Tre'Davious White poses for photographs with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Buffalo Bills as the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft at the NFL Draft Theater in Philadelphia, PA on April 27, 2017. The 82nd NFL Draft returned to Philadelphia for the first time in more than 50 years and runs from April 27-29. Photo by Derik Hamilton/UPI |
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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- A franchise that has become known for doing things on draft day that leave its fans befuddled finally made a move Thursday in the first round that made a whole lot of sense.
Knowing this was a draft deep at cornerback, the Buffalo Bills leveraged their No. 10 overall pick in a trade down with Kansas City, swapping places with the Chiefs at No. 27, and still landed LSU cornerback Tre'Davious White, a four-year starter who should be able to come right in and compete for a starting position.
Just as important, the Bills acquired the Chiefs' third-round pick in this draft, No. 91 overall, and their first-round pick in 2018, the plum nugget of the deal.
"We really felt the value we were looking at, very rarely can you do that when you can cash that in with a 2018 first-round pick and get a third-rounder on top of that, it was a very unique situation for us," head coach Sean McDermott said of the trade. "We felt good about that, and we felt good about the pick with Tre'Davious White. Solid person, solid football player, we felt like if we could get him it would be a good pick for us and there he was at 27."
The 5-foot-11, 193-pound White isn't considered a very physical player, but he is said to be a strong cover corner and he played at a school that is known for producing quality defensive backs. Last season, he was a first-team Walter Camp All-America and All-SEC selection when he made 34 tackles, two interceptions, and a team-high 14 pass breakups, which was eighth-best in the FBS.
"He's not flashy, he's not sexy, but he's solid," said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock.
One of the reasons the Bills liked White is he can play both outside and in the slot. The team lost starting cornerback Stephon Gilmore and nickel cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman in free agency, so there was a gaping hole in the secondary. It wouldn't be surprising if the Bills pick another corner at some point in this draft.
"He's versatile, plays inside, outside, and he's also a returner so there's special teams value, so we feel good about it," McDermott said of White.
Owner Terry Pegula made it a point when he addressed the media last week after he fired Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma, his general manager and coach of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, that character and discipline were going to become buzz words around both organizations. White, who was the valedictorian of his high school class and has already earned his degree in sports administration from LSU, is a player who apparently checked those boxes in all the background checks and in the face-to-face meeting he had with team executives at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in March.
"We want to know what we're getting," said McDermott. "There's a lot of unknowns in the draft and life in general, so you try to close that gap as much as you can. Certainly, with the character that Tre'Davious White has, we felt good about the person off the field.
"I feel good about it, but not satisfied. Every waking hour, our coaches and personnel (staff), Terry and Kim (Pegula), this is what we live and breathe. Every minute we're up at that board, I'm looking at what we can do next to get better. I feel like our homework and research has paid off. You feel good when your hard work pays off. I'll be able to sleep pretty well tonight."
