Buffalo Bills: Looking at the most memorable draft moment in team history
ESPN recently released a list of the most memorable draft moments for each NFL team, and the one for the Buffalo Bills should stand out in fans’ minds.
The 2018 NFL Draft is officially less than two weeks away. Cue at least one Buffalo Bills fan making a bold claim about what he/she will do if the team drafts Josh Allen.
As we wait for the 2018 draft to get underway, ESPN recently released a list of the most memorable draft moments for all 32 NFL teams.
The moment chosen for the Bills comes from the 2015 draft when Jim Kelly was on stage and announced a pick for the team. He received an ovation as he remains a Buffalo legend, even after not wanting to go to the city in the first place.
That moment is up there, but I would offer up the drafting of J.P. Losman as the most memorable moment. Unfortunately, it is not for the same reasons as the Kelly moment.
Losman was taken No. 22 overall by the Bills in the 2004 draft. This came after the team passed on taking a quarterback at No. 13 overall, but felt strongly enough about Losman to trade back into the first round to grab him.
This was a draft class that featured Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger. The Bills weren’t in a position to draft any of the three, but a trade surely could have been made to at least get Big Ben, who was taken No. 11 overall.
Yet the team felt strongly enough about Losman, making it one of the early examples of the mistakes that have led the Bills to be without a franchise quarterback in 2018. That whiff on Losman still has ripple effects when it comes to fans being confident about committing to a rookie quarterback taken high in the draft.
A memorable moment doesn’t have to be something remembered fondly, and the selection of Losman will continue to loom over this franchise until the team finally finds that next mainstay at quarterback.
Maybe it will happen in two weeks. Even if a quarterback is taken, fans will still have Losman flashbacks until the player proves himself.