ESPN’s Todd McShay selects his top draft pick by the Buffalo Bills

ESPN Insider Todd McShay went through and selected each NFL team’s top draft pick this year. Who did he choose for the Buffalo Bills?

ESPN’s Todd McShay had nice things to say about the Buffalo Bills‘ 2017 NFL Draft class and even higher praise for their ability to grab Nathan Peterman out of Pittsburgh in the fifth round. Many analysts thought he was the most pro-ready quarterback in this draft.

After the draft came to an end, McShay listed his top draft pick by each NFL team and when it came to the Buffalo Bills, he chose Nathan Peterman. He had a lot of great things to say about the pick and added that he didn’t expect him to drop that far.

Here’s the excerpt from Todd McShay on the pick:

"What a steal for the Bills: I had Peterman ranked as my No. 4 QB and 69th overall prospect, and Buffalo got him in the fifth round. He’s the most pro-ready of all the quarterbacks in this class. Peterman throws with great anticipation and showed the ability to handle a lot of pre-snap responsibilities in Pitt’s scheme. I was on the sideline when Peterman went into Death Valley and threw five touchdowns to hand eventual national champion Clemson its only loss of the season. Peterman played with great poise in that hostile atmosphere. The one negative with this fit is Peterman’s lack of arm strength in the windy AFC East. But he gives the Bills a reliable backup in the short term and a potential starting option in the long term if they want to move on from Tyrod Taylor in the coming seasons."

After a flurry of trades in the first two rounds, the Buffalo Bills stayed rather quiet the next five rounds. Grabbing Tre’Davious White, Zay Jones and Dion Dawkins within the first 63 picks was a great way to start the draft, noting that all three could — and should — be starters Week 1.

It was what the Buffalo Bills did after those first two rounds that grabbed a lot of analysts’ attention. Not having a single pick in the third or fourth rounds, the Bills were back on the clock in the fifth round at No. 19. Selecting Matt Milano with this pick was possibly the worst addition on the day, but will still prove to be good depth.

9 picks later, the Bills made a move on a quarterback that surprised many. Somehow Nathan Peterman dropped all the way to the 28th selection in the fifth round, so although he was a 5th-round selection, he was close to being a 6th-round.

Peterman has a lot of pros to his game that should help the Buffalo Bills out right away. We all know the quarterback troubles the Bills have had for well over a decade. Although Tyrod Taylor has performed better than any Bills’ quarterback over that span, fans and even the coaching staff are still left wanting more out of him.

By drafting Peterman, the Buffalo Bills are basically telling Tyrod Taylor, “We like you enough to start for now, but if you don’t meet expectations then we are ready to move on.” This is something we knew before the draft, but it was his successor that was a question mark. Now, fans know who will likely take over — Nathan Peterman.

Peterman was a two-year starter at Pitt and played in a total of 26 games for the school. Over that span, he totaled 5,142 yards, 47 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The two years prior to that, he was a backup at Tennessee and played 9 games, totaling just 94 yards and 2 interceptions. After Joshua Dobbs earned full-time starter rights, Peterman transferred.

In addition to the passing, Peterman added 518 yards on the ground in his two years at Pitt — including 4 touchdowns. For fun, he also recorded two tackles and 11 receiving yards.

According to Sports-Reference, Nathan Peterman found himself in the top-10 ranks of several stat categories last season. He ranked first in the ACC in passing yards per attempt (9.3 yards), first in passing efficiency rating (163.4), fist in total yards per play (8.3 yards), seventh in pass completion percentage (60.5%), eighth in passing yards (2,855 yards), eighth in interceptions (7) and ninth in total yards (3,141 yards).

More from BuffaLowDown

• Buffalo Bills were ready to trade back if they couldn’t get Dalton Kincaid
• Grading Buffalo Bills drafting Dalton Kincaid in 2023 NFL Draft
• How the Buffalo Bills can win Day 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft
• Buffalo Bills having conversations about trading for DeAndre Hopkins
• Buffalo Bills Draft Rumors: Bills linked to this shocking first round target

Peterman has a lot of pros coming out of college. His quick release will help him get the ball out of his hands quicker and help under pressure, he has good balance and footwork, good IQ, can read defenses well, good short/medium throws, good anticipation, good at progressions and moving on to another target when he’s not open, good in the pocket and can even spread the field with his legs.

As for the cons, some question his throwing power and arm strength, doesn’t have a lot of ‘zip’ in his throws, accuracy on deep throws is off, inconsistent on late-down plays and when outside of the pocket.

At a quick glance, he seems to be everything that Tyrod Taylor isn’t. At the same time, he is missing some key traits that make Tyrod Taylor such a dangerous quarterback in this league — his elite running ability, deep ball and ability to throw on the run.

Let’s look at what Peterman was able to do against the fearsome Clemson Tigers last season:

Looking at the Bills’ total draft haul in 2017, Todd McShay had them listed as his fifth-favorite draft haul this year. That’s saying a lot, especially since some people have been criticizing the Bills’ draft experience. A big reason for him ranking the Bills at No. 5 was their ability to stick with their draft board, despite trading back twice.

Overall, I like the addition of Nathan Peterman. The Buffalo Bills ended up drafting a possible starting quarterback, while still drafting three starters before him in White, Jones and Dawkins. All four of those players filled huge needs by the Buffalo Bills, after losing players like Robert Woods, Marquise Goodwin, Stephon Gilmore and Nickell Robey-Coleman, in addition to the poor performance of Jordan Mills.

Now, it’s time to see if those draft picks can take their talent to the next level.

Next: LeSean McCoy is 1,046 Yards Away From Massive Milestone

What would you say the Buffalo Bills best draft pick was this year? Leave your thoughts below!