Bills considered drafting Seattle QB Russell Wilson
The Bills considered selecting rookie standout Russell Wilson in April's draft.
How seriously did they think about it? Bills coach Chan Gailey won't say.
The Bills will get a close look at Wilson this weekend when they face the Seattle Seahawks in Toronto. Wilson, a third-round pick out of Wisconsin, has been terrific in his first season in the NFL. He's started all 13 games, throwing for 2,492 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The Bills have come under fire from fans for not taking any chances on young quarterbacks early in the draft in recent years. They've been searching for a long-term answer at the position since Jim Kelly's retirement following the 1996 season and have had little success. Finding a franchise QB looks to be a priority once again this offseason with Ryan Fitzpatrick's struggles this year.
Wilson fell all the way to the 75th overall pick, where he was scooped up by the Seahawks.
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Asked Wednesday if the Bills considered picking Wilson, Gailey responded: “Sure. Everybody had a high opinion of him. It's just where you would have taken him. Everybody had a high opinion of him.”
Gailey declined to answer a follow-up question regarding what type of grade the team had Wilson.
“You know I'm not answering that,” he said. “I know, but I'm not answering that.”
Gailey said he was impressed with Wilson when he spent time with him during the pre-draft process. But it obviously wasn't enough for the Bills to select Wilson in the first three rounds of the draft. The Bills chose WR T.J. Graham (24 receptions, 236 yards, 1 TD) six picks before Wilson was selected.
“Extremely impressed,” Gailey said of Wilson.
“He's a great leader, he's extremely smart, he's extremely productive. If you took away the size, he was right up there with the top quarterbacks and that's what everybody had a problem with. He'd done it in college but you'd always have that thing in the back of your mind and he's proved everybody wrong and proved himself right. He's an impressive player and an impressive person.”
For more updates on the Bills, follow correspondent Mark Ludwiczak on Twitter @CBSBills and @MarkLud12.
