With barely more than a week before the 2016 NFL Draft gets underway, Doug Whaley could of course be smoke-screening. But signs point to the Buffalo Bills general manager shooting straight in saying that the club will likely be adding a quarterback among its eight draft choices this year.
"There's a very, very good chance we'll be drafting a quarterback," Whaley said during a pre-draft press conference on Wednesday, per the club's official Twitter feed. "When that will be, I don't know."
Get in line, Doug.
The Dallas Cowboys appear to be poised to add a quarterback at some point, and the Los Angeles Rams have all but acknowledged they'll take one after acquiring the first pick of the draft via a trade with the Tennessee Titans. The Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos figure to be among the clubs in the draft market for a quarterback, as well.
The Bills hold the No. 19 overall choice in the first round, but two fourth-rounders and two sixth-rounders give the club extra opportunities to take a quarterback on the third day of the draft. The team has done plenty of homework on the draft's quarterback class, and not just on presumptive first-round picks. From Ohio State's Cardale Jones to Mississippi State's Dak Prescott and Stanford's Kevin Hogan, they've also taken an interest in quarterbacks expected to be chosen later in the draft. Bills officials dined with Memphis' Paxton Lynch prior to his April 6 pro-day workout, which offensive coordinator Greg Roman attended.
Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who was effective in his first year as a starter last year, finds himself in a unique contract situation with limited experience and only one season left on his current deal. Whaley said on Wednesday that Taylor is entrenched as the team's starter.
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