Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘In Sean McDermott’s 4-3 defense, Lawson has been used primarily as an edge rusher, and he simply hasn’t given the Bills enough production.’

‘Sills garnered national attention by leading the country in touchdown receptions at West Virginia. But he was in the national spotlight long before that as a middle school quarterback when he received an offer from USC as a 13-year-old. It led to outlets calling Sills the “LeBron James of football,” an impossible moniker for a barely-teenager to live up to. Sills has overcome injuries, scrutiny and college transfers to transform his body and his game. Now his journey has brought him to Buffalo, where he has a shot to earn a spot on an NFL roster.’

‘The offseason priority in Buffalo was clear: Help second-year quarterback Josh Allen. He was up and down in Year 1, but it was tough to fully evaluate him as the offense didn’t have much talent overall, particularly at receiver and tight end. GM Brandon Beane added wide receivers John Brown and Cole Beasley plus tight end Tyler Kroft to give Allen some better targets. The Bills also reshuffled their offensive line, with definite upgrades at center (Mitch Morse) and right tackle (Ty Nsekhe) and a few other low-cost moves.’

‘If they were hooked up to a lie detector machine, it would be revealed that McDermott and Beane — given the salary cap hell the Bills were in which limited their ability to improve the team — hated much of what took place last year, but they also expected most of it.’

‘“Whatever they want me to play, I’ll be up to the challenge to go out there and do what I can to help the team win,” Joseph said. “I’m somebody who’s going to come in and compete at every level, try to give my all and contribute to the team in any way I can. They’re getting someone who really loves the game and wants to be exceptional in everything he does on and off the field.”’

‘“Johnson plays quick and decisive and covers a lot of ground, accounting for 14 turnovers in 29 starts. He is an eager run defender with the toughness required for downhill work, although his overaggressive appetite and lack of length lead to mistakes. Overall, Johnson is the type of tone-setter who affects the game with his passion and intangibles, but his lack of ideal size and speed will create limitations in the pro game, projecting as a special teamer and back-up safety.”’

‘Johnson will get a chance to prove his ability as a pass rusher as he had 19 career sacks and 41 tackles for loss, but more likely, he seems like a special teams candidate or perhaps a practice squad player.’

‘Sweeney played four years for Boston College, starting 47 of 50 games in a pro-style offense, lined up mostly tight and used as a blocker.’

‘Jackson towers at 6-foot-7, almost a whole foot taller than No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray. But the track record for quarterbacks 6-foot-7 or taller who have recently appeared at the NFL Combine – Ryan Mallett, Mike Glennon, Paxton Lynch and Brock Osweiler – isn’t exactly stellar.’

‘”Rochester has a proud history and an even brighter future,” Warren said. “For the NFL to come here to highlight the Jeffersons and announce a Buffalo Bills draft pick is exciting for our city, and it highlights the great things we have going on here.”‘

‘After watching the movie with his son early Friday, McCoy went to social media and Tweeted that this was the “worst day ever” because of events in the eagerly awaited superhero finale. He then proceeded to tell just what happened. (To be clear, we will not reveal spoilers here.)’

‘The Bills went from 40th overall to 38th, changing places with the Raiders. That move also cost them a fifth-round pick, No. 158 overall, the pick they had received from Oakland in last year’s trade of quarterback A.J. McCarron.’

‘After spending most of his high school and early college years as a guard, Ford knew he needed to slim down in order to make the transition to right tackle. He shed 15 pounds in the offseason for increased mobility which paid off with him earning first team All-Big 12 honors.’

‘“I believe my size doesn’t matter because there’s multiple guys that have shown that size doesn’t matter in the league,” Singletary said, answering a question he gets often. “I feel I’ll be able to do the same thing; my size won’t play a factor.”’

‘”I have him as the second-best back, and actually for comparison, I wrote down he’s got a little Shady McCoy to him,” NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah told NJ.com. “So he can make you miss. He does a great job in tight quarters. He could be in a hallway and you can’t get a finger on him. Just real loose, nice little nifty jump cut that he uses. I don’t know that he really has that big time, big time top speed, but we saw some of those same comments made about LeSean when he was coming into the draft, and we know how that worked out.”‘