All eyes on McGahee as Bills run reverse in draft

By Shawn Krest

Oakland would have been expected. So would Philadelphia or Houston. When the Bills called Willis McGahee on draft day, the injured Miami tailback was surprised, to say the least. "My agent didn't talk about the Bills. I didn't think they were in the picture," said McGahee. "I was speechless when it happened. I was in complete shock."

Join the club, Willis. With the rest of the NFL choosing defensive linemen, the Bills ignored their defensive needs to roll the dice on a player not expected to dress in 2003. Team president Tom Donahoe pulled the trigger on what will go down as the biggest gamble since… well, since Donahoe’s Draft Day trade for Drew Bledsoe last year. It should be noted that Bledsoe was also coming off a career-threatening injury and disregarded by the rest of the league’s braintrust. Donahoe obviously believes in the old TV theme song: Different Strokes for different folks, and this year’s move had Bills fans and league observers saying, "What you talkin’ ‘bout? Willis?"

Like all good reverses, Buffalo’s Draft Day reverse required some good acting to sell the fake. The team didn’t send an observer to McGahee’s draft week workout. Tom Modrak wore a poker face when he said that the team was "comfortable with where we have him" in the pre-draft rankings. He also anticipated that McGahee would be drafted "probably by a team with two (first round) picks."

The painfully shy McGahee seems an unlikely center of controversy. "I was nervous," he said in a soft voice that had his audience straining to hear, "it was my first draft day." But when incumbent running back Travis Henry took offense at the team’s selection, that’s exactly where McGahee found himself. When his outspoken agent, Drew Rosenhaus, began crowing about how he duped the Bills, the spotlight became even brighter. "I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, what is he doing?’" said McGahee of his agent’s antics.

As for the third prong of the controversy, Tom Donahoe addressed the "What were they thinking?" contingent when he said, "We have no control over what people think and we really don't worry about it. Our job is to pick good football players."

The Bills addressed their defensive needs in round two, picking end Chris Kelsay from Nebraska, a player that many mock drafts had going to Buffalo with the first round pick. "I have no idea (why I fell to round two)," said Kelsay. "I was getting a little frustrated…I was kind of caught off-guard when they picked a running back (in round one)."

In the third round, the Bills chose Virginia linebacker Angelo Crowell, brother of wide receiver Germane Crowell of the Lions. "He’s going to walk in and be able to back up at inside (linebacker) right now," said Bills’ scouting coordinator Doug Majeski.

On day two of the draft, the Bills selected defensive back Terrence McGee from Northwestern State, (Louisianna) with the first of two fourth round picks. Like Josh Reed last year, McGee might have been selected with an eye on the future, as cornerback Antoine Winfield’s contract expires after this season. McGee will be given a chance to help out on special teams this year.

As predicted in Sports & Leisure Magazine’s March draft preview, the Bills used a pick on North Carolina receiver Sam Aiken. At six feet, Aiken is a taller version of Josh Reed, commended for his hands and route running, with questions about his speed.

The Bills rounded out their draft class with offensive lineman Ben Sobieski of Iowa, defensive tackle Lauvale Sape of Utah, and linebacker Mario Haggan of Mississippi State.

Overall, the Bills may not have added any 2003 starters, but that may be more a credit to the team’s free agent success than an indictment of their draft class. "We think that we drafted some players that add to our depth and add to our competition at positions," said Donahoe. "Hopefully we’ll continue to find players that can make us better on special teams."

And what about the team’s controversial depth at running back? "Was there anybody in Buffalo who wasn’t in shock?" asked Donahoe.

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