Last year, after injuries decimated the top of the Buffalo Bills' wide receiver depth chart, a group of youngsters - including Stevie Johnson, David Nelson, Donald Jones and Naaman Roosevelt - stepped up to the plate and delivered solid performances. That experience, a full return to health for all of those injured, and a strong pool of depth top to bottom has turned a no-name position into Buffalo's deepest group of talent.
If we're looking for the next Bills positional group to emerge in that fashion, outside linebacker might be the starting spot for that conversation.
Just as the Bills did at receiver a year ago (remember, Roscoe Parrish was starting ahead of Johnson in the early parts of the season), the team has penciled-in starters in Chris Kelsay and Shawne Merriman at outside linebacker. Sitting behind those two veterans are four players, all aged 23 or 24, that are competing with each other and pushing for playing time.
The biggest name in that group is Arthur Moats, a second-year player who showed flashes of competence as a rookie. His draft classmate, Danny Batten, is coming off of injury and adds to the competition. Antonio Coleman is in the same boat, though he got some game action in last season, while Batten did not. Then, of course, there's Aaron Maybin, still the youngest player of this quartet.
It will be more difficult for young pass rushers to make an impact than it was for young receivers. But if the Bills won't target big names, at least they've built competitive depth at the position.