Bills GM Doug Whaley never doubted Seantrel Henderson was better player than Cyrus Kouandjio

Orchard Park, N.Y. — The scout in Doug Whaley smiles at the mention of Seantrel Henderson's name.

Whaley, the Buffalo Bills' second-year general manager and long-time scout, leans back in his chair when talking about the rookie right tackle who will start for the Bills on Sunday against the Chicago Bears in Week 1 after being drafted in the seventh round. Second-round pick Cyrus Kouandjio was supposed to lock down that spot. Instead, the Bills found a starter in the seventh round.

"There was no questions on Seantrel's ability," Whaley said. "He's a better player than Kouandjio. He would have been probably, maybe the second tackle taken if he didn't have his issues."

That's the type of pick that requires work. Not necessarily work in the sense of grinding late hours in the film room to discover a hidden talent. It was about the work of Bills area scout C.J. Leak, who covers that region of the country for the Bills. He was the one on the ground at Miami getting the information about Henderson the person. Whaley could watch the tape and see Henderson's talent, but he relied on his scout to find out about the suspensions, the failed drug tests and the effort concerns.

"We were OK with (Henderson's talent)," Whaley said. "The problem was, did we feel comfortable with all of the other stuff?"

That's where Leak came in, having made multiple visits to Miami's campus. So by the time Whaley got involved during the pre-draft process, he had all of the information he needed to feel comfortable pulling the trigger.

"(Area scouts) unearth a lot of information that is pertinent to us — things that people say risks we see potential in, because we have that information, because we've had the personal interviews with those guys," Whaley said.

"In our minds, (Henderson's) living up to his potential on and off the field," Whaley said.

Whaley and the Bills haven't necessarily changed their plans for Kouandjio. At the very least, it gives the roster a bit more depth, though.

"It's a case-by-case basis," Whaley said. "One thing we're trying to do is create a roster with some depth because injuries are always going to be a part of it. So if Seantrel does get hurt, we have Cyrus back there. So you can consistently perform at a high level when you have backups that are talented. Just as talented or an inch behind ability-wise."

Bills coach Doug Marrone, who came up coaching offensive linemen, hasn't hesitated to heap praise on Henderson, though. In a radio interview with WGR during training camp, Marrone couldn't help but get excited about the longterm potential of the seventh-rounder.

"I’ve been around that position my whole entire life. He’s a heck of a football player. A heck of a football player," Marrone said. "What’s there not to like? He’s probably one of the biggest guys, he has the most muscle mass, he probably has the quickest feet along with Cordy Glenn, and we have an opportunity right now, if he keeps coming the way he keeps coming, to have maybe the best tandem in the league."


(syracuse.com)