By Budd Bailey
Stephon Gilmore of the Bills
Taken in Round 1 in 2012
The next pick: The Chiefs selected nose tackle Dontari Poe at No. 11. He certainly came in and clogged the middle of the line with his 346-pound size. Poe played five years with the Chiefs and was picked for the Pro Bowl twice. Since then he has played for Atlanta, Carolina and Dallas.
Other picks in that round: The choices are still adding to their resumes. Andrew Luck became a wise No. 1 choice by the Colts, while Robert Griffin III didn’t work out so well for the Redskins at No. 2. Some other choices were Luke Kuechly (No. 9 to Carolina), Fletcher Cox (No. 12 to Philadelphia), Chandler Jones (No. 21 to New England), and Harrison Smith (No. 29 to Minnesota).
The details: The Bills needed a cornerback that year, and they got a good one in Gilmore from South Carolina. He was an instant starter, and spent five excellent years in a Bills’ uniform. Then it was on to New England, as the Patriots signed him to a five-year, $65 million contract. He has played in two Pro Bowls for New England, and led the league in interceptions in 2019 with six.
Other 10s: Jeff Shattler (2015) came within a game of making the “he got away” distinction. Shattler played one game with the Bandits, and then was traded to Calgary. Jeff stayed for 11 seasons, scoring 30 goals four times and winning the league MVP trophy in 2011. Kyle Clancy (2009) showed potential in his two seasons with Bandits before he was injured in an auto accident that derailed his career. Norm Lacombe (1983) did little in parts of three seasons with the Sabres and was traded to Edmonton. Williamsville native Hayley Scamurra (2016) came out of Northeastern just in time to help the Beauts win the Isobel Cup in 2017. The next season, Hayley was named the league’s rookie of the year, and then led the league in scoring in 2018-19.
(Follow Budd on Twitter @WDX2BB)
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