Players the Bills have met with at Combine

[LEBills]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFan said:

https://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/2025/02/buffalo-bills-2025-nfl-combine-prospect-meeting-tracker-latest-news-reports-and-notes.html
 

Here is a list of players the Bills have talked to at the combine.

 

I am curious about how many of the guys they talked to last season at the combine they ended up drafting.  
 

Some of the guys on the list I understand their interest, but some of the others …..

two in the last two years it seems, Coleman and Torrence.

 

2024:

https://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/2024/03/nfl-combine-2024-buffalo-bills-prospect-meeting-tracker.html?outputType=amp
 

2023:

https://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/2023/03/nfl-scouting-combine-2023-who-have-buffalo-bills-met-with-in-indianapolis.html?outputType=amp

[Chandler#81]

We’re drafting G? 😳

[wppete]

1 hour ago, gonzo1105 said:

I think the strength of the Bills needs on offense are actually best in the mid rounds, the WR depth in this class is best in rounds 3-5 and the RB class and TE class has depth. RFA money just came out today and Quinton Morris to be tendered would be 3.3 million. Can’t see that happening so we might be in the market for TE3 late in the draft. 
 

I think you might see Defense first 3 picks then adding your offensive depth guys. That’s obviously dependent on resigning Hollins and/or Cooper or adding another vet 

 

Resigning Hollins is a must. 

[BuffaloBillyG]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFan said:

https://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/2025/02/buffalo-bills-2025-nfl-combine-prospect-meeting-tracker-latest-news-reports-and-notes.html
 

Here is a list of players the Bills have talked to at the combine.

 

I am curious about how many of the guys they talked to last season at the combine they ended up drafting.  
 

Some of the guys on the list I understand their interest, but some of the others …..

The combine is the NFLs version of speed dating. They talk to many of the players to gauge if they want a second date (Top 30 visit). There's no limit to how many players they can chat up at the combine so a lot of teams take advantage. Some players are even brought in to talk about their teammates and get a feel for how people that played with a prospect they may like view them. 

[Dunkirk Donski]

On 2/28/2025 at 10:54 AM, JP51 said:

Lots a D this year my friends... 

that’s just gross

[gotme365]

Them not meeting with Derrick Harmon is disappointing. He’s Cam Hayward 2.0 and will probably be a better pro than Grant.

[gonzo1105]

3 minutes ago, gotme365 said:

Them not meeting with Derrick Harmon is disappointing. He’s Cam Hayward 2.0 and will probably be a better pro than Grant.

This isn’t all inclusive. They can meet up to 60 prospects and only 26 were found to this point so it’s very possible they met with him 

[gonzo1105]

New CB added. Can lightning strike twice? 

[TheBeaneBandit]

1 hour ago, gotme365 said:

Them not meeting with Derrick Harmon is disappointing. He’s Cam Hayward 2.0 and will probably be a better pro than Grant.

Maybe smokescreen/they've had scouts already talk to him previously. They already know if they are lucky enough for him to fall to them they'll jump on him like a spidermonkey lol?

[BobbyC81]

1 hour ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

The combine is the NFLs version of speed dating. They talk to many of the players to gauge if they want a second date (Top 30 visit). There's no limit to how many players they can chat up at the combine so a lot of teams take advantage. Some players are even brought in to talk about their teammates and get a feel for how people that played with a prospect they may like view them. 

So, what is this talk about the Bills having “informal” meetings with players?  What’s the difference?

[BuffaloBillyG]

1 minute ago, BobbyC81 said:

So, what is this talk about the Bills having “informal” meetings with players?  What’s the difference?

I think informal meetings are just that. Meeting a player and having a conversation. Feeling them out. Nothing really football related. No chalkboard time or film. 

 

Make sure contact info is correct, ask some light questions. Nothing detailed.

[Dr. Who]

9 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

I think informal meetings are just that. Meeting a player and having a conversation. Feeling them out. Nothing really football related. No chalkboard time or film. 

