The Bills filled a good spot in their roster in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday. Buffalo opted to stay and No. 30 overall and the team selected defensive end Greg Rousseau.
In Rousseau, the Bills took a player that will be an investment in the long-term future. In Round 2, could Buffalo decide to grab a player that’s more of an instant impact? That’s what happens in the NFL Wire’s recent mock draft.
With the first round in the books, Touchdown Wire put together a mock for the second round which takes place on Friday. In that round, the Bills use the No. 61 overall pick to select Stanford cornerback Paulson Adebo.
Here’s Mark Schofield’s breakdown on Adebo:
The Buffalo Bills enter this draft season without a ton of needs, and they did manage to address a big one in the first round when they added pass rusher Gregory Newsome. Cornerback is another, and they turn to Stanford’s Paulson Adebo, a former four-star recruit with impressive ball skills at the catch point.
Compared to Rousseau, Adebo could be a player that enters the Bills lineup and makes more noise in 2021. Adebo will have to earn it, though.
At 6-foot-1, Adebo has ideal size to play outside cornerback in the NFL. But Bills head coach Sean McDermott won’t just had him a job.
Clearly the Bills’ No. 1 defensive back is Tre’Davious White. Across from him is a training camp battle that’s expected to ensure between Levi Wallace and Dane Jackson. Despite being a seventh-round rookie in 2020 with limited experience, Bills general manager Brandon Beane has insisted this offseason that Jackson will factor into that position.
Despite those two, Buffalo could certainly still opt to use a Day 2 pick on a cornerback. On Adebo specifically, pre-draft scouting reports tout his ability to play in a zone defense, like McDermott’s, and his ball skills. However, he can stand improve against the run and only has limited college experience.
We do have one thing worth noting on TD Wire’s mock. Adebo is the pick because there’s a run on cornerbacks in it in Round 2. In order off the board are: Asante Samuel Jr., Tyson Campbell, Ifeatu Melifonwu, and Kelvin Joseph. A couple of those players could also be in play for Buffalo if the draft falls a bit differently.
[lawrence-related id=81440,81436,81147,81386]