Tim Graham had a column about how the Bills are one of the teams that does not scout underclassmen until they declare. He did not paint a flattering picture of this philosophy. Waly explains the Bills thought process:
This week, the NFL released the official list of 95 underclassmen who have declared for the 2017 NFL Draft. These days, that number is the norm. In 2016, 96 underclassmen entered the draft with 30 of them going undrafted. A record 98 underclassmen declared for the 2014 NFL Draft. With an increasing number of underclassmen in the draft, a team's procedure for scouting them becomes critical. At the Senior Bowl on Tuesday, Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley was asked what his philosophy is when it comes to scouting underclassmen."Well, it's a league rule," Whaley said. "You cannot comment, and if you do before they officially announce, then you're subject to a fine and possible draft picks. So we don't comment on junior until they declare officially, unless you want to pay my fine and tell Terry, 'Hey, guess what? We just lost a draft pick for commenting.' I just don't see the point." Forget commenting, though. What about doing the scouting work? Back when not as many underclassmen declared, it made sense for teams to focus their in-season scouting on seniors. What about now?
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