Buffalo Bills: Filling Roster Holes in Rounds Two and Three
By Andrew Mills
The Buffalo Bills hope to have hit a home run with their first round draft pick, Shaq Lawson. Here are a few potential targets for the team in rounds two and three.
The Bills entered the first round of the NFL draft last night with a several glaring holes on their roster. Linebacker, defensive tackle/end, wide receiver and quarterback notably. Shaq Lawson, their selection at 19 last night, will slot in immediately as an outside linebacker in base packages and a defensive end in sub packages.
With rounds two and three looming this evening, where can Buffalo look to fill their other roster needs?
Linebacker
Myles Jack has become one of the main storylines of this year’s draft. An outside linebacker from UCLA, Jack was projected to be a lock for the top 10, but a possible need for microfracture surgery on his knee has caused him to tumble down (or off) some draft boards.
Jack’s fall, could be a boon for the Bills however. Buffalo is in the market for a weak-side linebacker, with good coverage skills, and the speed to play sideline-to-sideline. Jack is precisely that player when he’s healthy. If he continues to fall, the Bills, who hold the 49th pick this evening, will have a very difficult decision to make.
Defensive Tackle
This draft class has been touted as one of the deepest in defensive line talent that we’ve seen in a while. Despite the fact that several defensive lineman were drafted last night, there are still a number of talented players remaining.
Chris Jones, a defensive tackle from Mississippi State, may be another player that the Bills are fortunate enough to have drop to them. Jones was projected by some to be a round one lock, but now he finds himself among a number of other defensive lineman who are still on the board.
Bills coach Rex Ryan is notorious for mixing up the fronts on his hybrid style defense, and Jones would fit in perfectly as he has shown the ability to play in both even and odd fronts, and he is effective as both a one-gap and two-gap defender.
I’d imagine that if Jones is available for the Bills at 49 that they would sprint to the podium to make their selection.
Wide Receiver
Both Percy Harvin and Chris Hogan played a large part in the Bills receiving game in 2015. In 2016, Harvin has retired and Hogan is playing with the division-rival Patriots. The Bills have assembled a decent amount of depth behind budding superstar Sammy Watkins, but no one on their roster has shown the ability to be a consistent second receiver.
Michael Thomas, a 6’3″ wide receiver from Ohio State, may be the perfect player to put opposite Sammy Watkins.
It has been a long time since the Bills have had a true red zone target and Thomas would change that immediately. His frame gives him a huge advantage over most corners and he has really good hands which helps immensely in jump-ball situations.
He does not have top end speed and he’s a raw route runner, but Thomas has the ceiling of a number one wide out. There’s a slight chance that he could drop all the way to the Bills in the 3rd round (80th overall), and he’d definitely have to be a strong consideration at that point.
Quarterback
Tyrod Taylor is entering the final year of his contract with the Bills and the verbal jousting has already started by Taylor’s agent. Finding a quarterback to take over for Taylor in 2017 has to be something that the Bills are preparing for, in the event that the two sides are unable to agree to a contract extension.
Because of this, Connor Cook could be the target for the Bills in the second round.
Cook, a senior out of Michigan State, is a four year starter for the Spartans. In the 2015 season, he lead his team to a Big Ten Championship and the National Semifinal.
Cook has the arm to make all of the throws that you need in the NFL but, not unlike many quarterbacks, he is very inaccurate when faced with pressure. A major reason for his slide to the second round is centered upon leadership questions which are still yet to be answered.
If the Bills draft Cook, or any quarterback in the second round, it could tell us that they are not optimistic about getting a long-term deal done with Tyrod.
More nfl spin zone: Top 20 Players Remaining in the NFL Draft
The Bills still have a number of holes on their roster and only have two draft picks this evening. It is going to be interesting to see which roster spots, and players, they prioritize.