Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘If contract extensions are not worked out, Allen will count more than $23 million on the Bills 2022 cap in a year where the overall team figure may not even get back to where it was in 2020 when it was $198.2 million. Edmunds will count $12.7 million.’

‘The Bills have been flirting with this position before, tapping A.J. Epenesa in the second round last year. Now, they return to the position with both Gregory Rousseau and Carlos Basham; a pair of high-upside talents who Buffalo hopes can sharpen one another into a platoon that hits. A pressure element to this Bills defense, which is already led by two talented corners and two heady safeties, could lift them to the kind of place where they’re expected to compete with Kansas City instead of considering getting that far as a victory in itself.’

‘Doyle, just like third-round pick Spencer Brown, is another 6-foot-8 tree who weighs 320 pounds, so if nothing else, the Bills are building a heck of a basketball team if these guys end up not playing for Buffalo.’

‘The 5-foot-10, 182-pounder was a fourth to fifth-round projection by The Athletic’s lead draft analyst, Dane Brugler, so if he was on point with his evaluation, the Bills got outstanding value with this pick.’

‘Hamlin is a particular favorite of ESPN’s Todd McShay at this late stage of the draft. He said on their broadcast Hamlin is “a home run pick in the sixth round” and then went on to say, “I can guarantee it right now…. he will make the 53-man roster as a special teams maven.”’

‘“Anderson is strong and nimble with the mean streak desired for trench work, but he plays too upright and his lack of length lowers his margin for error,” said Dane Brugler of The Athletic. “He projects as a potential backup guard/center in a zone-based scheme.”’

‘The Bills were in an enviable position in this draft because just about every starting spot on their team is already set. Therefore, without a single glaring need, they were able to make their picks with an eye toward the long term rather than the short term.’

‘In a video posted to Twitter, Brown climbed a chair and soared for an elbow drop through the table and popped up to celebrate with primal screams with his friends.’

‘Analysis: The Bills had their pick of several first-round graded pass rushers, and they settled on the 6-foot-6, 266-pounder with the massive 83 1/4-inch wingspan. Rousseau opted out of the 2020 season, and he really only played one season as a full-time starter for the Hurricanes, but he had 15.5 sacks in 2019 and was a second-team All-American selection.’

‘“Pass rusher is a premium position,” Beane said. “After you get quarterbacks, probably the next highest position is pass rusher. The really premium ones always go in the top five. We’ve seen that with (Nick) Bosa and the young man last year who went to Washington (Chase Young). We were looking at different things and you only have so many cap dollars, so you try and find it in the draft.”’

‘Basham has a license plate for his car that says “QB Hunter.” The three-year starter is known for his pass rushing ability and compiled 19.5 sacks over three seasons with the Demon Deacons. In 2019, Basham led the team with 18 tackles for loss and 11 sacks to go with 57 total tackles, three forced fumbles and first-team All-ACC honors. He had five sacks in 2020 but missed time after a bout with COVID-19.’

‘Brown is a 6-foot-8, 311-pounder who Beane said will work as a swing tackle this year, meaning he will compete to be the backup on both sides behind starters Dion Dawkins and Daryl Williams. There was some pre-draft talk that he might move inside in the NFL, but Beane nixed that idea.’

‘Rousseau was a player some draft experts had going in the top 20, but he slid a little bit, partially because he opted out of the 2020 season and was only a one-year starter.’

‘Rousseau suffered a broken ankle early in his first season at Miami and was granted a medical redshirt. When he returned for the 2019 season, he exploded onto the scene as one of the most dominant pass rushers in college football.’

‘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.’