It's that time of the year, Buffalo Rumblers: the NFL Draft season is upon us, and I'm sure you all know what that means. That's right! It's time for the fifth annual Buffalo Rumblings NFL Draft Man Crush of the year article.
For those of you who haven't been around long enough to know what this is, it is absolutely the most electrifying article in sports entertainment. (Well, not quite. But close.)
This is where we share our "man crushes" for the upcoming draft: prospects who we dream about, salivate over, and lust for. The prospects we've watched endless videos of, and debated over amongst ourselves for weeks on end.
Clearly, I don't mean man crushes in its literal sense, but figuratively. Man crushes refer to players that you would love to see playing for the Buffalo Bills, and would love for us to select during the upcoming draft. Whether or not a player will be available when the Bills pick doesn't matter in the exercise. So if Jalen Ramsey is your man crush, that's fine, he's fair game.
Practicality doesn't matter, either. Do not think that you can't select a guy because the Bills already have a starter at that position. If you think the world of Jared Goff, well, move on over Tyrod Taylor, because the Cal Bear is coming to Buffalo.
Now that we've cleared that up, let's get down to business, shall we? Below are my man crushes since 2006 that I've been keeping under lock and key ever since my 2014 incident.
- 2015: Tevin Coleman, Maxx Williams
- 2014: Calvin Pryor
- 2013: Chance Warmack, Alec Ogletree
- 2012: Vontaze Burfict
- 2011: Aldon Smith, Robert Quinn, Nick Fairley
- 2010: Rolando McClain, Taylor Mays
- 2009: Rey Maualuga, Michael Crabtree
- 2008: Darren McFadden
- 2007: Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis
- 2006: Reggie Bush, Michael Huff
This year, I decided to stick with my type. I have an affinity for defensive players, specifically players in the defensive backfield. Therefore, it should be no surprise that by 2016 NFL Draft Man Crush of the year award is going to be, Mackensie Alexander, the cornerback from Clemson. There is nothing that gets me more fired up than a corner with swag, and this kid has it. The Bills already have two quiet and mild-mannered corner backs in Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby, but if you add Alexander to the room along with Aaron Williams, look out. This highlight video and Combine interview is what sealed the deal for me. The look that he has in his eyes at the 57-second mark in the highlight video is what I want to see from my cornerbacks.
The biggest knock on him is his lack of interceptions and his less than ideal size. However, similar things were said about Darby. Like Darby in college, teams didn't throw at Alexander, either. I'm not concerned about any of it. The truth is, the guy can flat-out cover, and the last time I checked, a Rex Ryan defense is built with the secondary first, and adding a guy like Alexander can solidify the cornerback position for years. Is he my highest-rated cornerback in this year's draft? Yes!
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As you can see from my list above, Alexander had some stiff competition. I really like Andrew Billings a lot, too, as his explosion and ability to penetrate reminds of me of Kyle Williams. Truthfully, I'll be ecstatic if any of these players end up in a Bills uniform.
Okay Bills fans, I told you my crush(es), now tell me yours. Let's see some videos, articles, or interviews that started your crushes.