This is the first of a two-part roundtable about the NFL draft.
Buffalo News Bills reporters Vic Carucci, Jay Skurski, Mark Gaughan and Jason Wolf discuss several questions about the team and the NFL draft.
Who’s the player you most want to see the Bills draft?
Vic: Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan.
It’s probably a long shot that he’ll be available when the Bills pick at No. 30, but my sense is that many projections in this draft – including those that have Paye gone somewhere in the middle of the first round – are shakier in a pandemic-hampered scouting year.
Paye has the versatility that would make him an ideal fit in the Sean McDermott/Leslie Frazier defense. He’ll give the Bills a much-needed player who can get after the quarterback, while being stout against the run. He’s strong, athletic and consistently gets good leverage. Paye’s disciplined style of play, in which he tends to stick with his assignments and avoids freelancing, should be appealing to the Bills.
People are also reading…
Some people will worry about his playing only four games in 2020 due to injury and a Covid-19-shortened schedule. However, Paye performed well in all of them and enters the NFL with less wear and tear.
The Bills don’t need him to be an immediate starter, though he would compete for that role as a rookie. Paye could make an immediate impact as a situational player in a scheme that likes to rotate linemen.
Jay: Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson.
Sure, there is plenty of evidence to cite when arguing against taking a running back in the first round. Yes, this can be classified as a luxury pick. But guess what? The Bills can afford it. There is not a position on the roster that needs to be addressed with a first-round pick. There are no gaping holes in the projected starting lineup. With that being the case, why not take a swing on a player who could add an element missing on the Bills’ offense? Devin Singletary and Zack Moss are fine as the top two running backs. Etienne, though, has a chance to make an explosive offense even more lethal. He was a touchdown machine at Clemson, reaching the end zone 78 times in his career. He had 16 touchdowns of at least 44 yards. That’s the type of big-play ability that is lacking in the Bills’ backfield. The goal for the Bills has to be matching points with the Chiefs. Etienne gives them a much better chance of doing that. He also gives people something to talk about and me something to write about. If he’s the pick, there will be strong takes for and against it. Sign me up for that.
Mark: The question is how realistic do we want to get? My preference is for an edge rusher or cornerback. Edge rushers Kwity Paye of Michigan and Jaelan Phillips of Miami would be great (even though I’m not certain Phillips fits the Bills' football-character profile). I’m not keen on Miami’s Greg Rousseau, although I could live with him. I don't think he's good enough rushing on the edge. Sure, I’d love corner Jaycee Horn. But all those guys may be gone. I like Northwestern corner Greg Newsome II. Will he be there? I’m going to set aside the running back option, which I only advocate if all the good edge and corner targets are gone. Let’s presume the choice is between Asante Samuel Jr., injured Caleb Farley, plus edge rushers Carlos Basham, Joe Tryon and Jayson Oweh. I say trade down a few spots into the early second round and draft Samuel. Safe. Plug him in. Fits the Bills’ personality mold. Can play outside or slot.
Jason: Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami.
The Bills need to bolster their pass rush with an infusion of young talent considering Jerry Hughes, 32, is entering the final year of his contract; Mario Addison, 33, isn’t a long-term solution; and Trent Murphy, 30, wasn’t re-signed.
Phillips was one of the top recruits in the country coming out of high school, but retired from football after two injury-shortened seasons at UCLA, which included an ankle injury, at least two concussions and a serious wrist injury when he was hit by a car while on his scooter.
The time away from football only reinforced his passion for the sport.
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound edge rusher enrolled at Miami, where he finished with a team-high eight sacks and ranked sixth in the FBS with 15.5 tackles for loss last season. He also had an interception.
Phillips might have been a top 10 pick if not for his injury history, but the Bills could strike gold if he’s available late in the first round. His superb length, quick first step and relentless motor aren’t in doubt. He’d be able to make an impact as a rookie as part of the defensive line rotation. And he’d have a season to become adjusted to the NFL level before taking on the starting job, ideally opposite 2020 second-round pick A.J. Epenesa, in 2022.
Will Bills move up, down or stand pat in Round 1?
Vic: First, let’s start with what sort of value their 30th pick represents. Without any inside information, I don’t think it would be a reach to say the Bills have fewer than 30 players on their board with solid first-round grades. That tends to be the case in most drafts, which is why we see teams with picks in the bottom half or quarter of the first round trade up or down – or at least attempt to do so. This is the preferred route if they have a targeted player they don’t expect to fall or would rather get someone who aligns with their grading in a lower round.
It’s hard to envision Brandon Beane not moving, because moving is what “Trader Beane” does. Given his history, I’m tempted to think he will try to move up. But given the likely prohibitive price of doing so for a player who might very well not start right away, it makes more sense to see him move down.
The only scenario where I see Beane staying put is if a legit first-round talent at one of multiple obvious need spots (edge rusher, cornerback, running back or tight end) or a highly rated player at a not-so-obvious position should slip to No. 30.
Jay: Stand pat.
