cowboys.
Back to Jeffery, here’s how former front office executive turned NFL Media analyst Gil Brandt breaks down the changed pick:
Original pick: Stephon Gilmore, CB.
Jeffery was actually drafted: by the Bears in Round 2 (No. 45).With Gilmore off the board, the Bills grab Jeffery. Pairing Jeffery with wideout Stevie Johnson would have gone a long way toward providing the kind of offensive firepower that might have kept both coach Chan Gailey and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick from losing their jobs in Buffalo after the 2012 season.
Also worth mentioning might be that the Bills were eventually unable to keep Gilmore after his rookie contract expired and he’s since been on the Patriots. Further comparisons to consider would be that heading into this offseason, the Bills added Stefon Diggs. That’s because they needed a top-playmaking receiver. While Diggs is a higher-caliber playmaker than Jeffery, Buffalo would not have been in such a dire situation to acquire Diggs, had they had a big-bodied playmaker like Jeffery.
However, if we’re making knocks against Gilmore in a sense, it’s only far to do so with Jeffery. In recent seasons he’s had a tough time staying on the field and it appears they’d have their effects on him even when he does get out there. Still, interesting to consider adding Jeffery into that 2012 Bills offense.
In terms of the current-day Bills, let’s look back to Carolina, too. With the No. 9 overall pick in this redo, right before Buffalo’s selection, the Panthers… who had Buffalo’s Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott in-house at the time, still select linebacker Luke Kuechly. A bit of a notion that those two were apart of an important and smart selection.
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