Thursday, April 22, 2021

Bills 2021 Draft Preview: Part 2

 

All Draft Summaries Come From NFL.COM



EDGE Azeez Ojulari - Georgia  6'2"  249lbs



2020: 2nd All-SEC, 31tckls/12.5TFLs, 8.5scks, 4FFs

Strengths: Has an aggressive play demeanor. Very good upper-body twitch & strength to unhinge and shed blocks. Contact balance to absorb blocks and maintain his base. Gifted change-of-direction. Will alter rush tempo to lull tackles to sleep. Leverage & power to capture and collapse a tackler's edge. Booming closing burst helps him demolish QBs.

Weaknesses: Doesn't play with desired knee bend to help him anchor. Limited go-to moves as a rusher. Gives away rush plan prematurely. Rarely threatens tackles with quality counters. Relies primarily on a stuff-and-run attack to try to find the edge.

Comp: Joey Porter

Grade: 6.39 (Will Be a Starter Within First 2 Seasons)



C Creed Humphrey - Oklahoma  6'4"  302lbs



2020: 3rd All-American/1st All-BIG 12, BIG 12 OL OTY

Strengths: Wrestling background is evident in core strength. Strong hands help maintain base blocks. Swings hips into position to seal the block. Finishes blocks with good intensity. Technique to trap & pancake leaning nose tackle. Helps with cleanup when teammates' protection gets leaky. 

Weaknesses: Longer defenders separate & discard him. Will give some early ground against strong bull rush. Susceptible against push-pull specialists. Gets a little grabby through contact on the move. 

Comp: Ben Jones

Grade: 6.26 (Good Backup, Could Become a Starter)



OG Jackson Carman - Clemson  6'5"  317lbs



2020: 2nd All-ACC

Strengths: Willing to set out on top of rushers early in the rep. Throws hands quickly, looking for early advantage. Effective use of snatch-and-trap technique. Generates good deal of push when he centers up the block. Very good timing on combos up to LBs. Upper-body power to protect his edges.

Weaknesses: High hands cause him to slide up & off the block. Needs to bring feet with him into down blocks. Struggles finding his way to back-side block. Lunges, leaving hands extended for rushers to swipe & chop. Could struggle with edge speed & inside counters at tackle.

Grade: 6.22 (Good Backup, Could Be a Starter)



CB Greg Newsome II - Northwestern  6'  192lbs



2020: 3rd All-American/1st All-BIG 10, 12tckls, 1INT/10PUs

Strengths: Good strength & physicality from press. Talented mirror-and-match technique versus early release. Nimble feet with smooth backpedal to gain depth. Well-versed in off-man and cover 3 schemes. Locates & maintains position to play the ball. Assails receiver's chances on contested catches. Drives forward with intent to punish & jar the catch loose. Very willing as a wrap-up tackler in run support.

Weaknesses: Needs to do a better job of trusting his eyes & instincts. Lateral transition burst is just average. Response to cross-face routes was inconsistent. Too many interference penalties. Needs to get off blocks sooner and could use more tackle strength.

Comp: Darius Slay

Grade: 6.40 (Will Be a Starter Within First 2 Seasons)



CB Ifeatu Melifonwu - Syracuse  6'3"  205lbs



2020: 3rd All-ACC, 55tckls/3TFLs, 1INT/9PUs

Strengths: Ability to mirror early stages of the route from backpedal. Length to disrupt adds to his downfield speed. Angles to play the ball without interfering. Consistent dive-and-wrap finisher after the catch. A punishing striker with aggressive mentality. Able to cast a wide net as an open-field tackler.

Weaknesses: Doesn't slide feet to cut off & slow release. Change of direction in space is average. Allows way too much room from off coverage. Needs to play with better eye balance & anticipation. A little tardy getting rid of perimeter blockers.

Comp: Trumaine Johnson

Grade: 6.26 (Good Backup, Could Become a Starter)



EDGE Jayson Oweh - Penn State  6'5"  257lbs



2020: 1st All-BIG 10, 38tckls/6.5TFLs

Strengths: Dynamite-infused quick-twitch explosiveness. Can explode into TEs with initial pop & overtake them quickly. Instant reactive movement off blocks to make sudden tackles. Swivel hips turn unrealistic tackle angles into real things. Can attack the corner in a big hurry as a rusher. Impressive leg drive advances his speed-to-power rush attacks.

Weaknesses: Still raw. Slow reaction time off snap can put him behind. Lacks feel & experience to decipher run-blocking schemes. Needs to work on attacking blocks from balanced platform. Doesn't attack with consistent swipe power. Will lose ball awareness on play-action.

