The 2016 NFL Draft is just six days away, and fans of every team join in optimism that the players their favorite club selects will be the ones to make the franchise great. The Buffalo Bills have had a few hits in recent memory, but not nearly enough to hide them from being one of the worst drafting NFL teams since 1996.
In a remarkably thorough study, The Washington Post put together a full outlook on every team's drafting history from 1996 through 2015, and the Bills ranked 30th out of 32 over the last 20 years. It's certainly a contributing factor as to why the Bills haven't had a playoff season in the last 16 years
No study is perfect, and the Washington Post certainly admits that, but they paired with ProFootballReference.com to create an algorithm to rate players from poor to legendary. As you might be able to figure out, the Bills had no players on the "legendary" list.
In fact, the best player the Bills drafted according to the results? Wide receiver Eric Moulds, all the way back in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. Former fifth-round pick and defensive tackle Kyle Williams was the second-best player according to the study.
As for first-round busts, the Bills had plenty of those and they're often argued about amongst fans. Well, the four worst over that 20-year period? Starting with the worst, defensive end Aaron Maybin (2009), defensive tackle John McCargo (2006), defensive end Erik Flowers (2000), and current backup quarterback EJ Manuel (2013).
There were only two teams with a worse drafting history over those 20 years according to the study: the Oakland Raiders, and the Cleveland Browns.
The Bills, current general manager Doug Whaley and the rest of his staff certainly hope that they are the ones to buck this longstanding trend.
