When news came from colleague Adam Schefter that former Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone did not approve of the team's decision to trade up in the 2014 NFL draft to select Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins, giving away their 2015 first-round pick in the process, it provided a natural opportunity to assess the merits of the trade.
In many cases -- regardless of whether the transaction is a trade, free-agent signing or draft selection -- there's a tendency to forge a knee-jerk reaction that can prove to be inaccurate in the long term. But while Watkins' career is far from over, based on a multitude of factors involved, it's hard to disagree with the sentiment suggested by Marrone: The decision to trade up for him was not the right move.
Let's look at the price Buffalo will have to pay for its decision to move up to draft Watkins.