‘The best offensive teams have a quality tight end and the Bills don’t. Dawson Knox, taken in 2019’s third round, in two seasons, has played 27 games but started only 18, totaling 52 catches with five touchdowns and a disturbing number of drops. It’s becoming clear he’s not the guy.’
Archives for April 29, 2021
Brandon Beane’s new draft goal: Finding a way to sustain success
‘“I do think there are some positions if it worked out that way that maybe not definitely start, but you could say, ‘This guy’s got a shot.’ I think there’s some other guys we have on the board, where we’re going: ‘This guy’s one heck of a player, but he’s not going to start Day 1, but we will count on him and maybe in a year he’s going to be the starter.’ We’ll have a player that’s on the last year of their deal, and he’ll kind of back up that player, learn from him, compete with him, but we don’t necessarily expect him to start. We’ll think long term more than short term.”’
Bills Mailbag: Should Brandon Beane trade up, trade back or stand pat?
‘My personal preference would be to trade down more than trade up … but that’s not shared by General Manager Brandon Beane. He has shown through moves up to draft Josh Allen, Tremaine Edmunds, Cody Ford and Dawson Knox that he prefers to go get his guy. In the case of Allen, that’s been a great move. The jury, I would say, is still out on the others.’
What are Bills’ biggest draft needs? Ranking each position
‘The fact is, the Bills didn’t consistently apply enough heat to most opposing quarterbacks. Jerry Hughes is 32 and in the final year of his contract, and when opponents focus on neutralizing him, no one else stepped up in a meaningful way to provide the kind of pressure that would do wonders to put them over the top. The Bills are hopeful that 2020 second-round pick A.J. Epenesa can provide an additional boost.’
Position-by-position preview of the 2021 NFL draft
‘There are so many running backs available on the second and third days of the draft every year that better value can be had in the first round at virtually every other position on the field.’
Final mock draft: No smoke – Bills add a dynamic threat to their backfield
’30. Buffalo Bills. Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson. Was Brandon Beane blowing smoke when he said last week that the Bills don’t have a “home-run hitter” at running back? Maybe. But guess what? He wasn’t lying. Etienne would give the Bills something in the backfield they currently don’t have with Devin Singletary and Zack Moss. Is taking a running back in the first round a bit of a luxury? Maybe so … but the Bills can afford it. If the goal is to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, that can be done one of two ways – by trying to outscore them or by trying to slow down Patrick Mahomes. Good luck with that last part. Putting Etienne on the Bills’ offense has the potential to elevate it to another level entirely. This far down in the first round, that’s too hard to pass up.’
Everything Buffalo Bills fans need to know to watch the 2021 NFL Draft
‘The price of enjoying success is waiting a long time to make a first-round pick in the following year’s draft. The AFC Championship Game-losing Bills won’t go on the clock, barring a trade, until the 30th overall pick, and that may not happen until somewhere between 11:30 and midnight.’
Creating NFL Draft wish list for Buffalo Bills at pick 30
‘The luxury of going into a draft with a Top 5 NFL roster like the Bills have means you’re able to draft for the future. Cornerback is a popular target position among the fan base and Farley might end up being the best in the class. The problem is he may have a severe medical red flag because of two back surgeries, not to mention a torn ACL back in 2017.’
NFL mock draft 2021: Bills trade out of 1st round, land CB who plays like he’s in ‘fist fight’
’35. *TRADE* Buffalo Bills – Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State.’
Demos: Buffalo Bills 1st-round targets
‘There’s two reasons why I like Ojulari as a Bills fit. First, I think he’s a talented enough player that he could come in and contribute in the same SAM linebacker role that A.J. Klein has in their defense. But also, he could be Jerry Hughes’ long-term replacement.’
Opinion: Capaccio: Bills possible trade-up targets
‘It will be costly for the Bills to trade up 8-10 spots. I can’t see them being able to go beyond that, given how cost prohibitive it would become coupled with teams not wanting to drop that far. So for this exercise I capped a Bills-trade up scenario at ten spots, to slot No. 20.’
Opinion: Capaccio: 2021 Mock Draft
’30. Buffalo Bills: Jaelan Phillips, EDGE, Miami.’
Jerry Sullivan: Life can begin after the 30th pick in the NFL draft
‘For the 31st consecutive year, I refrained from doing a mock draft and feigning expertise about college guys, many of whom I’ve never seen play. Instead, I put together an all-time Bills team of players who were taken 30th or later in the draft.’
Beane drafting at the back of the pack: Go up or trade down?
‘”We stack the board the way we see it. We don’t worry about where we’re picking,” said Beane.’
Top 10 prospects picked for the Bills in 2021 NFL mock drafts
‘Now that the Bills have one of the most dangerous receiver corps in the league, time to inject some life into the run game. Etienne would be a great puzzle piece in an offense that craves speed in the backfield. Etienne doesn’t have the speed of some of the fleet backs or wideouts who run Jet sweeps (he’s a 4.44 guy), but the book on him is he cuts and fakes at top speed, which can make up for the fact that he has good but not transcendent speed. Plus, Etienne is very good in the screen game. He had 22 plays of 40 yards or more at Clemson, with a ridiculous 78 touchdowns in four seasons.’