The Buffalo Bills have gotten some pretty decent praise for the 2020 NFL Draft haul. Despite not having a first-round pick, the Bills found some value in later selections.
ESPN did recently grade the Bills’ rookie class as the ninth-best in the NFL, however, the world-wide leader evidently thinks the Bills could’ve done better with their top pick. In a recent exercise, ESPN re-drafted the draft from 2020.
AJ Epenesa is no longer the selection for the Bills, who was Buffalo’s top pick in Round 2. Instead the selection is another defensive lineman, Raekwon Davis. The main idea behind the switch is bringing someone into the middle of the trenches instead of on the edge:
Epenesa has really come on for the Bills to close the 2020 season, but Buffalo’s need for a run-stopping defensive tackle became more and more apparent as the season went on. Davis finished the year strong for Miami and at 6-foot-7, 312 pounds can certainly fill space when asked.
The Bills certainly could’ve used a switch from an edge defender with potential to a guy that could stuff the run. Did Epenesa finally start to turn a corner? Certainly, but he never wowed in a sense that one would feel like the Bills couldn’t find another edge rushing prospect that might even potentially have some more upside, even.
It’s hard to argue that the Bills didn’t miss Star Lotulelei in 2020 as well. Typically he plays this exact role against the run, but he opted out due to COVID-19 concerns. He’ll be back in 2021, but Lotulelei is 32 already. He’s signed until 2023, but eventually getting another run stuffer in there with him, and then to replace him, could be something the Bills actually do attempt to do at the upcoming draft since they opted for Epenesa last year.
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