The Buffalo Bills have drafted defensive backs pretty well since 2008.
The Bills have been pretty good at drafting cornerbacks recently. Since 2008 they have taken the following defensive backs in the first through fourth rounds:
Leodis McKelvin (1st rd), Reggie Corner (4th rd), Jairus Byrd (2nd rd), Aaron Williams (2nd rd), Da’Norris Searcy (4th rd), Stephon Gilmore (1st rd), Ron Brooks (4th rd), Duke Williams (4th rd), Ross Cockrell (4th rd ), and Ronald Darby (2nd rd) according to ProFootballReference.com.
Out of those players, Ronald Darby and Stephon Gilmore have proven to be bonafide stars in the NFL as cornerbacks. Jairus Byrd and Aaron Williams both turned out to be very good safeties for the Bills.
Leodis McKelvin had some ups and downs but he was way more up than down. Fans tend to focus on the few big plays he let up, and the fumbles on special teams rather than on the many great plays he made for the team.
While Da’Norris Searcy, Ron Brooks, and Duke Williams have not been spectacular, all were fourth-round picks who played several years with the team which is not a bad return considering that many fourth round picks never pan out.
The only player who didn’t really work out was Ross Cockrell who only played one season for the team which also matches the total tackles that he had in seven games that year as a reserve player.
As you can see the Bills have been pretty successful in getting meaningful playing time out of their defensive back draft picks since 2008 and so it’s possible they could feel quite confident in their ability to scout and select players in the defensive backfield.
Next: Reason 3: Bills Don't Want to Sign Gilmore Because of Ronald Darby