It’s Draft Day at Buffalo Rumblings, and we’re as excited as you are to discover the newest member of the Buffalo Bills! The Bills have the 30th pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, which means they could go any direction when making their selection. Looking for some context about their pick? We’ve assembled scouting reports from our NFL Draft writers Dan Lavoie and Maxwell Owens for 15 names who could land with the Bills. Check out the blurbs (and links to the full scouting reports) below!
RB Travis Etienne
Etienne may not be a certifiable freak like Saquon Barkley, and that’s why he’s considered a borderline round-one talent instead of a top-five target. But this is a 215-lb runner with 4.4 speed who was the bell cow of the ACC’s best team for four years. Though speed is his calling card, he’s demonstrated enough power that he could become the primary runner for a team in the NFL.
WR Elijah Moore
A small but explosive receiver, Moore has plenty of natural gifts that would make him an ideal slot weapon. The most noteworthy are his hands; Moore routinely makes shoelace catches or casual one-handed grabs without breaking stride. He’s both quick and fast, able to be a deep threat or to shake defenders underneath for a first-down catch. If you’re fine with his smaller size, it’s easy to imagine Moore becoming a reliable possession receiver with big-play upside early in his career.
WR Kadarius Toney
The way Toney throws in so many shimmies, shakes, tempo changes, and crossovers, it’s like watching Stevie Johnson in his prime. But when you mix in a little of Cordarelle Patterson’s elusiveness with the ball in his hands, this may be the best all-around offensive weapon in the draft. That said, both of those players had drawbacks.
OC Creed Humphrey
Humphrey is an extremely solid center prospect, an 8/10 type across the board. He does great work with his hand fighting and strength, thanks to a background in wrestling and in the weight room. He’s balanced and a good mover all around. He can work one-on-one and hold his own, or team up on combo blocks and advance to the second level. That said, there are no “amazing” traits that pop on film.
OC Landon Dickerson, Alabama
With a massive build, plenty of strength, solid mobility, and an outstanding on-field and off-field mentality, there is a lot to love about Dickerson. The biggest question is his health—both the availability for games, and whether all his injuries have deteriorated his body and talent.
OT Dillon Radunz
Though not every play looks pretty with Radunz, he brings 100 percent each time and makes it work. He sometimes struggles with speed, but plays with great awareness of his teammates and defenders and does his part to help the play succeed. He’s been compared with eight-year veteran Billy Turner of the Green Bay Packers, and that career arc would certainly be worth an early pick.
DT Christian Barmore
Barmore’s size and athletic ability are both perfect matches for a future NFL starter, and he had experience lining up all over the defensive line in Nick Saban’s system. Not just a bull-rusher, Barmore showed some finesse to get skinny and split linemen as he accumulated ten sacks in his two seasons. However, his overall pass rush plan is more of a pass rush reaction, and the lack of seasoning would force some teams to limit his role as a rookie.
DE Jayson Oweh
Jayson Oweh is a freak athlete with a limited resume from his career at Penn State. A workout warrior, Oweh has the size and strength of a starting NFL defensive end and the speed and agility numbers of a starting NFL cornerback.
DE Azeez Ojulari
Using speed, explosiveness, and effort, Ojulari finds his wins in different ways despite having a raw rushing arsenal with which to work There are some questions about where he will fit in at the next level due to his stature (249 lbs). Some teams may like him more as a 3-4 outside linebacker, but Ojulari showed the run-support chops to play with his hand in the dirt in the NFL based on his 2020 season. Ojulari is far from a finished product from a technical standpoint, but the tools are there to be developed along with a relentless motor.
DE Joe Tryon
Joe Tryon is an athletic defensive end out of the PAC-12 who is being viewed as more of a projection than a finished product. While there are plenty of growing pains that need to be worked out of Tryon’s game from a mental standpoint, there is plenty to work with. He has shown the understanding of pass rush technique with a couple of go-to counter moves in his arsenal. The next step of his game is to remove mental mistakes and play with a lower pad level.
DE Gregory Rousseau
With his length, strength, and burst, Rousseau showed that he can blow up plays behind the line of scrimmage as a defensive end or tackle. Having missed the 2020 season, there are questions about how much of Rousseau’s production was built with his innate talent and athleticism as opposed to fortunate circumstances and weak opponents.
CB Asante Samuel Jr.
Whether he plays inside or outside, cornerback or safety, Samuel’s plus traits can win him a starting job early in his NFL career. He played well on an underperforming defense at Florida State, and there’s reason to believe some of his technical flaws could be coached up as a pro. If the intelligence and effort shown on the tape translates to the practice field, he can eventually overcome his size limitations and become an effective cover corner.
CB Caleb Farley
Had he been lucky enough to have a clean medical history, there is almost no way he would be on the board for the Bills at pick 30. Unfortunately for him, his medicals have potentially pushed him down some boards and could leave teams approaching him with some caution as he has had two back surgeries since the last time anyone has seen him on a football field. As a player, Farley offers the potential to be a shut-down man corner locking down one side of the field all on his own consistently in the ACC.
CB Eric Stokes
A three-year contributor at Georgia, Stokes found all of his career interceptions in 2020 with four while taking two of them for touchdowns. Stokes burned up his pro day, exhibiting track speed and explosiveness in his testing. The problem is that one of the primary issues with Stokes when you pop on his tape is functional athleticism on the football field. Mechanical transitions and limited agility will hold Stokes back in off-man situations.
CB Greg Newsome II
Newsome has battled some injuries over the course of his career, never playing a complete season without missing games through three years at Northwestern. He is a highly competitive, physical player with the fluidity necessary to be a very impactful outside corner in the NFL. Despite limited ball production (one interception) over the course of his career, Newsome’s ball skills stand out for his ability to rise up and play through the catch point against receivers of all shapes and sizes.