As we prepare for a second wave of free agency, here’s what the AFC East did in the draft.
The NFL Draft is now over and most teams have the majority of their roster ready to go. A second wave of free agency is about to hit, but it won’t be nearly as exciting as the first. With that being said, it’s time to for Buffalo Bills‘ fans to start scouting the rookies they will see twice next season.
One of the more bizarre drafts of recent memory, surprises came from every corner. From Myles Garrett (first overall) to Chad Kelly (Mr. Irrelevant), 253 players were selected to join the NFL this season — with a handful of other undrafted free agents being signed following the draft.
BuffaLowDown has already gone over the selections made by Buffalo Bills — the greatest franchise of all time, just saying. By the end of the draft, the Bills had 6 new rookies to welcome. In case you were too busy to watch it and have been under a rock since, here’s who the Bills drafted:
- CB Tre’Davious White (R1, 27th overall)
- WR Zay Jones (R2, 37th overall)
- OT Dion Dawkins (R2, 63rd overall)
- LB Matt Milano (R5, 163rd overall)
- QB Nathan Peterman (R5, 171st overall)
- LB Tanner Vallejo (R6, 195th overall)
For a closer look at the Buffalo Bills‘ draft class and what they’ll bring to the table, you can go through our grades of each selection.
Before the season starts, it would be smart to get a good idea at who our rivals drafted before we square up with each of them twice. Before we get into each of the picks, here’s a quick look at what lies ahead:
- New England Patriots welcome four rookies this year after making four trades in the draft.
- Miami Dolphins welcome 7 rookies this year after making two trades in the draft.
- New York Jets welcome 9 rookies this year after making five trades in the draft.
Let’s get started with the Patriots.
The New England Patriots welcome four rookies in this year’s NFL Draft, making four trades in the process.
The New England Patriots are known for having strong drafts every year. As a Buffalo Bills‘ fan, I was glad to see that they only had four draft picks by the end of the event. Unfortunately, Mel Kiper had a lot of good things to say about their draft class.
Ultimately, the Patriots had two third-round draft picks, one fourth-round and one sixth-round pick. They added two defensive ends and two offensive tackles, all of them slotted to play backup/depth roles.
First, let’s get to the trades that went down:
- Patriots trade No. 72 (R3) and No. 200 (R6) to Titans for No. 83 (R3) and No. 124 (R4).
- Patriots trade No. 96 (R3) and No. 144 (R4) to Lions for No. 85 (R3).
- Patriots trade No. 183 (R5) to Chiefs for TE James O’Shaughnessy and No. 216 (R6).
- Patriots trade No. 216 (R6) and No. 239 (R7) to Cowboys for No. 211 (R6).
Here’s a list of their final selections:
- DE Derek Rivers (R3, No. 83)
- OT Antonio Garcia (R3, No. 85)
- DE Deatrich Wise Jr. (R4 , No. 131)
- OT Conor McDermott (R6, No. 211)
You read that correctly, the Patriots drafted a player with the same last name as the Buffalo Bills‘ head coach. He’s a 6’8”, 307-pound offensive lineman that used to play tight end.
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Here’s how Mel Kiper summed up the Patriots’ draft:
"The reason the Patriots’ grade is so high with no first- or second-round picks? You have to remember that Brandin Cooks and Kony Ealy are essentially those picks, and New England knows exactly what it’s getting in both. Now, on to what New England got this weekend, including two guys who were higher on my board than where the Patriots picked, and at need positions. Derek Rivers is a workout freak and ferocious pass-rusher who had 41 career sacks at Youngstown State. He would have been a contributor if he had played at Ohio State. Antonio Garcia required giving up their fourth-round pick in a trade up 11 spots, but he’s a natural left tackle who started 42 collegiate games. He was my fifth-ranked tackle. If he’s the Patriots’ swing tackle backing up both Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon, that’s an improvement. Deatrich Wise Jr., a versatile edge defender, continues the Patriots’ Arkansas pipeline."
Ultimately, not too much to worry about from a Bills’ perspective. The Patriots seem to have drafted some players that could see time if an injury were to happen, but not much other than that. Rivers is the only one I see having a productive year in 2017.
Let’s move on to the New York Jets.
The New York Jets welcome 9 rookies this year after making five trades in the draft.
Okay, this one is going to hurt for Buffalo Bills‘ fans who were thinking Tyrod Taylor would have an easy go against the New York Jets this season. Seeing Jamal Adams in a Jets’ uniform is tough to look at, especially since I was hoping he would end up in a Bills’ uniform.
