ESPN NFL Draft guru Todd McShay either put his Brandon Beane hat on before making his selections for the Buffalo Bills in his fourth mock draft this offseason, or he was feeling generous.
Ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft and with his latest predictions, the Bills don’t play any games in this one. Previously, McShay’s latest mock predicted a running back being selected by Buffalo (Travis Etienne). This time it’s all defensive line in both Rounds 1 & 2.
First up with the No. 30 overall pick, Buffalo takes a pass rusher:
Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami
The top two running backs are off the board, and it’s a little early for Javonte Williams (North Carolina). So why not inject some life into a middle-of-the-road pass rush instead — especially with Jerry Hughes turning 33 before the season. Phillips had 8.0 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in 2020.
In the second round is when McShay gets pretty “Beane like.” The Bills don’t have any huge needs on their roster at all entering the draft, but with their next pick, McShay goes “best player available” and selected a defensive tackle. That’s a phrase we’ve heard a lot from Beane in recent years:
Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington
The Bills finally halt Onwuzurike’s slide down the board. He is my No. 35 prospect, but there aren’t many teams searching for a defensive tackle right now. And while Buffalo might have preferred a running back, tight end or offensive tackle, Onwuzurike is sudden and creates havoc. He could slide in next to Ed Oliver.
Phillips is more of the need pick by comparison to Onwuzurike… but the Bills aren’t in any particular desperation mode to address the defensive end spot. Buffalo failed to sign JJ Watt earlier this offseason, but both Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison will be back in 2021 and last season they were an average starting duo.
But there’s a big rotation run along the Bills’ defensive line, so Hughes, Addison, AJ Epenesa and potentially Phillips could be an improvement for both the short and long term. In 2020, Phillips, who transferred from UCLA to Miami, had a breakout year. In 10 games, he had a career-high eight sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss.
Next in Onwuzurike, the Bills really don’t have much need for addressing such an area. So what would Beane do? Take the best talent he sees.
Star Lotulelei will return to the team after opting out last season. He’s going to start next to Oliver.
However, without Lotulelei last year, it was obvious the Bills need some depth in regard to someone who could play that one-tech spot and take up space. Harrison Phillips finally turned it around later in the season, but early on, the struggles showed.
Adding two prospects to the defensive line, combined with youthful prospects like Oliver and Epenesa, could shore up things in the defensive trenches for Sean McDermott’s defense for years to come.
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