Buffalo Bills Rookies Forecast

By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

Solid Starter

Harrison Phillips, DT, Stanford – Round 3
Entering the 2018 NFL Draft, the Bills were in need of some young talent on the inside of their defensive line. Just some of those reasons were that Marcell Dareus was traded away and Kyle Williams is aging. Star Lotulelei was signed in free agency, but he is a limited player and Buffalo needs more talent to go with him in the long term. Some teams had Phillips graded on Day 3, but in Sean McDermott’s defensive scheme, Phillips could end up being a starter alongside Lotulelei.

In the ground game, Phillips does well against single blocks. He has some developed upper-body strength to fight off blockers and gives a relentless effort to flow to the ball. Phillips possesses good vision, instincts and intelligence that put him in position to make tackles. He also has a great motor and made tackles or sacks just based on hustle in college. Phillips does not project as a pass-rusher for the NFL, and he will probably rotate out of the game in the sub package.

The Bills are not expecting Phillips to be an elite defensive line starter, but Phillips’ motor, instincts and intelligence could turn him into a solid starter for them. With Lotulelei being a limited player, it should not take too long before Phillips is the starting replacement for Dareus or Williams.

2017: Dion Dawkins, OT/G
2016: Reggie Ragland, LB
2015: John Miller, G
2014: Cyrus Kouandjio, OT
2013: Robert Woods, WR

Most Likely To Bust

Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming – Round 1
Of the quarterback prospects in the 2018 NFL Draft, Allen was the most impressive physical specimen. The 6-foot-4, 237-pounder has amazing physical tools that are close to the prototype of how any evaluator would draw up their ideal quarterback. He has a powerful right arm that can get the ball to any spot on the field.

There are a lot of points of development that Allen needs for the NFL. He has accuracy issues and can miss on throws that should be easy completions. Accuracy is the most important trait for any NFL quarterback, so Allen’s issues could lead to him being a bust if they aren’t fixed. He also needs to improve his ability to throw touch passes and not have every pass being driven on a line.

Allen’s ball security and decision-making need a lot of work as well. He threw too many interceptions over the past few seasons. Improving his accuracy and decision-making are the critical points of emphasis. Allen could be better off working on those in practice with a redshirt year at the pro level. Being forced to play right away could be too big of a jump for him as he is coming from a non-Power 5 level of competition. Allen did not have impressive performances when taking on big schools, so the massive jump in the caliber of competition is another hurdle.

I picked Allen as having the most bust potential because of the accuracy issue. That is the most important trait for any quarterback to be successful in the NFL, and that is a huge concern for Allen to pan out as a pro signal-caller. Of the Bills’ early-round picks, Allen has the most bust potential.

2017: Tre’Davious White, CB
2016: Cardale Jones, QB
2015: Karlos Williams, RB
2014: Ross Cockrell, CB
2013: E.J. Manuel, QB

Potential Boom Pick

Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech – Round 1
Buffalo may or may not have made a great pick in its trade-up for Josh Allen, but there is little doubt that the team got a gigantic steal when it landed Edmunds halfway through the first round. Around the league, Edmunds was viewed as a transcendent talent with the upside to become a tremendous defender. He has serious potential to be a boom pick for Buffalo.

Edmunds is an excellent run defender. He has good instincts and is quick to read his keys. With the speed of his reactionary skills, he is always around the ball. Add that in with his explosive speed and athleticism, and Edmunds covers a ton of ground with a lot of tackles for a loss or near the line of scrimmage. He is a skilled defender at producing a lot of good down-and-distance situations for his defense. Edmunds gave Virginia Tech a lot of second-and-8s, third-and-7s and consistently put his defense in good position. Edmunds has the size and strength to take on blockers with the speed to cover the perimeter. He also is a hard tackler who wraps up ball-carriers and puts hard them to the turf. With his versatile skill set, Edmunds could be a middle or outside linebacker in the NFL.

Edmunds is very well suited to pass coverage in today’s NFL. As a professional, he could be an asset as a linebacker weapon to neutralize receiving-threat tight ends in man-to-man coverage. Edmunds has good height and length to match up on tight ends with the speed to get down the seam. For running backs out of the backfield, Edmunds is also a good weapon to defend them as he is fast to the flat and is an excellent open-field tackler. He was very good in zone coverage for Virginia Tech over the last two seasons. Edmunds is comfortable in space and uses his excellent closing speed to hunt down ball-carriers. In zone coverage, Edmunds is skilled to pick up receivers coming into his area and keeping them from getting open. He also is a dangerous blitzer and closes ground in an instant. Edmunds should be a true three-down defender in the NFL.

