The Buffalo Bills decided to trade down in the 2017 NFL Draft and select Tre’Davious White out of LSU, but was it the right move and pick?
The first round of the 2017 NFL Draft on Thursday night was full of surprises. One of the biggest surprises of the night was the Kansas City Chiefs trading up to the 10th overall selection to take quarterback Patrick Mahomes out of Texas Tech. Mahomes has the tools to be a solid quarterback, however, they gave up their first-round selection in next year’s draft, as well as a third-round pick in this year’s draft, to move up and take Mahomes. As a result of the trade, the Buffalo Bills moved down and selected Tre’Davious White with the 27th overall selection.
The cornerback out of LSU had a very solid college career. The 5-11 corner had 34 pass breakups at LSU, which ranks fifth all time for the Tigers. His best season for the Tigers was his senior year, where White posted two interceptions and 14 pass breakups.
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Not only can White shutdown wide receivers, he can also be a dangerous return man. White totaled two punt return touchdowns at LSU, and I fully expect the Bills to utilize him as a returner. White was given the No. 18 jersey in his junior year, which is given to the most respected player on the team at LSU.
He was touted as one of the top corners in the draft heading into Thursday night. The Bills were looking for a corner to fill the hole Stephon Gilmore left, and White can step in right away next season and be a starter.
So why Tre’davious White ultimately available for the Buffalo Bills at No. 27? Well, some of that can be translated to his less than stellar Combine showing. He ran a 4.47-second 40 yard dash, which isn’t bad, but nothing special. Marshon Lattimore, who was the top corner taken in the first round, ran a 4.36. If Tre’Davious White ran under a 4.40 at the Combine, he would have ranked way higher on team’s draft boards.
Ultimately I think the Bills reached for White at 27. I initially had the Bills selecting White in the second round at No. 43. If the Bills waited until the second round, they might have been still able to land Tre’davious White. If White was gone by 43, another corner similar to his talent would have been available. Having said that, I love what the Bills did in the first round.
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Trading out of pick 10 was the right thing to do, as gaining another third round in this year’s draft, and a first in next year’s draft was definitely worth it. If the Bills can turn the extra third and first round picks into impact players, this first round was a big win for the franchise. Overall, I think the Bills did exactly would they needed to do. Garner more picks, and set themselves up to get more impact players in the future.