Logic

With all due respect, other than "raw edge rusher drafted by the Bills", I don't see any Aaron Maybin comparison AT ALL. They're completely different as players and completely different in size and athletic profile. Maybin was 240 soaking wet, but probably played at Penn State closer to 220-235. He looked like a defensive back. He had great get-off and not much else. Rousseau is a monster of a man, weighs 266 (and probably still isn't done growing), and looks like an oak tree. A lot of his sack production came when he rushed from the interior, which was decidedly not the case with Maybin. Again, other than the position they play and the team that drafted them, I see zero point zero similarities.

The only problem is Rousseau seems attached to the number 5 for some reason. His Twitter handle is Greg_R5 and his college number was 15. I'm not sure what the new rules allow with regard to DL flexibility, but I sort of thought he might try to get 15 here, as well, or maybe just 5, which obviously would have looked weird. Maybe not quite as weird as 50, though. Hmmm....

https://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/2021/04/greg-rousseau-a-top-10-talent-steal-for-buffalo-bills-says-manny-diaz.html “I think his upside is without limits,” said [Hurricanes coach Manny] Diaz. “I really do. There’s no telling what a 2020 Greg Rousseau would have looked like. All we saw was the 2019 version and that was really his first year playing defensive end... The relentless motor, the length, the ability to bend and move for that size... those are all things that are elite.”

First, that tends to happen more when you draft 30th. It's new for the Bills, but it's gonna start happening more and more often. Second, MOST edge rushers -- all but the elite of the elite, the top 5 type guys, the Chase Youngs and Nick Bosas of the world -- are drafted for the future, not the present. It's pretty rare for rookie edge rushers to light the world on fire. Even Chase Young and Myles Garret both had 7 sacks as rookies. Chandler Jones had six. It's not much of an instant impact position.

In reading about Rousseau a bunch today, I've seen the following player comparisons mentioned a lot: Chandler Jones, Justin Tuck, Calais Campbell, Carlos Dunlap, Michael Johnson, and Jason Pierre-Paul. All are comparable in terms of size, athletic profile, and the fact that they get a lot of their pressure from interior alignments on 3rd downs. Obviously, if Rousseau turns out as well as the players listed, it will mean that he has reached his considerable potential, and that the Bills made a good pick. These players represent the optimistic outlook of what Rousseau's career could look like if things go well. So what exactly have the careers of these players looked like? Using Pro-Football-Reference.com and looking over their careers, this is what I see. These players average approximately: 11 year playing career 8 sacks per year 1.5 forced fumbles per year 3 Pro Bowls 1 First Team All-Pro selection Again, that's just an average. There are years where said players notched less than five sacks, and years where a guy like Chandler Jones got 19.5 sacks. Past results do not necessarily indicate future outcomes, etc, etc. But this gives us a reasonable idea of what a realistic outcome for Rousseau might look like if he reaches his potential.

I'm watching Rousseau's interview from last night with the Buffalo media, and I've gotta say this... He seems like a really great kid. Smart, humble, friendly, genuine...seems to have his priorities in order in terms of opting out to take care of his family during COVID and whatnot. I know that being a great guy doesn't mean he'll be a great player. However, when you're hoping for a very raw player of considerable physical talents to reach his high potential, knowing that he's a humble, hard working, high character person is huge. It is that character and work ethic that will be key in becoming what the Bills think he can become, if he's able to do it. Happy for Rousseau and glad he's a Bill.

I'm just going to paste a bunch of Tweets I'm liking today, because I know a lot of people here aren't on the Twitters. Here goes: And lastly, I'll just say...everything Bruce and Marino say in the Tweets above is right on. Beane is betting that his coaches (and Rousseau's work ethic) can bridge the gap between what Rousseau is and what he can become. The traits are there, the potential is there, the work ethic and character are there, we have a great coaching setup with McDermott/Frazier/Washington, and a duo of crafty veterans for him to learn under. Go get it, Groot.

He couldn't be more different from Aaron Maybin.

Brandon Beane just said "it was the pick we wanted and it fell our way". So, if Beane is to be believed, he's the guy they wanted at EDGE. They sure looked happy in the draft room. Time will tell, but Beane seems really excited about him.

Brandon Beane loves spending high picks on high upside, high ceiling, physical specimen players, and then trusting his coaches to turn said players into productive pros. Time will tell on Rousseau. The fact that Oweh and Tryon were picked in the two picks right afterwords is interesting. It'll be fun to watch all three players' careers and see if the Bills made the right choice. Beane didn't lie. This pick is about the future more so than the present (though Rousseau will able to contribute this year in the DL rotation).

Ojulari still on the board in the 2nd round. He's falling due to medical. As for him over Oweh: At least Rousseau had a 15.5 sack year. Oweh just came off a zero sack year. We'll see.

They didn't have a 1st round pick last year. He correctly stated they were looking WR with their 1st round pick. As I recall, they did use their first round pick to get a WR.

LOL

Unfortunately, several teams between now and Bills need edge, CB. Might see one of Oweh or Tryon still on the board at 30 if they're lucky.

I'm shocked.

There's about to be a big run on edge rushers, and I bet Moehrig and Owusu-Koremoah get picked, too. It's gonna leave Etienne, Harris, Barmore, Samuel, Newsome, or trade-down for the Bills.

I was about to come in and ask if @GunnerBill was in the Raiders draft room after that Leatherwood pick, but even HE didn't have the dude rated that high.

Mac Jones?

Watching NFLN. Haven’t watched ESPN’s coverage in years. Gross.

Aggressive push?

I hope we never become the team that neglects it’s franchise QB, refuses to get him weapons, and generally pisses him off. Clearly, that hasn’t been the case so far. I can think of nothing as important as keeping an elite QB happy.

I would laugh and laugh and laugh if that happens. I'd also be totally fine with it. Multiple teams have said they only have 16-18 players with 1st round grades this year. It's also a shallower pool of players than usual, so I'm fine with them packaging later picks and moving around the board. If the Bills came out of this draft with two 2nd round players, two 3rd round players, and a 4th round player, I'd be happy.

This dude was just minding his own business, daydreaming about Spider 2 Y Banana, and all of a sudden Julio Jones and Aaron Rodgers are available. Someone's gonna need to take his phone away before he offers his first born.

Fast forward to opening day 2021, when Aaron Rodgers' New England Patriots take on Deshaun Watson's Miami Dolphins.