Comp: Bud Dupree

Grade: 6.44 (Will Be a Starter Within First 2 Seasons)



WR Kadarius Toney - Florida  6'  193lbs



2020: 2nd All-American/1st All-SEC (all-purpose)/ 2nd All-SEC (receiver), 70rec/984yds/10TDs, 19c/161yds/1TD

Strengths: Access to early acceleration to uncover. Can run an inside-pivot whip route that's unguardable. Plus value in quick game & as a gadget option. Over-the-shoulder ball-tracking talent. Very good open-field vision for run after the catch. Strong legs with ability to elude or break the tackle. More physical than expected with the ball. Can step right in on punt returns.

Weaknesses: Route speed looks turned down at times. Route inefficiencies will need to be corrected. Too much free-styling. Might have issues handling contested catch duties underneath. More quick than speedy.

Comp: Harry Douglas

Grade: 6.36 (Will Be a Starter Within First 2 Seasons)



 OT Jalen Mayfield - Michigan   6'5" 320lbs



Strengths: Recognizes pre-snap pressure points. Agile feet & athletic ability to mirror twists and stunts. Able to get out in space. Bursts out of his stance as a run blocker. Accelerates his feet through down blocks. Reliable climbing to the 2nd level from combo blocks. Keeps driving opponent when he gets block-centered.

Weaknesses: Upper body lacks desired broadness & strength. Small wind-up in pass punch opens frame up. Lacks length & power to redirect rushers. Loses pad level when making lateral blocks. Struggles with body control & contact balance at times.

Comp: Trey Pipkins

Grade: 6.12 (Good Backup, Could Become a Starter)



EDGE Joe Tryon - Washington  6'5"  259lbs



Strengths: Ability to punch & shed TEs quickly when hands are right. Hand skills flash when battling run blockers. Glides & moves with proper knee base in lateral movements. Can activate smooth outside-in rush move. Bursts to the QB. Comfortable dropping & covering. 

Weaknesses: Still learning. Needs to aggressively take it to opponents. Needs better understanding of positioning when setting the edge. Seems unsure & tentative at times when rushing. Rarely disguises rush plan or sets up opponent. Too many head-first charges.

Grade: 6.31 (Will Be a Starter Within First 2 Seasons)



DT Alim McNeil - North Carolina St. 6'2"  317lbs



2020: 2nd All-American/1st All-ACC, 26tckls/4.5TFLs, 1sck, 1INT

Strengths: Three-for-one big man with power, explosiveness & athleticism. Operates with desired contact balance & body control. Moves fluidly with athletic gait in pursuit. Strong base to play through the edge. Harmonious hands & feet to maneuver around protection.

Weaknesses: Strong, but sawed-off. Slow diagnosis will get him reached by blocks. Unable to quickly shed & rid blocks. Limited range to tackle working off of blocks. Not much secondary rush when initial attack stalls. Needs to find go-to move for quicker wins as a rusher.

Comp: Khalen Saunders

Grade: 6.14 (Good Backup, Could Become a Starter)



RB Trey Sermon - Ohio State  6' 215lbs



2020: 116c/870yds/4TDs, 12rec/95yds

Strengths: Good acceleration after change of direction. Finishes runs with forceful demeanor. Has ability to put moves together as an outside zone runner. Squares up & meets his pass-blocking duties. Stepped up with huge efforts when it was needed. 

Weaknesses: Tends to run too upright. Slow to process moving pieces in tight quarters. Didn't crank up as much aggression into contact. Lacks vision & burst to make a living between the tackles.

Grade: 6.20 (Good Backup, Could Become a Starter)



WR Marlon Williams - UCF  5'11"  209lbs



2020: 71rec/1,039yds/10TDs

Strengths: Harmonious hands & feet in press release. Works around traffic with plus feel for space against zone. Physical to separate at the top of the route. Hands can be sudden. Physical runner after the catch.

Weaknesses: Body catching leads to focus drops & double catches. Slow off the line. Breaks & turns needs crisper angles. No 2nd gear when the ball goes up.

Grade: 5.67 (Chance to Make End of a Roster/Practice Squad)



RB Travis Etienne - Clemson    5'10" 215lbs



2020: 1st All-American/1st All-ACC, 168c/913yds/14TDs, 48rec/588yds/2TDs

Strengths: A three-down back. He allows power blocks to develop. Excellent read & cut timing. Leg drive & balance to power through contact. Hips can swivel and cut in any direction. Elevated his value as a receiver out of the backfield.

Weaknesses: Average ball security needs to improve. A long strider in short spaces. Running style is aggressive but somewhat segmented. Drops easy throws on swing passes. Needs to square rushers & keep them centered.

Comp: Garrison Hearst

Grade: 6.71 (Year 1 Quality Starter)







  









  



 







 

 









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