The 40-yard dash at the yearly NFL Scouting Combine usually sends a few prospects moving up draft boards. Among those guys in 2020 was LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Viewed as a solid route running and strong pass-catcher while having balls thrown by No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow in college, speed was the question. Jefferson decided to partake in the 40 at this year’s combine and put up a 4.43-second mark. That ended up being tied for the sixth-best among his position.
All things considered, Jefferson, who said he met with the Bills at the combine as well, certainly caught the attention of NFL teams. Bleacher Report seems to think one of those teams could be the Bills.
In their latest mock draft following the combine, Jefferson goes to the Bills at pick No. 22:
After running a 4.43 40 in Indianapolis, any talk of Justin Jefferson falling in the draft is officially over.
The LSU star receiver was already billed as one of the best route-runners in the class, but after showing home run speed, it’s easy to see teams lining up to fall in love with him. The Buffalo Bills, a team with a desperate need for a game-changer at wide receiver, should be first in that line.
Jefferson doesn’t have the elite size some would like to see Buffalo add, but his routes and agility are a quarterback’s best friend. With big-play potential after the catch and the speed to stretch the field, Jefferson is what quarterback Josh Allen needs.
Jefferson would make sense for the Bills. Most wideouts would. He isn’t the 6-foot-4 Tee Higgins from Clemson (who did not workout at the combine), but the Bills could add size via free agency or later in the draft, too.
In Jefferson, the Bills would take the fourth receiver off the board. In a bit of a tough one to swallow, Alabama’s Henry Ruggs actually lasts until the pick before the Bills, but is selected by the Eagles. That’s a scenario that could play out in real time since both are receiver-needy teams. It’s hard to envision Ruggs hanging around that late, though. If he makes it past the Broncos at pick No. 15, maybe the Bills could package some of their later picks to move up a spot or two to jump the Eagles for Ruggs, if they love him enough.
[lawrence-related id=56233,56150,56130,56122]