Bills take a chance on McGahee

Pick ruffles Henry's feathers ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Running back Travis Henry's initial reaction to Buffalo's pick of Willis McGahee was an angry one. Believing his starting job was being threatened, Henry called it "a slap in the face" when the Bills selected Miami's McGahee with the 23rd pick in the NFL draft. Henry wasn't backing off on his feelings Sunday, but was a little more diplomatic after being reassured by the team that his job wasn't in jeopardy. "When you see something like that immediately, you're going to react that way," Henry's agent, Greg Johnson, said. "Immediately his natural reaction was, 'What's going on here? and I feel like it's a slap in the face because they don't need a running back at the first pick.'" FULL STORY

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Miami running back Willis McGahee looked stunned when the Buffalo Bills selected him 23rd overall in the NFL Draft on Saturday.

A clearly emotional McGahee covered his eyes and was hugged by his family at a home near downtown Miami as he received the call from the Bills.

"They caught me off-guard with the pick, but I'm really happy," said McGahee, recovering from reconstructive knee surgery.

Once projected to be a No. 2 overall pick, McGahee's future was threatened when he tore three ligaments in his left knee in Miami's championship game loss to Ohio State and underwent surgery Jan. 5, two days after the game. There was speculation he would never play again.

While the injury was less severe than initially feared, it required full reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament.

The 21-year-old sophomore spent recent weeks trying to prove that he was ready to play, including a workout in front of nearly 100 coaches, scouts and reporters Tuesday.

It's uncertain whether he'll play next season.

"We'll play it by ear," said Bills president Tom Donahoe. "We're prepared. If he can't play this year, we're fine."

McGahee said he wanted to play, "but it's up to the team and the team doctors."

He had an impressive season for the Hurricanes, rushing for 1,753 yards and scored 28 touchdowns.

While the Bills' most immediate needs were defensive line, their chances of landing a top prospect grew dim when eight linemen were selected prior to Buffalo's pick.

Now it's up to the Bills to figure out where McGahee fits in at a position that's headed by Travis Henry, the NFL's fifth-leading rusher last season. Buffalo also signed former Denver running back Olandis Gary this past week.

"The Buffalo Bills are excited about that decision," Bills head coach Gregg Williams said. "We thought he was one of the top one or two players in the whole draft before he got hurt. His rehab is going real well.

"He's ahead of progress. We thought we had a great young football player with a chance to hit a real home run with him."

McGahee briefly considered staying at Miami for another season to nurse the knee back to health. Instead, he stuck with his original plan to turn pro and embarked on a rugged rehabilitation program.

Two weeks before the draft, Bills assistant general manager Tom Modrak said team doctors had evaluated McGahee and were comfortable with his progress.

The Bills landed the 23rd pick in last month's deal that sent receiver Peerless Price to Atlanta. A year ago, Buffalo traded away its first first-round pick (14th overall) to New England in acquiring Drew Bledsoe.

The Price trade was only one of several significant moves in a busy offseason for the Bills, who added 11 veterans, and appear poised to be AFC East contenders next season.

Buffalo specifically focused on bolstering what had been a patchwork defensive unit that finished 27th in points allowed, 29th in yards rushing per game, and 32nd in takeaways last year. Along with outbidding Cincinnati to land linebacker Takeo Spikes, the Bills also signed free agent linebacker Jeff Posey and defensive tackle Sam Adams.

Offensively, the Bills landed tight end Mark Campbell in a deal with Cleveland in addition to signing Gary, who's expected to back up starter Henry.

 

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