Bills general manager Doug Whaley had an interesting sit down with Sirius XM on Friday following Jared Goff's pro day workouts in California, especially when he said that he'd have no hesitation in taking the quarterback at No. 19 if Goff was the highest rated player remaining on his board.
The statement alone isn't all that shocking. The Bills have Tyrod Taylor and E.J. Manuel, though neither has been good enough to earn the franchise quarterback moniker. And really, Whaley was just making a larger point about sticking to the board.
What we found intriguing was the way Whaley described his draft philosophy, especially when it comes to this rendition of his roster.
"I tell everybody -- where we are as a team, there is not one position we wouldn't draft in the first, second or third round that we wouldn't have a need for," Whaley said. "Either by a guy coming in to compete for a starting job or a guy to add depth. And what you really want to do is now, in a year or two when you really need a guy, you're not relying on a rookie to go through those highs and lows. You have a guy that's been in your system for a year or two."
Some general managers allow themselves to take chances as they drift beyond the first round, but it sounds like Whaley is taking a more realistic approach as he enters an interesting phase in Buffalo's rebuild. The team is very top-heavy with veteran talent, a staple of a Rex Ryan team. But at some point, the youth will need to catch up with experience in order to create the playoff team Ryan is hoping to place on the field.
