With the regular season of college football in the rear-view mirror, and college bowl games coming down the pike, it’s time that we here at Buffalo Rumblings update fans on what games the Buffalo Bills scouts have attended. November is one of the more important months on the college football calendar, as it includes conference championships games, which routinely feature some of the best prospects facing off against each other on the field.
As always, a thank you should go out to NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread and those few media members that report and tweet about such things, as without them we wouldn’t normally have access to this type of information.
Georgia-Kentucky
November 3rd
Top Prospects
- Georgia Bulldogs (CB Deandre Baker, C Lamont Gaillard, OLB D’Andre Walker)
- Kentucky Wildcats (ER Josh Allen, RB Benny Snell, TE CJ Conrad, OG Bunchy Stallings)
Grif’s take: Allen and Baker are obvious first-round talents on defense, but the offensive prospects for both teams are likely intriguing mid-round options. Stallings and Snell would both look great in a man blocking scheme, since both rely on their strength to overpower their opponents at their respective positions. CJ Conrad is one of the more complete pro-style tight ends in the nation.
Alabama-LSU
November 3rd
Top Prospects
- Alabama Crimson Tide (DT Quinnen Williams, DT Raekwon Davis, LB Mack Wilson, LB Christian Miller, OT/OG Jonah Williams, FS Deionte Thompson, RB Damien Harris)
- LSU Tigers (LB Devin White, CB Greedy Williams, DE Rashard Lawrence, OG Garrett Brumfield, TE Foster Moreau)
Grif’s take: This is at least the second time the Bills scouting both teams. Both teams are stacked on defense, which likely was the main draw for the Bills’ scouts. Thompson, White, Q. Williams, J. Williams, and G. Williams are all locks for the first round, while Davis and Wilson may rise to that level in the coming months.
Alabama-Mississippi State
November 9th
Top Prospects
- Alabama Crimson Tide (DT Quinnen Williams, DT Raekwon Davis, LB Mack Wilson, LB Christian Miller, OT/OG Jonah Williams, FS Deionte Thompson, RB Damien Harris)
- Mississippi State Bulldogs (DT Jeffrey Simmons, ER Montez Sweat, QB Nick Fitzgerald, C Elgton Jenkins, CB Jamal Peters, S Johnathan Abram)
Grif’s take: Mississippi State brings a plethora of highly thought-of defensive prospects, but scouts seem particularly excited about the potential of Elgton Jenkins at center. Fitzgerald earned a Senior Bowl invite, which will provide him with a chance to re-inflate his draft stock after a poor season. And…oh look, it’s Alabama again!
West Virginia-Oklahoma
November 23rd
Top Prospects
- Oklahoma Sooners (WR Marquise Brown, OG Ben Powers, OT Bobby Evans, OG Dru Samia)
- West Virginia Mountaineers (QB Will Grier, WR David Sills, OT Yodny Cajuste, OT Colton McKivitz)
Grif’s take: Both teams have flashy skill position players, but it’s the offensive linemen that could end up being the better pro prospects. Cajuste, who will not play in WVU’s bowl game, will be one of the more athletic linemen at the combine, and both Oklahoma guards recently accepted invitations to the Senior Bowl. We’ll see if McKivitz decides to declare.
USC-Notre Dame
November 23rd
Top Prospects
- USC Trojans (TE Tyler Petite, C Toa Lobendahn, LB Cameron Smith, S Marvell Tell)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (DT Jerry Tillery, LB Te’Von Coney, LB Drue Tranquill, RB Dexter Williams, TE Alize Mack, CB Julian Love)
Grif’s take: Notre Dame’s defense has lived up to its billing as one of the best units in the country, but a couple of their prospects on offense will be draft risers after the season ends. Mack never saw much production, but he could be a Combine riser. Williams is a bigger back and won’t be every team’s cup of tea, but if he finds a good fit in the NFL he could end up producing very early on.