1. Gabriel Davis looks up to the NFL receiving legend
Rookie receiver Gabriel Davis said he was recruited to the Bills due to his size and physicality as a wide out. Davis has showcased his athleticism and size by making several impressive catches throughout training camp. The rookie models his game after someone who has score 120 touchdowns in 16 seasons.
"Who actually made me fall in love with the game, especially at the receiver position, was Larry Fitzgerald," Davis explained. "Love watching Larry Fitzgerald. He was just an all-around great receiver--from hands, to blocking, to route running, to being physical, was a deep threat.
"The guy was just different. He's still different to this day, obviously. He's what 17 years into league, I think? That's a guy I kind of modeled my game after. I had his number and everything all throughout Little League until I got up to college, so that's probably the guy I would compare myself to."
2. How Isaiah Hodgins was prepared for the NFL at a young age
Rookie receiver Isaiah Hodgins had an advantage growing up that many players don't have. Hodgins' father, James, played eight seasons in the NFL. Hodgins attributes his 20 touchdowns at Oregon State to the fact that he has been practicing football since he can remember.
"I just grew up catching the ball and with my dad playing in NFL," Hodgins explained. "Kind of growing up around that, I was able to grow up around guys like Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and everyone. My dad was just teaching me stuff that they would do at practice all the time and consistently throwing me the football, catching 100 a day. Then as I started to progress and go to high school and college, I was on the jugs machine every single day."
Hodgins caught 176 passes for 2,322 receiving yards in three seasons at Oregon State. The rookie wants to learn how to use his 6'3 frame to his advantage more in his first year in the league.
"I feel like being a bigger body, I can even use it more than what I have been," Hodgins said. "Knowing when to use my feet, my wiggle and maybe some double moves or whatever. But also knowing when it's time to get physical and use my big body, my big frame. Really just get up on DBs and stuff. I feel like coach has been helping me with that a lot ,and I've just been trying to improve on that every single day."
3. Two Bills linebackers make PFF's Top 25 LBs list
PFF made a list of their Top 25 linebackers ahead of the 2020 season. Two Bills players landed on the list at No. 16 and No. 22. You'll be surprised at who's ranked first.
16. MATT MILANO, BUFFALO BILLS
It may be a surprise to see Milano come in above his teammate — 2019 Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds — on this list, but the coverage ability he has shown over the past two seasons is hard to ignore. His 86.8 coverage grade over those two years is lower than only Lavonte David, Cory Littleton and Luke Kuechly at the position.
Milano still has work to do to improve as a run defender and tackler, but that kind of coverage ability is valuable and rare among linebackers. It's what slots him into the top 20 on this list.
22. TREMAINE EDMUNDS, BUFFALO BILLS
If we were ranking how good players could become, Edmunds would comfortably be in the top five. He has the size. He has the explosiveness. He has truly impressive movement and change-of-direction skills for how big he is, and by all accounts, he's the kind of leader you want on your defense. However, his PFF grades of 57.0 and 59.4 in his first two NFL seasons speak to the idea that it hasn't all come together yet. Edmunds has performed well in stretches, but he has yet to put it all together for an entire season.
Having just turned 22 years old in May, this upcoming season could very well be the one where he does just that. Edmunds will have to clean up the missed tackles and improve in coverage to rise toward where most slot him currently — a top-10 linebacker — on this list next season.
