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With plenty of talent still on the board in early on Day 3 of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Bills decided to add a deep-threat at pick No. 128 by choosing first-team All-ACC performer in UCF’s Gabriel Davis.
In college, the Bills’ fourth-round selection won on go-routes and other vertical routes. He possesses above-average ball skills and does an excellent job tracking the football once it’s in the air. BillsWire wrote about the possibility of Davis as a mid-round selection because of his big-bodied frame being a welcomed addition to a wide receiver group lacking size. On the downside, Davis is not a polished route-runner. This is a vertical threat with room to learn from NFL coaching.
But with that in mind, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better group of route runners for Davis to learn under. Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, and John Brown don’t have Davis’ size but boy can they run some excellent routes.
Coming out as a junior, and assuming the season starts as scheduled, Davis will only be 21 throughout his entire rookie campaign. After Diggs, Beasley, and John Brown, Davis is now thrown into the mix to battle with Robert Foster, Nick Easley, Ray-Ray McCloud III, Andre Roberts, and Duke Williams for the fourth wide receiver spot.
As a vertical threat lined up primarily on the boundary, and as a player with ideal size, he threatens Foster and Williams most for a roster spot. However, there could be an argument this pick helps free up Foster on the field. In four and five receiver sets, Foster and Davis could be on the field at the same time, causing nightmares for defenses. The Bills are in a position to bring Davis along at his own pace because of the current depth at the position.
With the pick, clearly, Buffalo thought more of Davis than Liberty’s Antonio Gandy-Golden, who was also on the board. In the end, Brandon Beane selects a player who complements Josh Allen’s big arm while adding a physical dimension other receives on the current roster can’t.
Diggs and Davis certainly aren’t the same caliber player just yet (but Diggs was a fifth-round pick, so you never know). But both are deep-threat playmakers. The Bills did their due diligence this offseason for quarterback Josh Allen and now the QB has to return the favor by improving his deep ball this offseason.
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