[jwplayer uNg4wQUX]
On the surface, it might not be a selection that’s liked. But looking ahead to the 2021 NFL Draft, one of the biggest needs on the Bills roster might be… in the secondary?
Using the latest Super Bowl odds to peg the draft order, Pro Football Focus released a way-too-early 2021 mock draft. In it, the Bills, picking at No. 22 overall, land a defensive back in Ohio State’s Shaun Wade.
First, here’s what PFF sees in Wade potentially to Buffalo:
While Wade’s proficiency as a press-man corner on the outside remains to be seen, the skills he’s shown in the slot should translate nicely to a zone-heavy defense like Buffalo’s. He’s a physical corner who has been a terrific tackler in his career, with only six misses on 70 career attempts.
Buffalo’s mentioned zone-heavy scheme has been among the NFL’s best secondaries in the NFL since head coach Sean McDermott took over the Bills operations in 2017. That group has had cornerback Tre’Davious White and safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer as the group’s foundation since almost Day 1. But there’s been that lingering issue for the Bills at their No. 2 cornerback spot.
Year in and year out, Buffalo has had one-year stopgaps in that role, essentially. Check out 2020’s roster, we’ve got Josh Norman here now. He’s 32 and won’t be around for very long. Technically he even only signed a one-year deal with the Bills. But Norman’s signature signals the Bills aren’t settled into giving this job to Levi Wallace over the long haul, so if McDermott finally wants to settle these four important spots in his secondary for the foreseeable future, a versatile cornerback like Wade, who can inside and outside, potentially even at safety, could be a fit for the Bills.
But naturally, the “how” the 2020 regular season unfolds will play a massive role for the Bills and their future draft plans as well.
[lawrence-related id=68797,68795,68776,68750]