Buffalo Bills NFL Draft History: Re-Drafting the first round picks since 2010

Buffalo Bills 2014 First Round Pick:  Sammy Watkins

Watkins was easily one of the most anticipated draft picks in team history. A two-time first-team All-American at Clemson, the Fort Myers, Florida native seemed to be a can’t-miss prospect.

And Watkins showed a lot of promise in his first two years with the Bills. He totaled 125 receptions and 15 TDs in his first two seasons. He set Bills’ rookie records in receptions (65) and receiving yards (982), before nabbing his only 1,000-yard season and a career-high nine receiving scores in 2015.

Watkins’ 17.5 yards per catch in 2015 were tied for second in the NFL for a player with 50 or more receptions that year.

But the years since have been troubling for Watkins, particularly on the injury front. He has missed 32 games in total for his career, nearly two full seasons of play. And that has held him back statistically — since his second year with the Bills, Watkins has yet to top 52 catches, 673 yards, or eight TDs in a season.

Watkins may have a Super Bowl ring now on his resume, but he has been one of the biggest receiver busts in recent memory with no Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods to his name.

Was this the right pick? 

Absolutely not, especially trading up five spots and giving away two picks for him. At the time, Watkins was the top wideout coming from the college ranks. And no one could have predicted the type of injury history he’s had as a pro.

But just considering him going No. 4 in the draft class looks far worse in hindsight. I’ll just list the bevy of receivers taken after him, making for the greatest receiver class in modern draft history; Mike Evans, Odell Beckham Jr., Brandin Cooks, Davante Adams, Allen Robinson, Jarvis Landry, and former Buffalo Bill John Brown, to name a few.

Who could the Buffalo Bills have taken?

Obviously, those receivers I mentioned were all up for grabs. But it’s hard to ignore both 2010s All-Decade defensive line performers Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald, who were taken at No. 5 and No. 13, respectively. The NFL world as a whole didn’t realize the type of talent Donald was, as the seven-time first-team All-Pro has become the best player of his generation.

But Mack seems to be the name that would have made the most sense at the time of the draft. Wouldn’t it have been one of the best stories ever if the University at Buffalo’s top player of all time stayed right at home by joining the Bills? It felt like it was destined to happen once Buffalo traded up for the No. 4 pick.

That, however, was a fantasy only the Bills Mafia could dream of. But Mack himself has spoken on nearly becoming a Buffalo Bill, which he talked about with Paul Gutierrez of ESPN during his 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year campaign:

"“I talk to Sammy about that every once in a while and tell him how he stole my city from me,”"

Tough break for the Bills on this one.