 

Make sure contact info is correct, ask some light questions. Nothing detailed.

I'm guessing they just wanted to verify for themselves that Arian Smith's hands are made of stone.

[gonzo1105]

Added a couple of DTs to the list 

Edited Saturday at 11:32 PM by gonzo1105

[SoonerBillsFan]

4 hours ago, LEBills said:

two in the last two years it seems, Coleman and Torrence.

 

2024:

https://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/2024/03/nfl-combine-2024-buffalo-bills-prospect-meeting-tracker.html?outputType=amp
 

2023:

https://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/2023/03/nfl-scouting-combine-2023-who-have-buffalo-bills-met-with-in-indianapolis.html?outputType=amp

So we are drafting someone in the 2nd round that we talked to at the combine?

[LEBills]

48 minutes ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

So we are drafting someone in the 2nd round that we talked to at the combine?

We definitely might!

[RyanC883]

On 3/1/2025 at 8:45 AM, MJS said:

Why do you think Rousseau was overdrafted? He was almost universally seen as an end of the 1st round prospect. That's exactly where he was taken.

 

And Basham was seen as a 2nd round prospect.

 

Greg R  and Basham are products of Bean position hunting and not going BPA.  2 pro bowl centers were available. Given their impacts (or lack there of) they were over drafted.   Also passing on JOC was erroneous. 

[BigAl2526]

On 3/1/2025 at 2:11 PM, Chandler#81 said:

We’re drafting G? 😳

Possibly on day 3.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

On 2/26/2025 at 10:34 PM, EmotionallyUnstable said:

This surprises and concerns me. Feels like an unnatural scheme fit here. There is no chance they take a guy like this at 30…right? …but if he falls to the 50s then his well rounded ability and versatility might be too good to pass up

 

By the coaches they have brought in , there is some scheme changes coming.

 

 

[GASabresIUFan]

On 3/1/2025 at 11:30 AM, No_Matter_What said:

Not true. I also remember Basham as consensus 2nd round talent, as @MJS said.

 

And some proofs (first two links I opened):

 

Consensus Big Board - Basham 48

 

https://www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com/big-boards/2021/consensus-big-board-2021

 

PFF - Basham 43

 

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-final-2021-nfl-draft-board-big-board-draft-rankings

 

Kiper had him at 59.  https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2021/insider/story/_/id/31341281/2021-nfl-draft-rankings-top-150-prospects-best-500-position-mel-kiper-new-big-board#25.  The Bills drafted him 61.

 

 

[BigDingus]

On 3/1/2025 at 9:45 AM, billieve420 said:

In a weak WR class could live with this being one of our 2nd round picks. Defense should be the priority in the first.

 

Eh, I disagree. No matter what kind of players we have on D, it's still coached by McD & still fails to show up in the playoffs. Would anyone say our safeties are better than prime Hyde & Poyer? Definitely not, yet they performed pretty much the same come playoff time. I'm not saying it's hopeless, but our defense has been historically bad in these last 5 losses.

 

Whether McDermott goes heavy D in the 1st or 2nd, the end result ends up the same because he still coaches the same & goes after the same types of players. Did Ed, Groot, Basham & Elam have more impact than Hamlin, Bernard, Benford & Williams? Maybe slightly, but those 1st & 2nd round picks haven't really been much more impactful come playoff time than the picks we took later in the draft.

 

In my opinion, might as well keep taking shots at giving Josh the best weapons possible. The offense is the only thing that really has a chance to change & improve year over year, and it's lead by our best player. In a perfect world, Josh would've been paired with a great offensive coach, then if the D isn't carrying its weight, we could replace the coordinator & start over. But we're stuck with McDermott's D no matter what. 

 

We've seen 6 years of McDermott's D suck in the playoffs, while Josh shows up. Spent a 1st round pick on Edmunds & he's just solid. Spent a 5th on Milano & he became a stud. You just never know, but I've yet to see McDermott find a huge impact player in the 1st round outside of Josh, but we've seen him do so in the later rounds.