The Buffalo Bills have drafted their second wide receiver of the day, picking up a serious red zone threat in Oregon State’s Isaiah Hodgins. The 6’4” 210-lb Hodgins follows along with Gabriel Davis, the team’s fourth-round pick, as a receiver with a dominating quality at the catch point. In Hodgins’s case, it’s probably his defining trait.
Hodgins had 20 career touchdown catches, second in school history. His 2019 season was tremendous, with 86 catches for 1,171 yards and 13 touchdowns, and he opted to turn pro after that year. It was his second straight season of leading the team in receiving.
Hodgins catches the football like a rebounder, with an iron grip on the ball in the air. He has outstanding body control and instincts, and thrives with sideline routes like double moves and comebacks. The question is if he has enough athleticism and refined route-running to thrive with a full route tree. He ran a 4.61 40-yard dash, but had great results in the short shuttle and broad jump.
The Bills receiver room is suddenly crowded. Three veterans are locked in as starters. Isaiah McKenzie is the man to beat as a jet sweep and motion option. Davis and Hodgins will be competing to outrank McKenzie, and there may not be room for all three of them on the final roster.
What do you think of this pick, Bills fans?