The Buffalo Bills worked to build depth in their defensive end group to improve their pass rush and pocket pressure this past offseason
It’s gone so well that they are getting trade inquiry calls from teams around the league on players from their defensive end group
One reason why is the immediate impact and steady play this preseason of 2021 first-round pick Greg Rousseau. The Bills took the 21-year-old edge rusher with the 30th overall selection in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.
And so far, that pick is paying off even sooner than expected.
In fact, according to Pro Football Focus Rousseau has had the highest percentage of any NFL player in applying pocket pressure to opposing QB’s this preseason:
Greg Rousseau: Highest QB pressure % among any player this preseason (33%) pic.twitter.com/dloCygGqXy
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 26, 2021
The rookie defensive end’s play is opening eyes and turning heads among the media and NFL alike.
While his immediate productivity may come as a surprise to some, PFF actually predicted during their 2021 predraft analysis that the hype surrounding Rousseau would be warranted.
Considering he was second to only Chase Young in major stat categories during his final NCAA season with the University of Miami, Rousseau has the potential to progress towards becoming a starter in the NFL.
If he continues to play with this level of consistent productivity, regular season playing time in his position group rotation may come sooner than later.
That regular playing time could allow him to take those next steps towards achieving similar success at the pro level as well, which is something that Bills coaches, fans, and veterans like Bruce Smith and Andre Reed, would love to see.
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