Bills GM: Andrew Luck foiled plan to draft Cam

Almost exactly five years ago, the Panthers drafted Cam Newton with the first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. The Broncos then selected Von Miller. The Bills rounded off the top-three by grabbing Marcell Dareus.

Without even getting into the picks that followed (A.J. Green, Patrick Peterson, Julio Jones), that’s already one heck of a start to a draft. We already know how well off Newton and Miller are, but don’t overlook Dareus, who turned into a two-time Pro Bowler and was named First-Team All-Pro in 2014.

Still, the Bills, five years later, sound a tad disappointed with the outcome of that draft. Because at one point, they thought they were going to snag Newton. According to Bills general manager Doug Whaley — then the assistant GM — Andrew Luck’s decision to remain at Stanford for another season cost the Bills their chance to draft Newton.

“When we first started the draft process, we thought we’d have a good shot at Newton,” Whaley told Sports Illustrated for its oral history of the 2011 draft. “[Stanford quarterback] Andrew Luck, had he come out, would have been the first pick. Denver was at No. 2, and they didn’t need a QB. So we thought, ‘We’ll get Cam at No. 3.'”

While there’s no way to …

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