The Bills had the No. 10 pick in the 2017 draft, but they opted to trade it to the Chiefs in exchange for the No. 27 pick, a third-round pick, and a 2018 first-round pick.
Patrick Mahomes became the 10th pick and trading away a pick that turned into a player who has won MVP and Super Bowl MVP would usually be seen as a bad moment for an NFL team. The Bills’ role in that deal hasn’t led to much scorn, however, and what they did with the picks has something to do with that.
They took cornerback Tre’Davious White with the 27th overall pick in 2017 and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds with the 2018 first-rounder while also landing left tackle Dion Dawkins after other trades involving the third-round pick they acquired in the deal. Quarterback Josh Allen wasn’t acquired with a pick from that deal, but head coach Sean McDermott still mentioned him while saying things worked out for both sides.
“They got a good player in Patrick, and I think we made out as well with Josh, Tremaine and Tre’Davious -- however you kind of shape that, in terms of picks that became picks,” McDermott said, via Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com. “I think both teams fared awfully well.”
Knowing how things would turn out for Mahomes in the NFL, the Bills might do something different with the benefit of a time machine but a win this Sunday would make that a more difficult decision.
