The NFL draft is less than two weeks away and the Buffalo Bills get a chance to add players who could help them compete for another AFC East title in 2021.
Before we get to the choice – and the transactions (yes, there are two) – let’s determine some positional needs for the bills in this draft.
There is no universal position on which supporters or media agree that the bills should speak in 30th place or early in this year’s draft. Cornerback and edge rusher are the two most popular, but there seems to be no consensus. The Bills used their best choice last year (pick No. 54 in the second round) on edge defender AJ Epenesa. Since Buffalo chose Tre’Davious White in 2017, general manager Brandon Beane has not used a day 1 or 2 on a defensive rugby in any of his three drafts since. Conversely, on Day 1 or 2, the bills drew up a line of defense in all three of Beane’s drafts.
So the bills are going to corner early in this year’s draft, right?
No, and I’ll expand on that below.
FIRST ROUND
** TRADE **
Bills get: choose 25
Jacksonville Jaguars get: choose 30, 161 (5th), 2022 5th
25. Jayson Oweh, DE, Penn State
H / W: 6 ft-5, 257 lbs
The way things shook out in this mockery was the four front corners off the board with the 23rd pick.
12. Lease: Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
14. Wikings: Greg Newsome II, North West
Cardinal: Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
20. Bere: Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech
After these four certificates, the talent level of the next level takes far enough to consider the position in the first round. Unless Brandon Beane’s reconnaissance staff gets a first round on another player. But let’s continue for our purposes as if it does not. The next position is edge rusher and four have already come off the board when Jacksonville goes on the clock.
10. Cowboys: Jaelan Phillips, Miami
11. Giant: Kwity Paye, Michigan
18. Dolphins: Gregory Rousseau, Miami
22. Titans: Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
The Bills watch as the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers pass a sharp intersection and Beane becomes aggressive and picks up the phone to move up five spots to draft Oweh.
As for the NFL-ready pass-rushers, Oweh is not very high relative to some of his contemporaries in this draft. He did not record a single bag in Penn State in seven games last season. But his pro-day numbers were striking (4.36 bar of 40 meters, 39.5 vertical).
The Bills are in a Super Bowl window after finishing last season in the AFC title game, and there is a valid argument that their choice in the first round should be able to compete for a starting lineup. Oweh may not be more than a rookie than situation.
But the bills need to look beyond 2021 in terms of their line of defense. Jerry Hughes turns 33 and Mario Addison turns 34 before the start of this season. Epenesa showed promise last season, but Oweh is the type of development talent who could possibly produce a star in the position over a few seasons. Set him up now and let him learn behind the veterans while having the respected d-line coach Eric Washington take care of him to take over.
SECOND ROUND
** TRADE **
Bills get: choose 74, 82, 124
Washington Football Team gets: choose 61, 93
This trade drives the Bills out of the second round, but yields an additional choice in the third round, a jump of 11 spots later in the third and a fourth round (Buffalo made his choice in the fourth this season last year to Minnesota exchange.year’s Stefon Diggs trade).
THIRD ROUND
74. Divine Deablo, S, Virginia Tech
H / W: 6 ft-3, 226 lbs
The bills need to find more answers for when dealing with high-octane offenses like the Kansas City Chiefs, and Deablo is the kind of quick, explosive approach that fits the bill. The 22-year-old said teams expressed interest in using him as a linebacker. He comes with the kind of positional flexibility and malleable qualities that Sean McDermott should be excited to try to develop.
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com, wrote that Deablo ‘makes himself wide as a tackle with a spider radius’, and ‘quick’ to recognize the cover off the field and pull off his cover. ‘Many members of Bills Mafia kept their eyes on Hamsah Nasirldeen from the state of Florida during the draft season. He is another option if the bills want to add the size in the box and their nickel package. Deablo seems to be the better player based on experts in surveying, and that’s a prerequisite for McDermott’s defense. Deablo’s coverage skills also make him an interesting addition.
82. Alim McNeill, DT, NC State
H / W: 6 ft-2, 317 lbs
Star Lotulelei is expected to be back in 2020 this season. But to get younger and more athletic in the 1-technique defensive position, it should appear in the draft on the Bill’s Bill. If McNeill, 20, is on the board at this point, it’s a good value and an excellent position for him to learn behind Lotulelei and eventually replace him.
McNeill was a superstar baseball player in high school and has the next level of athletics for the position he will play in the NFL. After 5.5 bags as a sophomore, he finished last season with 26 tackles, 4.5 for a loss and one bag. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote that McNeill is an “explosive big man and is often the first linebacker from his stance … resets the line of scrimmage with his power.”
FOURTH ROUND
124. Shaun Wade, CB, State of Ohio
H / W: 6 ft-1, 196 lbs
Bills allegedly did their due diligence with respect to Wade and he makes a lot of sense as value pickers in the fourth round. He can play inside and out, and that’s not very good on the border in 2020. He’s the kind of player who can thrive under McDermott and Bills DBs coach John Butler. Wade, 22.20
it was predicted to be a day 2 pick at least before last season, but a grass injury really affected his final season in the state of Ohio. Bills get value here and can try to find the best way to use it.
FIFTH ROUND
176. Brenden Jaimes, OT, Nebraska
H / W: 6 ft-5, 298 lbs
It can be a bit wishful thinking at Jaimes, depending on how many teams fall in love with his band. While Ty Nsekhe is now in Dallas and Trey Adams announced his retirement last week, the Bills need to pack some talent on the depth. Jaimes, 21, was a four-year starter and could play as the team’s swing suit in 2021 while developing under Dion Dawkins and Daryl Williams.
Brandon Thorn of Bleacher Report was recently with Robert Mays on The Athletic Football podcast and he is very high on Jaimes.
“He’s very athletic,” Thorn said. “His foot speed is there, but not only that – the real patterns he executes in his fitting set are very effective. His hands are very good and he constantly uses his hands to restore the position of the fitter. He just gets guys consistently blocked and he faced very good competition. ”
SIXTH ROUND
213. Darren Hall, CB, San Diego State
H / W: 5-foot-11, 188 pounds
Hall, 20, has met the Bills several times and is the kind of aggressive player who can grab the Bills’ attention. As much as fans of the top names want cornerbacks, the bills have confidence in Levi Wallace if they have to use him, and Dane Jackson, a seventh-round pick last season, made some noise this season with the impression that he made on Beane last year. Hall is a man who can be a versatile piece and someone who can develop slowly.
SEVENTH ROUND
236. Josh Imatorbhebhe, WR, Illinois
H / W: 6 ft-2, 215 lbs
The bills may backfire in this place, but I think they are much higher on Antonio Williams than anyone would like to admit. Imatorbhebhe can absolutely jump out of the gym and place an unreal 46.5 vertical post on his pro day. Buffalo is about adding different flavors to their wide reception room, and these kind of athletic abilities should be fun in Brian Daboll’s hands.
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