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In a very early look into the 2020 NFL Draft, Bleacher Report recently pegged Wake Forest’s Carlos Basham Jr. as the top prospect the Bills should target in the upcoming first round.
The player selection is particularly interesting because of his position, defensive end. Buffalo recently used their top pick at the 2020 draft in the second round on the same spot via AJ Epenesa. Despite that, edge defender is the choice.
Here’s why B/R thinks the Bills should go that route:
The Bills took a swing at addressing their need for pass-rushers with the selection of A.J. Epenesa. So far, the rookie has only played a marginal role on defense while notching one sack this season.
It’s still a position of need, though. Their leading pass-rushers right now—Mario Addison and Jerry Hughes—are 33 and 32, respectively. Buffalo is in the bottom third of the league in pressure percentage.
Carlos Basham Jr. is a power-rusher much in the same mold as Epenesa but with more athleticism. The 6’5″, 285-pound defensive end converts speed to power off the edge and is a plus run-defender with pass-rush production to boot.
According to Wake Forest’s website, Basham Jr. had 112 quarterback pressures between his sophomore and junior campaigns, and he hasn’t shown signs of slowing down as a senior. He has five sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss in just six games this season.
If Epenesa turns things around in his second season, Basham and the Iowa product would give the Bills a pair of young edge-defenders who are stout against the run while getting after the passer. If he doesn’t, it only magnifies the Bills’ need for an elite pass-rusher.
Basham Jr. gives them the best odds of that happening with their current draft slot.
Currently slated to pick No. 28 overall, Basham would be a curious pick based on last year’s draft for the Bills. But there is some sense to it. While Epenesa has been brought along slowly, not all is lost for him. Basham and Epenesa could potentially solidify the Bills’ edge defender roles for the foreseeable future, if this is the route Buffalo tries to go.
In addition, the Bills, a division leader, don’t really have many glaring needs, do they? On defense, the secondary could potentially use another cornerback across from Tre’Davious White, but Levi Wallace has done well there, holding off Josh Norman for his starting role this season.
Offensively, the Bills are clicking. The biggest argument to be made against defensive end might be addressing the offensive line instead. Both could be winning scenarios for the Bills.
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