Buffalo Bills: Scouting the 2017 NFL Draft for a Wide Receiver

Zay Jones – East Carolina

Senior

6’1”, 197 lbs

399 receptions

4,279 yards

23 touchdowns

Zay Jones is a bit of an unknown to most people, but anybody who saw the Senior Bowl saw the reason his stock is rising. Arguably one of the top performers during Senior Bowl week, Jones could provide the route running expertise Robert Woods brings to the Buffalo Bills.

The other noticeable reason to watch Jones closely is that the Bills new WR Coach is Phil McGeohan. Who? I don’t know anything about him other than his bio. His bio tells me he was the East Carolina WR coach last season, so he will be extremely familiar with Jones and there is the obvious connection.

Projected Bills NFL Draft Round: 2-4

It’s a good thing for a new coaching staff to bring in players that they know, who will bring their culture and work ethic with them. Will Jones be the type of player the coaches want to add? We will see. This won’t be the first time a college coach could bring in his ex-player in the middle rounds.

Doug Marrone once had the same opportunity to bring in QB Ryan Nassib when he first started, instead EJ Manuel came in. Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien got Brock Osweiler rather than draft his college QB Christian Hackenberg too. The results of those decisions seem minor, but you can point to historical instances where a link isn’t the obvious selection.

Then again, Rex Ryan got Clemson guys each year.

Let’s look at another option.