The Bills enter the draft with seven picks and currently have 21 openings on their 91-man offseason roster (the team gets an extra spot for running back Christian Wade, who is part of the International Player Pathway program). Drafting well is going to be a requirement moving forward, because quarterback Josh Allen is nearing the end of his cheap rookie contract. When Allen’s inevitable contract extension kicks in and he starts making in the neighborhood of $40 million annually, the team is going to have hard decisions to make about who it can keep in free agency. The best way to prepare for that is to find capable replacements on cost-controlled contracts. Because of that, trading up – which would sacrifice draft capital – is not in the long-term best interest of the team. Trading down, and thus out, of the first round, could be an option, but the problem is the top quarterbacks figure to be long gone before the Bills' turn at No. 30 comes up. If it’s not for a quarterback, other teams may not feel the urge to trade back into the end of the first round.
Mark: Trade down. I don’t think trading up is the play because I think the Bills should keep their second- and third-round picks. Even though it will be hard for rookies to make the roster on a 15-4 team, having young players on their first contract who contribute is important. The Bills don’t own a fourth-rounder. There are many scenarios one can envision in which teams will want to move into the bottom of the first round to get the 30th pick. It happened three times between picks 23 and 31 last year, and four times between 21 and 31 in 2019. One can envision a bunch of offensive tackles lingering on the board at No. 30. Or maybe even someone moves up to the end of the first round for Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond or Stanford’s Davis Mills. The benefit would be that the Bills still could get a viable cornerback early in the second round, and they might get the ammunition to move up from pick No. 61 in the second round.
Jason: Trade down.
The Bills’ best-case scenario, outside of a coveted player slipping to No. 30, is trading out of the first round and acquiring additional draft picks to improve depth across the roster.
Buffalo’s most glaring needs are defensive end, cornerback and possibly running back, positions that likely could be addressed in the second and third rounds just as well as with a late first-round pick.
The Bills should try to leverage the 30th overall selection, perhaps dealing it to a team that needs a quarterback or offensive tackle, for multiple selections, including another pick on Day 2.
In addition to No. 30, the Bills currently have the 61st overall pick in the second round, the 93rd pick in round three, two fifth-round picks, a sixth and a seventh.
Who is a Day 3 gem that intrigues you as an option for the Bills?
Vic: Josh Imatorbhebhe, WR, Illinois.
He’s the sort of raw talent worthy of a Day 3 pick. Imatorbhebhe is a big, strong physical receiver with a great deal of athleticism. He has outstanding leaping ability and excels at winning contested catches.
Imatorbhebhe performed exceptionally well at his pro day. He had a remarkable vertical jump of 47 inches and a 134-inch broad jump. He also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds.
In two seasons after transferring to Illinois from USC, he caught 55 passes for 928 yards and 12 touchdowns. At 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds, he has the size that makes him difficult to jam at the line of scrimmage.
Imatorbhebhe has plenty of limitations and needs considerable development in all aspects as a receiver. But he has plenty of ability that could be developed while being part of one of the best passing attacks in the NFL.
Jay: Quinn Meinerz, OL, Wisconsin-Whitewater.
The Division III product was the breakout star at the Senior Bowl, showing that the big step up in competition was something he could handle. Meinerz was so dominant that he may have worked himself into the discussion as a late Day 2 pick, but if he lasts until the third day, the Bills would be getting an intriguing developmental prospect. Although Meinerz played left guard in college, scouting reports suggest his future may be at center in the NFL. With Mitch Morse’s status with the Bills uncertain beyond 2021, Meinerz could be brought along slowly. At 6-3 and 320 pounds, Meinerz has NFL-ready strength and size. He’s also a former wrestler. As you may have heard by now, that appeals to Bills coach Sean McDermott. Wisconsin-Whitewater’s 2020 season was wiped out because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but Meinerz was a first-team All-American in 2019 after starting 15 games.
Mark: I refuse to pick just one. I like a big, beefy defensive tackle to take over for Star Lotulelei in 2022. If LSU’s 350-pound Tyler Shelvin is gone, I like Texas A&M’s Bobby Brown in maybe the fifth round. Avery Williams of Boise State might be the 25th or 30th corner on the board, and he’s a special teams demon. He probably can only play the slot at 5-8, 187. But he’s a four-year starter with a ton of experience. He had nine special teams touchdowns (eight on kick returns) and he blocked five kicks in his career. He can play gunner. He might be a seventh-rounder. If the edge rush position falls wrong, Northern Iowa’s Ellerson Smith is a developmental guy with athleticism. But he might go in the fourth or early in the fifth. This guy hardly is a sleeper, but North Carolina receiver Dazz Newsome is a fun player. I’m not sure if he goes in the fourth or the sixth. He’s a 5-10, 190-pound slot receiver with short-area quickness and good gadget potential. Brian Daboll could make good use of him.
Jason: Josh Myers, C, Ohio State.
The Bills could come away with a future longtime starter by selecting Myers on Day 3, and center is a position Buffalo likely wants to address considering Mitch Morse’s injury history and contract, which he agreed to restructure this offseason.
The 6-5, 310-pound Myers was one of the top guards in the nation coming out of high school and started at center for the Buckeyes the last two seasons.
In 2019, he helped pave the way for J.K. Dobbins to become the school's first 2,000-yard rusher and pass protected for Heisman Trophy finalist Justin Fields.
In 2020, he was named a finalist for the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the top center in college football, after helping the Buckeyes become the only Power 5 team to average at least 250 yards rushing and passing per game.
Myers has the size to match up well against run-stuffing nose tackles, the wherewithal to process moving fronts and adjust as necessary and remains active after initial contact, seeking to make blocks at the second level.
