The Buffalo Bills first scheduled draft selection won’t occur until Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft, as the team picks at No. 54 overall.
Luckily, the Bills do not have a glaring need on their roster, making this year’s draft quite intriguing. Buffalo’s front office, led by general manager Brandon Beane, can go in a multitude of directions with the pick, leaving quite a bit of interest and uncertainty with whom the Bills could select.
This installment of our position-by-position series looks at the linebacker prospects and which players could still be on the board when the Bills make their first selection at the upcoming draft:
Current roster
The linebacker position is a relative strength on the Bills roster. Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano have complete control over two of the starting linebacker positions in Buffalo’s nickel defense. Edmunds led all Bills defenders by playing in 94.7 percent of the team’s snaps on defense, while Milano was fifth among defenders, playing 86.3 percent.
When Buffalo does move into a 4-3 defense, they will rely on the recentlight signed AJ Klein, a recent free-agent signing, to play opposite Milano. The Bills also have Tyler Matakevich, Corey Thompson, Vosean Joseph, and Tyrel Dodson as depth players and special teams contributors.
Buffalo could look for an athletic player to provide better depth at the linebacker position. The second round is most likely too early for the team to select a player at this position. However, if there are any fears that they may not be able re-sign Milano, who will be a free agent at the conclusion of the 2020 season, they may find a player who could spell Milano in the long run in this draft. At this point, though, there’s a minuscule chance that Brandon Beane would allow Milano to see the open market. The Bills also will have to find their new Lorenzo Alexander too, which will be easier said than done.
Akeem Davis-Gaither | Appalachian State
Davis-Gaither is a small school standout in this draft. He eclipsed the century mark in total tackles in each of the past two years. During his senior year, Davis-Gaither set a career-high with five sacks. He’s a bit lighter at 224 pounds, fitting into the stature of a hybrid role. He did fairly well as a blitzer. He’s able to get through gaps easily. However, Davis-Gaither sometimes gets hung up getting off blocks. But he can do a lot as a defender, someone who could eventually be eased into an Alexander type mold as a strong pass defender and pass rusher.
Akeem Davis-Gaither is 6’2” modern day prototypical NFL linebacker.
Great speed, can tackle in the open field, can rush the passer, and can cover WRs. He does it all.
He jumps off my projector screen.
Reminds me so much of 49ers’ Kwon Alexander. #GoApp
pic.twitter.com/OGE63TQel4— Steve Franklin (@MyGuySteve) January 22, 2020