Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott spoke directly to his team’s supposed interest in many of the top quarterback prospects in the 2017 NFL Draft, while talking on Kiss 98.5 in Buffalo today.
“We'll take a look at those [quarterbacks], but it doesn't mean we're taking a quarterback. Maybe these last three or four trips were just kind of all a smokescreen, right? It's kind of like hiding your presents from your kids. You kind of put them in different spots and see, right? We'll just see. It's just a big mystery at this point. No one really knows. You never know who's going to be there at No. 10 when we pick. You just got to go do the homework and study it up.”
Beyond any speculation, the end of McDermott’s comment actually is pretty logical. Studying up on as many of the best prospects as humanly possible makes a whole lot of sense for every team.
McDermott’s mention of Buffalo possibly sending “smokescreens” comes on the heels of, well, the Bills brass — including co-owner Terry Pegula — recently being in attendance for workouts of DeShone Kizer, Patrick Mahomes, and Mitchell Trubisky. Nate Peterman has visited One Bills Drive, and last week, a rumor surfaced that GM Doug Whaley may possibly be “in love” with Deshaun Watson.
Regarding Trubisky, Eric Galko of Sporting News and Optimum Scouting wrote the following about what he’s heard on Buffalo’s interest in the North Carolina quarterback:
“The Bills have substantial interest in Trubisky and have had it for a while. Don’t be surprised if they trade up.”
On top of that, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report included this tidbit in his latest 10-Point Stance:
“10. Bills: Quarterback in play here in a big way. I think this is where (North Carolina QB) Mitchell Trubisky goes. In a normal year where there's a decent amount of [quarterback prospects], a player like [Trubisky] would go in the late first round. Teams like the Bills are desperate.”
So, are the Bills seriously considering taking a quarterback in the first round? Or is all of this apparent “interest” part of one gigantic smokescreen?