Team: Buffalo Bills
2019 Record: 10-6
State of the Team: The biggest thing to happen to this playoff team of a year ago is Tom Brady left the New England Patriots. This young up and coming team are poised to head into the 2020 season as the favorite to win the AFC East. Before the draft, the Bills traded their first-round draft pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for wide receiver Stefon Diggs. That acquisition upgraded their wide receiver position in a big way.
The Draft Picks:
Round 2 – 54th overall: A.J. Epenesa, defensive end, Iowa
Round 3 – 86th overall: Zack Moss, running back, Utah
Round 4 – 128th overall: Gabriel Davis, wide receiver, Central Florida
Round 5 – 167th overall: Jake Fromm, quarterback, Georgia
Round 6 – 188th overall: Tyler Bass, kicker, Georgia Southern
Round 6 – 207th overall: Isaiah Hodgins, wide receiver, Oregon State
Round 7 – 239th overall: Dane Jackson, cornerback, Pittsburgh
What to Like: The Bills are a team on the rise, and they went into the draft knowing it. Brent Axe from ESPN Syracuse has been a sports commentator in central New York for over 15 years and has covered the Bills in many different capacities including working on the Bills Radio Network.
“My favorite pick was (Zack) Moss,” he said. “I just think they need another impact player running back that’s got great value. (Devin) Singletary is great, but they needed some help at that [running back] position. Having moved on from LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore in recent years it just felt like Buffalo needed a little jolt there.”
What Not to Like: None of the seven picks were universally panned, although Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm raised some eyebrows. Josh Allen is entrenched in the starting spot, and Matt Barkley has been pretty secure at the backup spot.
“It's funny because (Fromm) and Matt Barkley are pretty much the same guy,” said Axe. “However at some point with Barkley, you're going to have to move on from a veteran like that for a number of reasons.” It will be interesting to see if the Bills have a different plan for Fromm or if they will hold him as a third-quarterback. It also raises the question of how long Barkley will stay.
Did They Get Better?: “[The Bills] just needed to shore up depth,” Axe said. “This is a team that is on the brink of competing for a division. Tom Brady's gone (from the Patriots). It was a draft basically [Bills general manager] Brandon Bean could not screw up and he didn't, he added the right positions.”
The Bills are going into this summer as the prohibitive favorite to win the AFC East. The Patriots have had a stronghold on the division for 11 straight years. The Bills haven’t won the division since 1995. This year there is as high an expectation for this franchise since the days of Jim Kelly. The draft was simply to add depth and plug potential holes. They certainly did that. Buffalo remains the favorite to win the division and make a playoff push.
Sports - Latest - Google News
May 12, 2020 at 09:46PM
https://ift.tt/35Sx0C1
NFL Draft review: Did the Buffalo Bills have a good draft? - Sports Illustrated
Sports - Latest - Google News
https://ift.tt/2Mbsnt7
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "NFL Draft review: Did the Buffalo Bills have a good draft? - Sports Illustrated"
Post a Comment