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The Buffalo Bills have made their first sixth-round pick of the 2015 NFL Draft: Tony Steward, a linebacker from Clemson, will fight to make the roster as a reserve linebacker under Rex Ryan.
Steward has had two ACL surgeries - one in each knee - which hampered his development after being the top-rated linebacker in the country coming out of high school. He was even a higher-ranked prospect than former Clemson and current Bills teammate Sammy Watkins.
The 6'1", 241-pound Steward profiles as an inside linebacker in Buffalo's defense; he'll compete with project-type players Ty Powell, Randell Johnson, and Jimmy Gaines for a roster spot. Steward has athleticism working in his favor, despite the history of knee injuries; he ran a 4.64-second 40-yard dash at Clemson's pro day, then followed that up with a 34.5-inch vertical leap.
To this point, the Bills have only selected players from the ACC in this year's draft. We'll see if the trend continues here shortly, when they pick at No. 194 overall.