Bills 2019 Draft Class
Bills 2019 Draft Class
To Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott, I’d like to thank you for not trading for that third-pick. I know there was some serious thought going into it and while drafting the likes of Quinnen Williams would’ve been nice for the Bills, holding off ended up bringing you a far better result and as a result, you’re being given nothing but top grades from all of these “draft experts”.
Almost no one is unhappy nor debating the fact that the Bills wanted Ed Oliver. I spoke about him in great detail before the draft and now that he’s one of us, it appears it may be the steal of the draft. I’ll be getting into Oliver more in-depth soon so I won’t be spending any more time talking about him in this piece.
Cord Ford is already being called the steal of the draft for the Bills, as Mel Kiper Jr. predicted him to go within the first 20 picks. The fact that he didn’t might be a cause for concern. Why didn’t other teams take him? Do they know something we don’t or see something the Bills didn’t? At the same times, perhaps those other teams didn’t need Ford’s services. Either way, I’m happy to have him and I’m excited to see how he’ll help out the Bills dire-need of solid Offensive Lineman.
It’s apparent to me that the pick used on Devin Singletary was used as a youth-movement for the Bills running backs. Both Shady and Frank Gore are old as dirt and wearing down and I expect the selection on Singletary to be a shot in the arm for both of them. He may not be starting material but there’s something about those little running backs that seem to give the rest of the league a giant problem.
The Bills, who surprised many by not selecting a single receiver in this draft, took two Tight Ends in this year’s draft. The first of which was used on Dawson Knox. If Knox can live up to the athletic potential that both the combine and his dunking-videos showcased, the Bills will have proven they didn’t need to woo a receiver.
On the flip side, the Bills used their last pick of the draft to select Tommy Sweeney. Sweeney, who beefed up his value from a two-star recruit to a First Team-All ACC selection, was productive at Boston College despite their passing game not exactly being what it was when Matt Ryan was a student. If he can do the same with the Bills, he may prove to be the biggest steal of them all.
I’m throwing this word around a lot in regards to this draft, aren’t I?
Speaking of steals in the making, how about the selection of Vosean Joseph at linebacker. Much like the pick on Devin Singletary, the selection of Joseph appears to have been made in preparation for the possible 2020 departure of Lorenzo Alexander. There are some around Buffalo who don’t like this pick, such as Fansided’s Justin Baumann but what sometimes looks like an awful pick, ends up being solid. We’ll just have to wait and see.
One area of strength for the Bills has been the play of their safeties, as both Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer have been lockdowns for the Bills. That’s why I find the selection of Jaquan Johnson to be the most interesting of the whole class. I saw an SB Nation headline which read “Jaquan Johnson is a Special-Teams captain in the making”. Special Teams, regardless of what others around the game try to say, is absolutely a third of the game.
Alas, Johnson (who comes from the U, much love) has been described as the Heart and Soul of the Hurricane defense by their defensive coordinator. The Bills cannot get enough of these character guys so each one is vital. Johnson can prove to be a leader both on and off the field, which would prove priceless is the Bills continue to move in the direction they appear to be.
Lastly, we have Darryl Johnson, Jr. or “Bam” as I prefer, out of North Carolina. According to NC’s coach Sam Washington, Bam is someone who will go the extra mile and do all the little things best he can in order to be great. It appears that’s a common theme among the Bills in this draft, attention to detail. They want guys, like Johnson, who will also go the extra mile and contribute to what many hope will be a contending team. With a spirit like this, they’ll be a tough team to knock.
Of course, there’s nothing but positivity and hopes once a draft is fresh off of it’s closing. I may be revisiting this draft class in ten years, bitching about how stupid the scouting is and asking why they picked players like Singletary and Joseph when so-and-so was still on the board. It happens every year and more often than not, to the Buffalo Bills.
Even still, I have to agree with most of the people giving us praise. The Bills remained patient and the moves they made may pay huge dividends in the coming years. Most are calling the Cody Ford selection the best one the Bills made, and maybe it is. I’m ecstatic that Ed Oliver’s a Bill but I’ll be talking about him in the next article.
Good Job Bills, yet another monster off-season success has risen expectations.
-By: Thomas P. Braun Jr.