The Bills badly needed to find get more linebacker talent and were very fortunate that Edmunds slid far enough that they could move up to take him. He could end up being a defensive franchise player with his ability to defend the run, rush the passer, and drop into coverage. Buffalo also was desperate for linebacker help, and getting Edmunds was an immediate upgrade for the organization. The consensus was Edmunds as a top-10 pick and talent for the 2018 NFL Draft, so this could be a huge boom pick for the Bills as he has transcendent ability in the NFL.

2017: Zay Jones, WR
2016: Adolphus Washington, DT
2015: Ronald Darby, CB
2014: Sammy Watkins, WR
2013: Marquise Goodwin, WR

Future Depth Player

Siran Neal, S, Jacksonville State – Round 5
The Bills had one of the top safeties in the NFL last year with Micah Hyde, which was a wise signing. However, Buffalo needed some safety depth and landed a nice sleeper in Neal. At Jacksonville State, Neal played cornerback, but for the NFL, he’s a safety. He is a quality run defender with some coverage skills for a the position. He might end up being a steal who develops into a starter, but he should at least be a good backup safety to provide excellent depth to rotate into the game while also being a core special teams contributor.

2017: Nathan Peterman, QB
2016: Jonathan Williams, RB
2015: Nick O’Leary, TE
2014: Seantrel Henderson, OT
2013: Duke Williams, S

Walt’s 2018 NFL Draft Grades:

7. Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming A Grade
What a great job for the Bills. They wanted to trade up all along, but the problem was surrendering No. 22 or a 2019 first-round pick. They didn’t want to give up either, and they didn’t. They dealt their two second-rounders instead.

As for the actual player, it’s nice to see that Josh Allen’s actions from when he was 14 didn’t impact his draft standing. Allen is raw, but he has great arm strength and mobility, which will work well in Buffalo. He also works very hard, so I think he’ll be able to work on his accuracy woes.

16. Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech A Grade
It’s a bit shocking that Tremaine Edmunds fell this far. He could have gone as high as No. 6, though more realistically No. 8, so credit the Bills for taking advantage of the opportunity and trading up.

Edmunds’ athleticism is off the charts, and he has immense potential. He has great versatility as well. The Bills had just one viable player at the position last year (Matt Milano), and Edmunds will certainly change that.

96. Harrison Phillips, DT, Stanford B Grade
I like Harrison Phillips, especially in this range. However, I thought the Bills would select more of a pass-rushing interior presence with this pick. Phillips is a lot like Kyle Williams (now; not earlier in his career) and Star Lotulelei, as he’s a powerful run-stuffer who doesn’t have great pass-rushing ability. Still, Phillips is a bit of a bargain here, and Buffalo fans will love his motor.

121. Taron Johnson, CB, Weber State C- Grade
The Bills needed some cornerback depth, but this is a reach. I had Taron Johnson slotted in the sixth round. There were better cornerbacks available.

154. Siran Neal, S/CB, Jacksonville State C Grade
Siran Neal is someone believed to be a sixth-round prospect at best. He’s versatile in that he can play both cornerback and safety, but his instincts and tackling ability are below average. The Bills could’ve done better.

166. Wyatt Teller, G, Virginia Tech A Grade
Any offensive line pick is a good one right now for the Bills, whose blocking could really struggle next year. The Bills have such holes up front that Wyatt Teller could start as a rookie. This is great value for Teller, who could’ve gone a round-and-a-half earlier.

187. Ray-Ray McCloud, WR/CB, Clemson C Grade
Ray-Ray McCloud has some potential, but he has no real position. He could be a receiver or a cornerback, but definitely a special-teamer. I didn’t think McCloud would be drafted, so I’m not crazy about this pick.

255. Austin Proehl, WR, North Carolina B+ Grade
Austin Proehl, a blue-collar receiver, and son of former NFL wideout Ricky Proehl, can give the Bills some special-teams returning ability. He might also be able to develop into a slot receiver. I wouldn’t count out Proehl making an NFL roster and contributing for a team somehow.

2018 NFL Draft Team Grade: B . Follow Walter @walterfootball for updates.

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