Luckily, the Jets were smart enough to draft another safety with their second round selection — saving WR for the third and fourth round. With a lot of needs on their roster, including running back, quarterback and cornerback, it’s good to see the Jets draft the opposite.
Still, the Jets landed one of the best players in this draft and it’s squarely due to Mitch Trubisky being taken No. 2 overall by the Chicago Bears. If that didn’t happen, the Jets could’ve had a new quarterback at No. 6.
Ultimately, the Jets added 9 rookies this year and only had two questionable picks — CB Derrick Jones and FS Marcus Maye. The Jets were also involved in five trades during the draft:
- Jets traded No. 70 (R3) to Vikings for No. 79 (R3) and No. 160 (R5).
- Jets traded No. 107 (R3) to Buccaneers for No. 125 (R4) and No. 204 (R6).
- Jets traded No. 125 (R4) to Rams for No. 141 (R4) and No. 197 (R6).
- Jets traded No. 160 (R5) and No. 224 (R7) to Browns for No. 181 (R5) and No. 188 (R6).
- Jets traded No. 191 (R6) to Cowboys for a 2018 pick (R5).
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Here’s a full list of the players drafted by the New York Jets:
- SS Jamal Adams (R1, No. 6)
- FS Marcus Maye (R2, No. 39)
- WR ArDarius Stewart (R3, No. 79)
- WR Chad Hansen (R4, No. 141)
- TE Jordan Leggett (R5, No. 150)
- LB Dylan Donahue (R5, No. 181)
- RB Elijah McGuire (R6, No. 188)
- CB Jeremy Clark (R6, No. 197)
- CB Derrick Jones (R6, No. 204)
Going back to Mel Kiper, here’s what he had to say about the New York Jets’ NFL draft:
"New York didn’t address its top two needs — QB and OT — with this class, but here’s why I’m not faulting the strategy: The Jets clearly went best-player-available throughout the class, and they didn’t reach. That’s hugely important for a team with one of the worst all-around rosters in the league. So while I don’t think their quarterback of the future is on their roster, I can’t knock not seeing the value in taking a developmental signal-caller when Christian Hackenberg is already that guy. And in one of the worst offensive line classes in recent history, they didn’t try to get a raw prospect in the middle rounds. They stuck to their board, and I can respect that."
Jamal Adams will be tough to play against twice next season, but Tyrod Taylor has a new target in Zay Jones and I’m not sure Adams has seen a running back that can cut like LeSean McCoy — so I think the Bills will be fine.
We have one more team in the AFC East to look at — the Miami Dolphins.
The Miami Dolphins welcome 7 rookies this year after making two trades in the draft.
According to CBS Sports, the Miami Dolphins had a great draft — grading their first three picks a B+, B and B-, while also grading their final four picks an A+, A, A and A+. Unfortunately, Mel Kiper thought they had some better options at some of the picks.
All in all, the Dolphins bolstered their defensive line, while also adding much needed help at linebacker, offensive line, cornerback and wide receiver. In the process, they only made two trades and stayed put with most of their original picks.
Here’s a look at those two trades:
- Dolphins trade No. 166 (R5) and No. 184 (R5) to Eagles for No. 164 (R5) and No. 194 (R6).
- Dolphins trade No. 223 (R7) to the Buccaneers for No. 237 (R7) and a 2018 pick (R7).
As for the picks they made, here they are:
- DE Charles Harris (R1, No. 22)
- LB Raekwon McMillan (R2, No. 54)
- CB Cordrea Tankersley (R3, No. 97)
- OG Isaac Asiata (R5, No. 164)
- DT Davon Godchaux (R5, No. 178)
- DT Vincent Taylor (R6, No. 194)
- WR Isaiah Ford (R7, No. 237)
According to an ESPN article that had several polls available to the public on the Dolphins’ NFL draft, here are some of the results.
- Fans graded the Dolphins with an overall B draft grade (10,112 votes)
- OG Isaac Asiata was rated the best value in the fifth round.
- LB Raekwon McMillan was rated the biggest reach by the Dolphins.
- OL Isaac Asiata was voted to have the biggest impact as a rookie.
- Fans voted that the team’s biggest need that remains is offensive line depth.
That wraps it up for all of the rookies that will be joining the AFC East this season. All of the players above will see the Buffalo Bills twice next season, so don’t forget these names!
Next: Grading the Buffalo Bills 2017 draft class
Which player are you most worried about playing against this season? Leave your thoughts below!