Bills wheel and deal to draft Zay Jones and Dion Dawkins

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills continued wheeling and dealing in Day 2 of the NFL draft on Friday.

First the Bills, under their rookie coach, traded with the Los Angeles Rams to move up seven spots to select East Carolina receiver Zay Jones with the 37th pick. Not done yet, Buffalo struck a deal with Atlanta to jump ahead 12 spots to pick Temple offensive lineman Dion Dawkins at 63.

Jones, who set the FBS record with 399 career catches, addresses an immediate need on a team with two opening behind starting receiver Sammy Watkins. Dawkins, a four-year starter who can play various positions, adds versatility and depth to a line that helped the Bills lead the NFL in yards rushing in each of the past two seasons.

McDermott, who spent the past six seasons as the Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator, may have been playing a hunch in moving up to draft Dawkins. The trade placed Buffalo one spot ahead of the Panthers, who had a need for an offensive lineman.

The moves came a day after Buffalo opened the draft by acquiring two picks - including a first-rounder next year - in a trade with Kansas City, and moving back 17 spots to draft LSU cornerback Tre'Davious White at 27.

Following the latest round of moves, the Bills are down to three picks: fifth-round selections at 163 and 171, and a six-rounder (195).

Jones already has an immediate connection to Buffalo. The receiver's position coach at college, Phil McGeoghan, was hired by the Bills in January, becoming a member of rookie head coach Sean McDermott's staff.

Though Jones had no formal contact with the Bills during the pre-draft process, he never ruled out the possibility of being drafted by Buffalo due to McGeoghan.

"A great mentor, like a father figure," Jones said. "I'm comfortable. I know the type of man he is. I know how he works."

Jones is coming off a senior season in which he scored eight touchdowns and set the FBS single-season record with 158 catches. Overall, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Jones finished with 4,279 yards receiving and 23 touchdowns.

The Bills also gave up the 91st pick, which they acquired a day earlier from Kansas City, in exchange for the Rams' 149th selection.

The 22-year Jones is the son of former Cowboys linebacker Robert Jones, who won three Super Bowls in Dallas in the 1990s. That included being a member of Cowboys teams which beat the Bills in the 1993 and '94 Super Bowls.

In landing the right to draft Dawkins, Buffalo also traded the 149th and 156th picks to Atlanta.

White traveled with his parents and sister from the NFL draft site in Philadelphia to Buffalo and toured the Bills facility on Friday.

A three-plus-year starter at LSU, White was excited and eager to join a new-look defensive backfield that will feature three new starters. He's being counted on to fill the job left open after Stephon Gilmore signed with New England in free agency. Buffalo will have two new starting safeties, and signed Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer in free agency last month.

White said he feels more prepared to make the jump to the NFL after electing to return to LSU and play his senior season.

"I knew last year as a 21-year-old that I wasn't ready for the lifestyle of an NFL player, that I wasn't going to be able to balance the two," he said. "I needed that extra year of enjoying myself with my friends and just maturing as a player and also as a person and getting an opportunity to get my college degree."

McDermott credited White for both his skills and leadership, by noting the cornerback spent the past two seasons wearing No. 18, which has been awarded to the Tigers player who best exemplifies the program on and off the field since 2003.

White provided a glimpse of his maturity in discussing the reason he elected to stay in school and earn his degree in sports management.

"Growing up, I had a lot of family members and a lot of my best friends go the wrong route," he said, referring to challenges he faced growing up in Shreveport, Louisiana. "My mindset was, just because I'm in this situation, I'm not going to stay here. Just because I'm living this certain way, I'm not going to live this all my life."

His father, David White, grew so emotional he reached for a napkin and dabbed his eyes.

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