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As the 2023 NFL draft rolled on, the linebacker position had the eyes of many in western New York on it.
Despite a glaring hole left on their roster with the departure of Tremaine Edmunds, the Buffalo Bills waited to find a potential replacement. Dorian Williams out of the Tulane was selected by the Bills in the third round.
Even after that wait, CBS Sports still believes that Buffalo made the right choice in Williams. He does not profile as a similar player to the one he could replace in Edmunds, but Williams’ speed is amongst the talents that are praised.
CBS Sports’ breakdown on Williams can be found below:
Impressive stat to know: 4.49 in the 40-yard dash at 6-foot-0 3/4″ and 228 pounds
Williams might not start Week 1 next to Matt Milano in Sean McDermott’s defense. He will, eventually, play considerable and critical snaps as a rookie. Blessed with that supreme speed at his size, Williams can get to the football in a flash, and he demonstrated keen awareness of route combinations behind him in college, as evidenced by his 13 pass breakups and pair of interceptions in his final three seasons for Tulane. Beyond that, Williams plays like an oversized, downhill linebacker, which mitigates most of any size concerns, stacking and shedding violently. With nearly 34-inch arms, his tackling radius is large. Williams is the prototypical linebacker for Buffalo’s system, and there’s a starting gig open. Williams will thrive under McDermott as a rookie.
As referenced, Williams’ short-term future is clouded. That’s mostly because of Buffalo’s front office.
Shortly after the draft, general manager Brandon Beane noted that Williams is more likely to be used as a backup as a rookie behind Matt Milano. That still could be the case, but during early spring workouts head coach Sean McDermott has given Williams snaps during workouts in Edmunds’ old position.
The Bills defense is nickel-based, so it’s only going to be two linebackers starting on opening day: Milano… and somebody.
Once training camp rolls around, if Williams is still in Edmunds’ position taking snaps, he can be considered a serious contender to start there. If it’s not Williams, Tyrel Dodson or Terrel Bernard are other candidates to watch.
It’s time to have patience and wait and see what unfolds this summer.
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