The Bills were obviously eager to make the move to draft a quarterback.
And even though Broncos boss John Elway was thinking about it, he couldn’t bypass what he saw as a special talent.
According to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com, Elway said after the first round that he had discussed a possible deal with the Bills for the fifth pick, but those talks were shelved when he had the opportunity to draft N.C. State defensive end Bradley Chubb.
“We just felt that where we were and with Bradley staring at us, we couldn’t pass him up. As I said, he can rush the pass as well as what he can do defensively. He’s a great fit, he’s a hard-worker and he plays 120 percent all the time. He’s a great addition to the Broncos.”
The Bills ended up moving up from 12 to seven with the Buccaneers, and taking quarterback Josh Allen. But for Elway, the priority was finding someone who could chase quarterbacks, to add to a stable of pass-rushers.
Elway also said he had no discussions today with the Giants about the second pick, despite reports he was plotting a move up for a quarterback.