Buffalo’s Top Draft Picks by Number: No. 48

By Budd Bailey

Chris Kelsay of the Bills

Taken in Round 2 in 2003

The next pick: Linebacker Eddie Moore of the Dolphins only played in 18 games, starting three of them.

Other picks in the round: Drayton Florence spent three years as a Bills’ starting cornerback (2009 to 2011). Brian Scott was a backup safety and linebacker for six years as a Bill. The Cardinals got a steal at No 54 in Anquan Bolden who spent 14 years in the NFL and caught 1,076 passes for 13,779 yards. Defensive back Charles Tillman (No.35) spent 12 seasons with the Bears, mostly as a starter.

The details: Kelsey wasn’t too flashy, but he was hard to move out the starting lineup once he earned a job. The defensive end/linebacker was a regular for eight straight seasons in a 10-year career, all spent in Buffalo. He finished with 32.5 sacks and three interceptions.

Other 48s: Henrik Tallinder has an argument as the best ever pick in the spot. He was drafted in 1997, and arrived four years later. After a season in Rochester, the defenseman moved up to the varsity and more or less stayed there through 2010. Aftter leaving for New Jersey, Tallinder came back for one final hurrah in 2013-14. Matt Kofler was Buffalo’s backup quarterback in 1982-1984. Bucky Brooks returned nine kickoffs in 1994 for the Bills; he resurfaced with four NFL teams later in the decade.

He got away: Wide receiver Lance Rentzel signed with the Vikings instead of the Bills in 1965. Rentzel supplied a valuable deep threat to some very good Cowboys teams in the late 1960s.

(Follow Budd on Twitter @WDX2BB)