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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Doug Whaley was willing to risk future draft picks for the opportunity to land receiver Sammy Watkins and put the Buffalo Bills in a position to make the playoffs this season. In his first NFL draft as the Bills general manager, Whaley struck a deal with the Cleveland Browns to move up five spots to select the Clemson receiver with the fourth pick on Thursday night. To get Watkins, Buffalo gave up its No. 9 pick this year, plus a first- and a fourth-round pick in next years draft. "We thought it was a calculated risk, and a risk we were willing to take," said Whaley, who took over after Buddy Nix stepped down a year ago. "The high cost of not making the playoffs is something we weighed, and we thought this guy was going to get us to the playoffs." The Bills are coming off their third consecutive six-win season. Theyve also gone 14 seasons without a playoff berth -- the NFLs longest active drought. Watkins has the potential of providing the Bills sputtering offence a dynamic threat. And he addresses the objective Whaley outlined in the weeks leading up to the draft: add talent to spur the development of quarterback EJ Manuel, who is coming off an inconsistent and injury-shortened rookie season. "Hes automatically going to make our quarterback better and us better as a team," Whaley said. Manuel expressed his excitement by posting 16 exclamation marks on his Twitter account after Watkins was picked. Buffalo finished last year 19th in total yards gained, and 29th in yards passing. Manuel had his development stunted by three separate knee injuries that led to him missing six regular season and two preseason games. He finished with a 4-6 record with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Watkins, listed at just over 6-feet and 211 pounds, put up eye-popping numbers during his three-year college career. He finished with 240 catches for 3,391 yards and 27 touchdowns in 29 starts, and set 23 school records. Watkins joined Rod Gardner as the only Clemson players to have multiple seasons topping 1,000 yards receiving. And hes the only Tigers player to score more than 10 touchdowns receiving in more than one season. Last year, Watkins had 101 catches for 1,464 yards and 12 touchdowns. Watkins was so excited to be drafted that he took a picture of himself and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at the draft podium at Radio City Music Hall. And Watkins can fully appreciate the burden of expectation placed on his shoulders in knowing what the Bills traded away to draft him. "That is a lot, but for me, I think I am prepared," he said. "I need to be 100 per cent when I get there. I need to be starting off on the right foot." Watkins is friends with former Clemson running back C.J. Spiller, who was Buffalos first-round pick in the 2010 draft. Now he gets to join Spiller on a team that has been stocking up on young offensive talent, particularly at the receiver position. Buffalo selected Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin with second- and third-round picks last year. The Bills also made a trade with Tampa Bay last month to acquire Mike Williams. Watkins addition raises questions about returning starter Stevie Johnsons future with the team. Whaley declined to address Johnsons status, saying the days focus was about Watkins. The trade with the Browns began developing immediately after Jacksonville selected UCF quarterback Blake Bortles with the No. 3 pick. "We went into this draft saying we were going to be bold, and we made a bold move," Bills President Russ Brandon said. "Were sitting up here very pleased right now." The Bills only have five picks left. Buffalo is next scheduled to pick 41st overall, in the second round set for Friday. Its the first Bills draft since Ralph Wilson -- the teams owner and founder -- died in March. The Bills will be put up for sale, raising concerns the franchise could eventually relocate. Goodell continued to express optimism the Bills will remain in Buffalo in an interview with ESPN about an hour before the draft began. "We want to keep our teams in their current markets," Goodell said. "But in particular, I think the Bills fans have demonstrated their passion and their support for the team." Goodell then reiterated what he said a day earlier, noting a new stadium would help secure the teams long-term future. Josh Woodrum Jersey . Trailing by a goal after 20 minutes of play, Joe Pavelski responded with three goals and an assist as the Sharks snapped a two-game losing skid with a 5-2 victory over the struggling Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. Darvin Kidsy Jersey . "I just think what it does for everybody in life is real simple," said Babcock early on Friday afternoon. "You dont give in. 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Earnest Byner Jersey . -- When Steve Blake checked in at the scorers table with 5:25 remaining in the third quarter, Stephen Curry shook his head and shouted across the court, asking Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson not to take him out.South Bend, IN - The top-10 ACC showdown at Purcell Pavilion lived up to its billing, and it was Notre Dame -- particularly Jerian Grant -- providing the big plays down the stretch to steal a signature win from Duke. Grant finished with 23 points, 12 assists and six rebounds as the eighth- ranked Fighting Irish survived a 77-73 nail-biter against the fourth-ranked Blue Devils. Duke led by 10 midway through the second half before the Irish rallied for their fourth comeback victory during a five-game winning streak. Grant was the catalyst, but Notre Dame (20-2, 8-1 ACC) had plenty of contributors. Pat Connaughton chipped in 13 points and 12 rebounds, Zach Auguste scored 14 points and Steve Vasturia drained a huge 3-pointer in crunch time. That one absolutely lived up to the hype, said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey. Two really good teams going at it. There was a slight letdown for Duke (17-3, 4-3) following the celebration of Mike Krzyzewskis 1,000th career victory over the weekend, as no one other than Jahlil Okafor made a field goal over the final 12-plus minutes. I thought our guys played winning basketball and obviously they did too, said Krzyzewski. Grant had a great game. Hes a terrific player. Okafor totaled 22 points and 17 rebounds but struggled at the foul line, making just 2-of-7 with two critical misses under three minutes remaining. Vasturias two free throws followed Okafors empty trip to give Notre Dame a 71-70 lead with 2:15 remaining, and after Okafor was short on a strong post move on the left block, Grant calmly dribbled away the shot clock. Tyus Jones nearly stripped the ball away with time winding down, but Grant recovered just in time and sent a contested prayer up at the foul line that found the bottom of the net with 1:07 to go. Dukes Quinn Cook followed with two free throws inside the final minute, and again Grant killed time with what seemed like aimless dribbling. This time, though, he swung the ball to Vasturia for a corner 3-pointer that put the Irish in front 76-72 with 22.9 seconds showing. We has always been the kid that makes the right play, Connaughton said about Grant. Its never aboutt him getting the points, its all about him making the winning play.dddddddddddd Grants block of Cook at the other end then helped the Irish seal the impressive win. Midway through the first half, Grant made two 3-pointers -- including one from the inside the shamrock at midcourt -- during a 14-2 run that gave Notre Dame a 25-18 lead. There was a brief scare for Okafor when he grimaced and had his right knee looked at on the bench later in the period. The future NBA lottery pick was quickly cleared and returned with a baseline spin move for a layup that put Duke back in front at 29-28. Cook capped his 13-point first half with a 3-pointer and layup inside the final 90 seconds, and the Blue Devils went into the break with a 39-36 advantage. Cook was 5-for-5 from the field in the first half and 0-for-6 in the second. Twenty-five points were scored before the first media timeout of a fast-paced second half, but when play resumed only the Blue Devils kept their foot on the gas. Jones scored four quick points, Justise Winslow drained a 3-pointer and Okafor slammed home a rebound to suddenly give Duke a 60-51 cushion. Another Okafor bucket inside made it a 10-point game at 65-55, but the Irish fought back with 12 consecutive points to regain the lead. Auguste tied it with a left-handed hook shot in the lane with 7:10 to play, then found a cutting Grant for a layup with a bounce pass the next time down. Okafor ended Dukes drought with consecutive buckets, but the Blue Devils missed their final three shots and went just 4-of-9 from the foul line over the final four-plus minutes. Game Notes Notre Dame is 6-1 in its last seven home games against top-10 teams ... The Irish have won 16 of their last 17 games ... Duke was 3-0 against ranked opponents this season ... Jones and Winslow scored 14 and 13 points, respectively ... This