The Bills no longer have pick No. 22 at the 2020 NFL Draft, but there’s still picks 54 and 86 to consider. Those two selections in the second and third rounds, respectively, could land the team some impact players.
In CBS Sports‘ latest three-round mock draft, the Bills use those to select defensive end Josh Uche and safety Kyle Dugger.
Here’s the breakdown on Uche:
The Bills lost Shaq Lawson in free agency and signed Mario Addison, but Uche provides even more edge rush presence for a talented defense.
And on Dugger:
Dugger is a small-schooler who brings versatility to the table, and he should fit in well on Sean McDermott’s defense.
Bills Wire previously reported that Uche met with the Bills at the recent Senior Bowl, so to some extent, there’s interest. Buffalo did add plenty to their defensive line via free agency with defensive end Mario Addison highlighting that overhaul. But Addison is 32 and Jerry Hughes in 31. Buffalo needs some youthful depth there so defensive end is certainly in play with their second-round pick.
In 12 games last season, Uche had 7.6 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss for the Wolverines. He also forced a fumble and had a pass defended with 33 total tackles.
At about 6-foot-2, Uche is a tad undersized for potentially playing as a defensive end in Buffalo’s 4-3 defensive scheme. According to Pro Football Focus, Uche did play 170 of his 470 defensive snaps this season off the ball, though. So he has experience with his hand on and off the ground.
The Bills also need a replacement for linebacker Lorenzo Alexander next season thanks to his retirement and PFF notes that “a move off-ball could be in his future.”
Dugger is a product of Lenoir-Rhyne, a DII program. With a name like that which you haven’t heard much of, Dugger would be very much a raw talent. But from the sounds of it, a hybrid linebacker-safety sounds much like Matt Milano. The current Bills linebacker is certainly a playmaker, but could Dugger also find his way to fill in for Lorenzo Alexander in a nickel-type role?
Regardless of whoever replaces Alexander, both Uche and Dugger being compared to Alexander would give the Bills versatility on defense, something the club covets all over their roster.
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