No. 30 – Edge Gregory Rousseau, Miami
Buffalo invests in the pass rush with a former Hurricane who has enticing upside.
No. 30 – Edge Jayson Oweh, Penn State
Buffalo selects Oweh, who brings his freakish athleticism to an already formidable Buffalo defense.
No. 30 – Edge Gregory Rousseau, Miami
Maybe they try to move down here, but Rousseau could be an interesting project. They were middle of the pack in pass rush metrics.
No. 30 – CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech
Farley's back issues could see him slide on draft day, but Buffalo could cushion that fall. Adding a steady cover corner with a diverse game and ball-hawking skills would solidify the Bills' defensive lineup.
No. 30 – RB Najee Harris, Alabama
If the Steelers take Harris, Clemson running back Travis Etienne could be the pick.
No. 30 – Edge Gregory Rousseau, Miami
Clemson RB Travis Etienne was tough to pass up but GM Brandon Beane is thinking long-term here. As much as Etienne would help the offense right now, Rousseau has better long-haul value. Jerry Hughes andMario Addison will suffice for another year but Buffalo still lacks an elite edge rusher. After registering 15.5 sacks as a freshman, the 6-foot-7 Rousseau has the potential to be one after learning from the two productive veterans. Pared opposite A.J. Epenesa, the Bills could have the future of their defensive line in place. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques
No. 30 – RB Travis Etienne, Clemson
We can clamor for the Bills to prioritize the pass rush or their no. 2 cornerback spot all we want. But I still think they are going running back in Round 1 in this mock draft. Etienne is a home-run threat out of the backfield who can also catch the ball at a high level in the passing game. He should provide a welcome underneath target for Allen in the passing game and a willing blocker in pass protection, too.
No. 30 – Edge Gregory Rousseau, Miami
No. 30 – Edge Jaelan Phillips, Miami
There isn't a team in the AFC better positioned to dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs than the Buffalo Bills. But despite last year's 13-win season and AFC title game appearance, the Bills have some prominent weaknesses as well. The biggest is likely the team's edge-rushers, as Buffalo didn't have a player register more than five sacks in 2020.
There's no Chase Young-type generational talent off the edge in the class of 2021, but there are several players with considerable upside.
Miami's Jaelan Phillips had an up-and-down collegiate career that included multiple concussions and walking away from the game altogether before reconsidering and transferring from UCLA to Miami. But he shined for the Hurricanes in 2020, piling up 15.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
Phillips isn't a sure thing, but the potential is there for him to be a real contributor for a Bills pass rush that can definitely use some pop.
It's a very Brandon Beane pick, and that's a good thing.
Grade: A-
—Davenport
No. 30 – CB Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State
They have to get a corner to go with Tre'Davious White and I am a big fan of Samuel's game. He plays the game a lot like his father, Asante Samuel Sr., did when he was in the league.
No. 30 – RB Travis Etienne, Clemson
I got the Alvin Kamara comp on Etienne from a couple of teams. I vetted it out: Is that a little much? And everyone I've talked to has said no, it's an appropriate parallel to draw. That's why I love the fit with Buffalo. With the amount of space the Bills receiver group—and Josh Allen's ability to push the ball downfield—should create underneath, Etienne could really wreak havoc.
No. 30 – RB Travis Etienne, Clemson
Not for a second will I be surprised if the Bills trade back into the second round with the ability to get likely the exact same player. If they stay, I think Etienne not only fills a need but represents the best player available.
No. 30 – WR Rondale Moore, Purdue
Strengthen a strength. Josh Allen's breakout season came with a much improved receiving corps, and that should not be a surprise to anyone. Emmanuel Sanders and Cole Beasley are not long-term options, and Beasley's injury hurt the Bills last season. Moore is a physical specimen who can win all over the field. He was the most valuable player remaining. — George Chahrouri
No. 30 – Edge Jayson Oweh, Penn State
The Bills' two stalwart pass rushers in Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison (both now over 30) aren't getting any younger, making the edge rusher spot a priority. Oweh's a tough evaluation, an extraordinary athlete who failed to manage even one sack in seven games last season. If anyone can tap Oweh's incredible potential, though, it's Bills head coach Sean McDermott.
