Tag: Sam Cowart

Bills draft history without a first-round pick

Here is Buffalo’s draft history when they have not participated in the first round of the NFL Draft.

The Buffalo Bills lack a first-round pick in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. The club traded their selection as part of a package of picks in exchange for wide receiver Stefon Diggs. It’s not the first time that’s happened.

This is the sixth time in Buffalo’s history that they will not have a scheduled first-round selection. The other five times? Well, the team has found efficient players with their first pick in the draft, even if it didn’t occur in the first round. 

Here is Buffalo’s draft history when they have not participated in the first round of an NFL Draft: 

2 Jan 1999: Thurman Thomas #34 of the Buffalo Bills. Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport

1988: Thurman Thomas

The origins of this pick started seven months earlier. The Bills were a part of one of the biggest blockbuster deals in NFL history. There were many moving pieces in this trade. The three-team trade involved the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, and the Bills. Rams superstar running back Eric Dickerson was not impressed with Los Angeles’ contract discussion, and he was ultimately put on the market. During the same time frame, Cornelius Bennett, the No.2 overall pick in the 1987 draft, could not agree to a deal with the Colts. 

In the end, Buffalo dealt two first-round picks, a second-round pick, and Greg Bell to acquire the rights of Bennett. Dickerson ended up in Indianapolis, and the Rams earned a slew of draft picks and Bell. 

The pick: 

Buffalo’s second-round pick ended up being one of the best players in team history. The Bills, with the 40th overall selection, chose Oklahoma State running back Thurman Thomas. The 2007 Hall of Famer was an integral part of the Bills Super Bowl run and the most successful time in the team’s history. 

Thomas was a two-time All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowl nominee, and led the league in yards from scrimmage four times. He won the league’s MVP award in 1991. Thomas is the team’s all-time rushing leader with 11,938 yards on the ground and 65 rushing touchdowns. 

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The 5 biggest free agent busts in Jets history

Jets Wire breaks down the five biggest busts in Jets history.

The Jets have earned some notoriety for their poor decisions in the NFL draft over the years, but some of the moves the team has made in free agency aren’t much better.

Whether it was a signing that did not work out due to injury or simply underwhelming play,  these moves go down as some of the worst in franchise history. With that being said and free agency right around the corner, here are five of New York’s biggest free agent busts.

Trumaine Johnson

Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

When the Jets inked Trumaine Johnson to a massive five-year, $72.5 million contract in March 2018, they thought they were getting a top-flight corner entering his prime.

Instead, Johnson has been a massive disappointment. He was benched in the middle of last season before landing on season-ending injured reserve with an ankle injury in November. Johnson was not much better in his first season with the team, struggling to keep up with receivers who shouldn’t have had any chance to beat him down the field.

After only two seasons with New York, Johnson is likely headed out the door. All things considered, he could go down as the biggest free agency bust in franchise history when it’s all said and done.

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