Ronald Darby to Buffalo Bills: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

The Buffalo Bills finally made their debut of the 2015 NFL draft by selecting Florida State cornerback Ronald Darby in the second round.

While you were headed to the bathroom to grab some tissues for your tears induced by the latest and greatest Kelly Tough segment, Buffalo made the curious decision to make a corner its first pick of 2015.

When I submitted my positional big board a few days ago, cornerback wasn’t even close to the top seven positions on my radar. I had seen some rumblings from fans that cornerback was a bigger need than many were making it out to be, but a depth chart including Stephon Gilmore, Leodis McKelvin and Corey Graham isn’t exactly dying for talent.

Guard, linebacker or even defensive line would have all made sense in the second round.

Instead the Bills continue to live by the mantra, "expect the unexpected" under general manager Doug Whaley and company.

Who is Ronald Darby?

Darby is not a poor pick in a vacuum, because he fits into a Rex Ryan defense really well as a big, high-speed tackling machine. Maybe we shouldn’t be shocked with the pick, from the standpoint Ryan loves to draft cornerbacks. He selected four in the first three rounds of the draft during his time with the Jets, including notorious busts Kyle Wilson and Dee Milliner.

After getting over the initial shock, it’s easy to see why Darby was on the Bills' radar this early. He’s solidly built at 5’11” and nearly 200 pounds, but he carries the weight well enough to still be one of the fastest corners in the 2015 draft. Darby ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the combine in March.

Darby also loves getting in the face of his opponents right at the line of scrimmage, which is something Rex Ryan-drafted corners have struggled with during their time in the NFL.

A concern of Darby’s is the low production, especially in his senior season. Darby intercepted only two passes during his three-year career in Tallahassee, both of which came during the team’s national championship run in 2013. He also only had 16 career pass breakups, despite significant playing time, which Whaley attributed to the fact teams stayed away from his side of the field in his senior season.

What Comes Next?

The pick of Darby creates some interesting questions about what Ryan thinks of the corners currently on the roster.

McKelvin signed a fairly significant deal to stay with the team a couple of years ago, but continues to show he cannot be relied on to stay healthy for a whole season. Even a game here or there can disrupt the rhythm of a defense trying to be in the top echelon in the league. He is currently penciled in as the starter opposite of Gilmore, but maybe not for long.

It’s looking more likely Graham could be moved to safety to fill a need there, instead of the Bills wasting a selection on the position. The player who should be most concerned about the addition of Darby is Ron Brooks, who had similar traits coming into the NFL three years ago. Brooks has been inconsistent at best during his time in Orchard Park.

While other needs were more glaring for the Bills at pick No. 50, it is entirely possible they based their selection off of what other teams in the division had been doing with their early selections. Both the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have loaded up on receiving targets for their young quarterbacks, so finding a cover corner to combat that approach seems like a natural fit in retrospect.