Analyzing Buffalo Bills' Best Trade Options with 50th Pick in NFL Draft

The Buffalo Bills are currently the only team that isn't expected to make a selection in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. However, general manager Doug Whaley proved last year that he isn't afraid to make a high-profile draft-day trade to stabilize a positional weakness.

Around this time last year, Buffalo's draft team was busy doing its homework regarding which player to select with the ninth overall pick. The Bills were almost certainly prepared to make a selection at No. 9, but Whaley engineered a different course of action.

In order to assure himself an opportunity to select the top wide receiver on his draft board, Clemson's Sammy Watkins, Whaley executed a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns to move up five spots to the No. 4 overall selection.

Despite receiving scrutiny due to there being a handful of successful first-year wide receivers in 2014, Whaley has stood firm on his decision to trade up for Watkins, per ESPN's Mike Rodak.

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

"I can count at least three games that he was the integral part of us winning," Whaley said, per Rodak. "I would hate to see our record if he was not on our team."

If the Bills do not trade up for a second consecutive year, the team will make its first selection in the middle of the second round. The 50th overall selection should be enough to garner a quality prospect, but it is unlikely Whaley will be able to fill his greatest roster need in the middle of the second round.

Following the recent retirement of Kyle Orton, the Bills are right back where they started the 2014 season, with regard to the quarterback position. According to ESPN's Adam Caplan, 2013 first-round pick EJ Manuel is currently the only quarterback Buffalo has under contract for the 2015 season:

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#Bills now only have 1 QB under contract for 2015: E.J. Manuel.

— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) December 29, 2014"

Whaley may have played an integral role in selecting Manuel—according to NFL.com's Chris Wesseling—but it's doubtful he still considers him to be a franchise quarterback.

The former Florida State quarterback has recorded an underwhelming 78.5 quarterback rating and a completion percentage of just 58.6 in 15 appearances since joining the Bills. He is still young, but these numbers are simply not strong enough to express much faith.

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As newly named head coach Rex Ryan already stated via Wesseling, "Will we explore possible veteran free agents or draft picks there [at quarterback]? Absolutely."

Despite being known as a defensive-minded head coach, Ryan's first draft selection as a head coach back in 2009 was a quarterback—USC's Mark Sanchez.

After failing to sustain consistent success with Sanchez, Ryan would once again attempt to draft a franchise quarterback in 2013 second-round pick Geno Smith. Simply put, Ryan likes to have his wagon hitched to something—or someone, to be more accurate.

Both Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston, the two most highly-touted quarterback prospects in the 2015 class, are expected to be well out of reach for the Bills. But Whaley has a realistic shot at the next best option, assuming he can pull off another newsworthy draft-day move.

UCLA's Brett Hundley may not have the glow of Mariota or Winston, but he certainly carries their raw potential. He was once considered the cream of the crop at his position by multiple teams, as noted by ESPN's Adam Schefter, but has since seen his draft stock plummet to a middle-second-round grade due to inconsistent fundamentals and injuries.

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At least two teams said this week they have UCLA's Brett Hundley rated as highest-rated QB in the 2014 draft if he decides to enter it.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 29, 2013"

Hundley is not nearly as dynamic of an athlete, but his skill set and tools are comparable to those of Colin Kaepernick. Given that former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman recently agreed to team up with Ryan in Buffalo, Hundley may just be a perfect fit for this new-look Bills team.

While he may maintain a second-round draft grade in the eyes of NFL teams and Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, Hundley will still be a sought-after commodity on draft day.

Miller lists the St. Louis Rams as a potential landing spot for the Bruins' all-time leader in touchdown passes, and Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com says the Philadelphia Eagles may be competition as well. Shorr-Parks, to be fair, also notes that incumbent starter Nick Foles gives the Eagles a better chance to win now, which could make them non-factors in the hunt for Hundley.

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Not set in stone, but as of right now, I think it's safe to say Foles gives this team a much better chance to win than Hundley does next yr

— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 6, 2015"

Due to these circumstances, Whaley may have to make a few phone calls if he is interested in shifting the franchise quarterback moniker from Manuel to Hundley.

It is unlikely that St. Louis or Philadelphia will pull the trigger on the UCLA quarterback in the first round, but the Rams currently own the 41st pick as well. Consequently, Whaley may have to acquire a pick in either the late-first or early-second round.

Both the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots—who own the 31st and 32nd picks, respectively—have been known to trade out of the first round in order to acquire more selections. In fact, Seahawks general manager John Schneider is the one responsible for allowing the Minnesota Vikings to move back into the first round last year to select quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

A hypothetical trade with either team would almost certainly cost the Bills their second and third-round picks, based on the Vikings being forced to part ways with their second (No. 40) and fourth-round (No. 108) selections in the Bridgewater deal.

Buffalo doesn't currently own a fourth-round pick, which may make things more difficult, but it does own two fifth-round selections. Those picks packaged with the No. 50 overall selection could represent an enticing trade offer to a team with more positional needs than draft selections.

The Oakland Raiders (owners of the No. 35 overall pick) and Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 36 overall pick) both represent potential trade partners due to their second-round draft position and roster situation.

The Bills scouting team may resolve that Hundley isn't worth forfeiting multiple picks for and elect to stand pat with pick No. 50. In this case, Bills beat writer Matthew Fairburn of The Post-Standard believes the team may look to replace veteran tight end Scott Chandler with Minnesota's Maxx Williams.

Williams would certainly be a welcomed addition, but he doesn't change the fact that Manuel is the one in-line to throw him the ball.

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In comparison to the trade Whaley pulled off last year, moving up to the late first round or early second round should not be a problem—and it won't cost the Bills nearly as many resources, either.

If Roman confirms what the eye test suggests, and he deems Hundley a desirable candidate to run his offense, sacrificing a couple draft selections to acquire him is worth the gamble.

Whaley took a risk last year with Watkins and was rewarded on multiple occasions. With trade-happy teams like the Seahawks and pick-needy teams like the Jaguars holding the ideal draft slots, Whaley and Bills may be active in this year's draft, after all.

Statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.

For more NFL coverage, find me on Twitter @RobertReidell.