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To this point in the offseason, the Bills haven’t added a serious contender to battle for playing time at their No. 2 cornerback spot… or have they?
Bleacher Report recently named USC cornerback Olaijah Griffin as a player that could do just that. Griffin went undrafted at the recent 2021 NFL draft but the Bills added him following it. B/R has since went on to recently name Griffin as the UDFA with the best chance to crack Buffalo’s 53-man roster this offseason:
Olaijah Griffin became a two-year starter at cornerback for the USC Trojans before he bypassed his senior season to enter the NFL draft.
Griffin didn’t hear his name called through seven rounds, though.
“Crushed. Never knew I could feel this way,” Griffin tweeted.
To the defensive back’s point, Griffin played extremely well. Only Jaycee Horn, whom the Carolina Panthers selected with the eighth overall pick, posted a higher coverage-snaps-per-catch rate last season, per Pro Football Focus’ Anthony Treash.
At the same time, Griffin is a 175-pound defender. His slight frame shouldn’t be a problem for the Buffalo Bills after Levi Wallace started the last three years with similar questions about his size. Griffin could eventually replace the 179-pound Wallace in the lineup.
While not a high-profile addition, Wallace is proof that an undrafted player can workout for a team.
Wallace has the inside track on Griffin and former seventh-round pick Dane Jackson to win the No. 2 spot across from Tre’Davious White this offseason, and truthfully, the Bills could do worse than that.
In the short term Wallace could provide a bridge to Griffin or Jackson to take over in the long term… but considering that, Wallace isn’t old, either. He’s 25 and has plenty of career left in front of him. This could be an open battle between the three which brings out the best in them all in training camp.
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