By Budd Bailey

Paul Posluszny of the Bills

Taken in Round 2 in 2007

The next pick: Arron Sears moved right into the starting lineup of the Bucs at guard, and stayed there for two years. But the story turned sad after that, as Sears came down with various neurological problems that left him unable to even take care of himself. Arron often was taken into protective custody by police.

Other picks in that round: You might remember Kevin Kolb, a quarterback who signed with the Bills in 2013. Kolb suffered a concussion in training camp and never played football again. Eric Weddle (No. 37 to San Diego) played in 201 games in his NFL career, and was a five-time Pro Bowler. Ryan Kalil (No. 59 to Carolina) also played in five Pro Bowls at center.

The details: Posluszny was billed as something of a tackling machine coming out of Penn State. He grabbed a starting job immediately, but broke his forearm as a rookie and only played three games in 2007. But Paul bounced back to play for Buffalo for the next three years. Free agency beckoned after that, and Posluszny felt he wouldn’t be a good fit under incoming coach Chan Gailey. So left for Jacksonville, and played there through 2017.

Other 35s: Aaron Williams joined the Bills in 2011, and found a home at safety by 2013. However, he suffered neck injuries in both 2015 and 2016 that ended his career. Bob Tatarek played defensive tackle for some dreary Bills teams between 1968 and 1972. Andrew Peters was drafted in 1998 by the Sabres, but didn’t join the Sabres until 2003. Once here, he stayed for five seasons.

(Follow Budd on Twitter @WDX2BB)

Budd Bailey

Budd Bailey has been involved in almost every aspect of the local sports scene for the last 40 years. He worked for WEBR Radio, the Buffalo Sabres' public relations department and The Buffalo News during that time. In that time he covered virtually every aspect of the area's sports world, from high schools to the Bills and Sabres and everything in between. Along the way, Budd served as a play-by-play announcer for the Bisons, an analyst for the Stallions, and a talk-show host. He won the National Lacrosse League's Tom Borrelli Award as the media personality of the year in 2011, and was a finalist for that same award in 2017. Budd's seventh and eighth books, one on the Transcontinental Railroad and the other about Ichiro Suzuki, are scheduled to be released in the fall.

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