Did the Bills wait too long in the recent NFL draft to take a tight end that can help spark their 30th-ranked passing game?
Club officials don't believe so.
Derek Fine, a 6-3, 250-pound fifth-year senior who helped Kansas win a school-record 12 games last fall, was selected in the fourth round by Buffalo 132nd overall and the 10th tight end overall.
Wanting to address their weak pass rush, Buffalo selected Virginia Tech defensive end Chris Ellis in round three, passing over more highly-rated tight ends such as Brad Cottam (Chiefs), Jermichael Finley (Packers) and Craig Stevens (Titans). Players like Finley, who played at Texas, and Martellus Bennett (second round, Dallas) of Texas A&M, received more attention than Fine in the Big 12.
But lack of hype perhaps allowed Fine to slip to the Bills in the fourth round, where they were eager to take him.
"Of the tight ends I did this year to me he was the most complete tight end," Bills scout Brad Forsyth said. "He does everything very well. He's an excellent blocker in the run game and ... in terms of the pass game, he's more of a short-area type receiver but he's a better athlete than people give him credit for. We like his toughness, we love his versatility."
The Bills have been looking for a serious pass catching tight end since parting ways with Jay Riemersma in 2002.
Kevin Everett, a third-round pick in 2005, was slow to develop and then saw his career upended by a spinal cord injury last fall. Free agent Michael Gaines (25 catches, two TDs) showed promise last year but has since signed with Detroit.
What's that leave?
Robert Royal (25 catches, three TDs) as the starter competing with Fine, second-year pro Derek Schouman and young veteran free agents Teyo Johnson and Courtney Anderson who are looking for new starts.
For the kind of offense Buffalo runs, tight end coach Charlie Coiner said the tight end can't merely be a glorified big receiver. He's got to block, too. That made Fine and best find for them.
"It's always helpful to have a down-the-field, stretch-the-field tight end but only if you have one who can also block at the line of scrimmage, unless you're going to go to a different scheme," Coiner said. "There were some tight ends who had tremendous pass receiving ability who we liked but at the same time, a guy that can do both things, I don't know that there's another one out there we liked better than Derek Fine. He can stretch the field. But here in this organization you have to be able to block at the line of scrimmage, too."
Fine caught 46 catches for 394 yards and four touchdowns last fall and threw some dandy blocks. For his career, he had 98 catches for 1,009 yards and 10 touchdowns while starting 33 games in 49 appearances.
One other attribute? He was Kansas' special teams co-MVP and Buffalo needs help there.
"I had really good interviews (at the combine) and I knew that they were interested," Fine said of the Bills. "I knew that they needed a tight end and they also run the ball and they would want me to do some blocking.
"I think my game is really complete," he added. "I've had a couple of mishaps here and there where I had a drop but ... even the best receivers drop balls every now and then, and it's something you have to let go. Other than that, I feel I'm really complete. I run good routes, I'm a really hard worker and I take a great amount of pride in all of my blocking. I think my blocking is kind of what's gotten me this far and got me through the combine. I feel really confident with my game, and with special teams, too."
During Buffalo's recent rookie minicamp, Fine was the only tight end on hand and he received a ton of work, impressing Coiner with his route running.
At Kansas, Fine split out wide at times. He also was sent in motion or did lead blocking as an H-back.
"I'm used to be being an in-line tight end," he said. "This past year our offense came onto the scene and that's what made it seem like I was split out more because we ran the spread-type of offense."
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