The 2004 NFL Draft is one that goes does in Buffalo Bills history as a very memorable one. That year saw one of the most highly-touted first-round quarterback classes picked.
Names include Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning and Phillip Rivers.
And then there’s JP Losman.
The No. 22 overall pick falls into Bills lore because he had a very underwhelming career to say the least, let alone mentioning the other quarterbacks selected in that same first round.
Looking back, Bleacher Report re-drafted the entire first round of that year’s draft recently and there’s several Bills things to note in regard to the changes made.
First, Losman wasn’t a first-round pick in the re-draft… which is not surprising. But the Bills did make two first-round picks at that year’s draft and there’s some good news in regard to that.
Wide receiver Lee Evans was picked by the Bills at the No. 13 overall pick. Evans was not re-picked by the Bills in B/R’s look back, but he is still a first rounder, going No. 28 overall to the Eagles instead of Buffalo.
Instead at No. 13, the Bills select linebacker Karlos Dansby, who was a second rounder in that year’s draft.
Here’s why B/R makes that change:
The Buffalo Bills didn’t make the playoffs in any of the next four seasons and had a losing record in three of those campaigns. That’s the window in which (Tommie) Harris and (Bob) Sanders were at their best, and at the time the Bills already had Sam Adams, Lawyer Milloy and Troy Vincent in those spots.
So we’ll again focus on longevity over concentrated dominance by giving the Bills linebacker Karlos Dansby, who intercepted as many passes in 2015 as he did in 2005 (three in each campaign). The Auburn product never peaked to the same degree as Harris or Sanders, but he had 11 90-plus-tackle seasons.
Dansby finished his career with at least 20 picks, sacks and forced fumbles, six defensive touchdowns, more than 1,400 tackles and 193 starts. That’s more valuable to the Bills than short-term success from better players.
Dansby ended up having one of the longest careers of all defenders in the 2004 draft, having played in the league all the way until 2017. Although, he only earned second-team, All-Pro honors once in 2013. Still, with the talent the Bills had in that defense, Dansby could’ve made a big difference. Without Losman, the Bills likely strap their saddle to quarterback Drew Bledsoe for another season or two. From 2002-2004, Bledsoe led the Bills under center, and earned a 23-25 overall record. In his final season with Buffalo in 2004, Bledsoe had a 9-7 record with Buffalo, but the team fell short of the postseason and the QB moved on, playing two more seasons with the Cowboys. The Bills turned things over to Losman in 2005.
On one more Bills-related note in the re-draft, another player Buffalo picked up from that year’s draft is a new first-round pick: offensive lineman Jason Peters. The now longtime Eagles tackle, he started his career with the Bills as an undrafted rookie free agent from Arkansas and the Lions take him No. 6 overall in B/R’s exercise. The Bills helped Peters move from a college tight end to offensive tackle in the pros, a position he excelled at. Peters left the Bills after the 2008 because of a contract dispute, and he has played with the Eagles ever since. He’s currently a free agent and may play another season in 2020.
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