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Home / Tre'Davious White, Bills Agree to Rookie Contract

Tre'Davious White, Bills Agree to Rookie Contract

The Buffalo Bills agreed to a rookie contract Thursday with first-round draft pick Tre'Davious White.

Buffalo announced the signing on its official website.

"I can't tell you all how grateful I am for the opportunity, how happy I am for myself and my family," White said. "I'm looking forward to earning all my stripes and earning the respect of the vets and of the guys that are here."

After the Bills selected White with the 27th overall pick, his first NFL contract was largely a formality.

In 2014, The MMQB's Andrew Brandt explained how the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and NFL Players Association limited how much rookies can earn based on when they were drafted. In addition, first-round picks receive four-year deals with an option for a fifth year—with that salary locked in as well.

Spotrac provided projections for the particulars of White's rookie deal: Total Value ($10,091,110); Signing Bonus ($5,478,989) and 2017 Cap Hit ($1,834,747).

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While Joey Bosa's holdout with the San Diego Chargers is far more so the exception rather than the rule for today's rookie contracts, the Bills will be happy they signed White with little to no fuss.

Buffalo will look to White to make an immediate impact on a secondary that ranked 21st in pass defense DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), per Football Outsiders, despite the fact the team allowed the sixth-fewest yards per game (223.9).

The Bills also had to replace Stephon Gilmore, who signed a five-year deal with their AFC East rivals the New England Patriots.

White finished with two interceptions and 35 total tackles in his senior year with the LSU Tigers.

In its pre-draft scouting report, Pro Football Focus compared him to Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam Jones. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked White as the fourth-best cornerback in this year's draft class.

On the first night of the 2017 draft, B/R's Mike Tanier gave Buffalo a "B" grade for selecting White. While praising White for his coverage skills and ability to play the ball white it's in the air, he questioned whether wideout was a more pressing concern:

"White would rather get blocked than make a tackle when a running back comes his way and will drift out of position in zone coverage at times. None of that will matter much after the first time he sticks to a go-to receiver on a deep route and clubs the ball away.

"White is an excellent player. But let's bake into the grade: A) That the Bills traded down for extra picks, which is good; and B) their wide receiver corps is one Sammy Watkins injury away from being Conference USA caliber, which is bad."

The Bills added wide receiver Zay Jones in the second round, though, giving quarterback Tyrod Taylor some much-needed support in the passing game.

While the Bills shouldn't be among the league's worst teams in 2017, Buffalo is likely looking at at least one more rebuilding year before they can end a playoff drought that dates back to 1999.

The Bills don't need White to be a Pro Bowler right out of the gate. He and Ronald Darby, a 2015 second-round pick, have the framework for a strong secondary for years to come. As long as Buffalo can see some level of progression from the rookie cornerback, the 2017 campaign should be considered a success for White.  

Source: www.bing.com