With the 163rd pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills have selected Matt Milano, linebacker from Boston College. The team finally decided to stand pat for the first time in the draft, after trading for every selection made in the first two days.
Milano is a six foot, 223 pound linebacker who fits into the weakside LB / nickel LB role that the Bills were lacking on their roster. Milano is a good athlete who ran a 4.67 forty yard dash at the Combine and had a 35 inch vertical jump. He moves around the field with nice range, and was asked to handle man coverage against tight ends. He also plays the ball on passes, something not many college linebackers have practiced.
In his last two seasons, Milano collected 118 tackles, 28.5 for loss, and 13 sacks. He also returned an interception for a touchdown. It’s odd for a player to have such a high TFL : tackle ratio while playing as an off-the-ball linebacker, but it speaks to Milano’s qualities as a defensive playmaker.
The Bills have two more picks remaining today - the 171st overall pick in round five, and the 195th overall pick in round six.