No. 30 – OT Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State
The Bills could easily look to strengthen a strength with Rondale Moore or Trevon Moehrig, but grabbing a tackle here makes just as much sense. Radunz allowed only one quarterback hit in his last 17 college games and has the athleticism to make it happen outside.
No. 30 – RB Travis Etienne, Clemson
Similar to the Najee Harris discussion, if you are going to draft a running back in the first round in 2021, he better be someone who can contribute in the passing game.
Travis Etienne can do that for the Buffalo Bills, as you might see him aligned in the slot or even on the boundary more than in the backfield in 2021. The Buffalo Bills do not have a ton of needs coming off their run to the AFC Championship Game, but finding a way to be more efficient in the running game is one of them. Etienne can give them that efficiency, thanks to his contact balance, burst and long speed, but what he offers as a receiver is also a perfect complement to the rest of Buffalo's weapons.
No. 30 – Edge Jayson Oweh, Penn State
The Bills don't have many holes and can take the best player on their board. They could use some depth and youth at edge rusher, and get a big, freakish athlete in Oweh. He didn't play a ton at Penn State, but he can play on third downs as a rookie and learn from Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison.
No. 30 – LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa
Collins could be off the board as early as No. 11, but if he's here the Bills will certainly consider taking him, even with needs at cornerback.
No. 30 – RB Najee Harris, Alabama
Credit Bills GM Brandon Beane for building a fantastic roster with a legit superstar at QB in Josh Allen, making this one of the most difficult projections for me to make. I know Buffalo has spent Day 2 capital on running backs in each of the last two drafts, but I like Harris as an upgrade over Devin Singletary and Zack Moss, and he further supports the offense around Allen.
No. 30 – RB Travis Etienne, Clemson
Now that the Bills have one of the most dangerous receiver corps in the league, time to inject some life into the run game. Etienne would be a great puzzle piece in an offense that craves speed in the backfield. Etienne doesn't have the speed of some of the fleet backs or wideouts who run Jet sweeps (he's a 4.44 guy), but the book on him is he cuts and fakes at top speed, which can make up for the fact that he has good but not transcendent speed. Plus, Etienne is very good in the screen game. He had 22 plays of 40 yards or more at Clemson, with a ridiculous 78 touchdowns in four seasons.
I'm not a huge fan of rushers in the first round, but the Bills are in top-off mode: What player can they use to make a very good roster a tick better? And Etienne, combined with the great weapons already on the offense, would be a pretty great add to an offense that averaged 31.3 points a game last year. He'd be an extra headache for defensive coordinators to solve.
No. 30 – RB Travis Etienne, Clemson
Really, really tough board for the Bills. Would love Joe Tryon here. Would love Greg Newsome II here. Don't think Jayson Oweh is the run defender Sean McDermott wants; don't think they need Carlos Basham Jr. with Mario Addison and A.J. Epenesa both acquired last season. Is Georgia CB Eric Stokes viewed this highly? I'd probably make that the pick, but I've not seen or heard any smoke on Stokes as a Round 1 player.
So let's make it the position that Brandon Beane gestured to: running back. The Bills' GM mentioned the need for Buffalo to add a runner with juice to a backfield currently plodding with 4.6s 40-yard dash players in Zack Moss and Devin Singletary. The Bills have spent Round 3 picks in consecutive drafts on RB, so this feels like too much investment. But Etienne fits what they want, and their offense is in a position to make a luxury pick on running back as the cherry on top—much like the Chiefs last season.
No. 30 – Edge Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
The Bills need help at edge rusher, and with no good corner on the board to tempt them, this is likely where they would look.
