The last time the Buffalo Bills drafted an offensive lineman from Virginia Tech, it worked out.
Sort of.
The Bills selected Wyatt Teller in the fifth round in 2018. The good news is, he's gone on to become an All-Pro guard. The bad news is, that's happened with the Cleveland Browns.
The Bills traded Teller to Cleveland before the start of the 2019 season, ultimately cutting bait way too soon. That misstep came up Saturday, because the Bills went back to Virginia Tech to draft massive offensive tackle Luke Tenuta in the sixth round, No. 209 overall.
A 2020 fifth-round pick acquired from Cleveland in the deal was part of the package the Bills used to trade with the Minnesota Vikings for Stefon Diggs.
"A lot of love for him. Big kid," general manager Brandon Beane said. "Last time we went to Virginia Tech late, it worked out with Wyatt. I screwed it up, but we found a good player there. Not to say this kid is going to be Wyatt, but we're excited about him."
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Beane was asked what he learned from the experience of trading Teller.
"Wyatt was a young player, had played a little bit as a rookie, and then came back and had a new O-line coach (Bobby Johnson). Going into (offensive coordinator Brian) Daboll’s second year with us, just didn't seem like things were meshing in there. They didn't feel at that time that he warranted to start and we just weren't sure what his role was going to be.
"I just felt like, 'I don't know if it's going to end up working here.' While there's some value, I think we drafted him in the fifth and we got a fifth and a sixth back. I'm like, ‘Let me at least cash in to send him for something else if it doesn't look like it's going to work here.’ And looking back, I should have been more patient and should have let it play out a little longer. Again, that's on me."
It's not every day an NFL GM provides that type of insight into what was ultimately a mistake.
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The Bills started the process of signing undrafted free agents Saturday night when they reached an agreement with Penn defensive tackle Prince Emili, a league source told The Buffalo News.
Emili was a first-team All-Ivy League selection as a senior in 2021, starting all 10 games and finishing with 49 tackles, including 13 tackles for loss, and five sacks. He also blocked a kick on special teams. His 13 tackles for loss ranked second in the Ivy League. A 6-foot-2, 300-pounder, Emili is a native of New York City.
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Three University at Buffalo football players signed with NFL teams as undrafted free agents on Saturday. Linebacker Kadofi Wright signed with the Denver Broncos, the school announced, and the Los Angeles Chargers announced they signed running back Kevin Marks Jr. Defensive tackle Josh Rogers announced he was signing with the Seattle Seahawks.
Wright (6-foot-3, 230 pounds) played five years with the Bulls, finishing his time there with 147 total tackles, five interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, three forced fumbles and seven sacks in 49 games. He was named Second-Team All-MAC in 2019.
Marks (6-foot, 203) left UB as the Bulls’ fifth all-time leader in rushing yards (3,035) and tied for third all-time in rushing touchdowns (33). He played nine games last season, limited due to a lower leg injury, and he had 414 yards and five touchdowns on 108 carries.
Rogers (6-5, 295) started 10 games and had 24 tackles (3.5 for loss) last season. He began his career with three seasons at Texas A&M.
News Sports Reporter Katherine Fitzgerald contributed to this report.
