The Buffalo Bills were looking to be aggressive in the first round of the draft and they certainly were. The team is fully invested in quarterback EJ Manuel, but knew they needed to surround him with weapons in order to make it work. Jumping up to get a wide receiver certainly helps, but does it mean a trade is in the future of another member of the Bills?
Buffalo had the No. 9 pick in the NFL Draft, putting them at an awkward spot. The team was too low to draft Sammy Watkins, but too high to waste the pick on someone like Kelvin Benjamin. However, general manager Doug Whaley wanted the best of the best and he got it. The team traded their No. 9 pick this year plus a first-round and four-round pick in 2015 to get former Clemson star Sammy Watkins at No. 4. The move was reminiscent of the deal the Atlanta Falcons made to get Julio Jones which is a bit ironic considering they are the same kind of receiver. The trade worked well for the Falcons and the Buffalo Bills are hoping for the same results.
According to Whaley, the team took the risk in order to win now and not later. The Bills have not exactly given fans too much to cheer about lately and Whaley hopes his aggressiveness in the draft changes that.
"We've got to win," Whaley said, via Peter King of TheMMQB.com. "We've got to win now. Fourteen years of not making the playoffs. Fourteen years. The people here deserve so much more. We need to give them more. We need to give them a winning team. We need to do it for the people of this region, and we need to do it for Mr. Wilson. I understand how big the deal is. I'm a competitor. I like our odds. I like our chances. The information we had made the decision for us. The player made the decision. I think I made the best decision for the Buffalo Bills. I can live with that, however it turns out."
Now that the Bills have Watkins, is a trade of Stevie Johnson or Robert Woods in the works? Woods was the second round pick last year, so no way he is getting dealt even though he only had 587 yards in 2013. However, Watkins could symbolize the end of the road for Johnson. The receiver is a big salary cap hit and coming off an extremely disappointing season. The Bills have hinted a trade in the past and could still aim for a draft day deal in the next two rounds. Teams like the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers need playmakers and could consider the option of Johnson.
