ESPN analyst Mel Kiper sent wide receiver Laviska Shenault to the Buffalo Bills in his first 2020 NFL mock draft.
We learned a lot about Laviska Shenault throughout his three-year college football career.
We learned that he’s a dynamic athlete, a well-rounded wide receiver who is dangerous with the ball in his hands. We learned that he’s a production machine, as he tallied 2,223 scrimmage yards and 17 total touchdowns throughout his time at Colorado.
We also learned that he looks pretty good with a buffalo on the side of his helmet.
Shenault is a player who is likely on the mind of the wide receiver-needy Buffalo Bills as the 2020 NFL Draft approaches. The Bills, who currently own the 22nd overall pick in this year’s draft, are in need of a bonafide offensive playmaker, a versatile weapon who can pick up yardage in a variety of ways.
According to ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Shenault fits the bill.
The veteran draft analyst sent the 21-year-old wideout to Buffalo in his first mock draft of the season, citing Shenault’s versatility as a reason why he could be a fit in the Bills’ offense.
22. Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado
General manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott used the 2019 offseason to build a competent offense around quarterback Josh Allen, and it worked — the Bills went 10-6 and made the playoffs, with some help from a great defense. Now, though, they have to figure out how to get over the Patriots hump and take the next step. One way is to keep giving Allen targets who can get open, and that’s Shenault, a Swiss Army knife who plays receiver like a running back. He’s great after the catch and versatile enough to play inside or out. Shenault could nicely complement John Brown and Cole Beasley.
In a wide receiver class that’s been dubbed by many as ‘historically deep,’ Shenault is perhaps the most intriguing wideout who’s slated to go in the first round.
His skill set is different than those of the other upper-echelon players at the position. His speed does not match that of Alabama’s Henry Ruggs or TCU’s Jalen Reagor. He’s not the pristine route runner that Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy is.
He’s just a playmaker.
Shenault was the best offensive player on Colorado’s roster throughout the vast majority of his collegiate career, and the team did little to try to hide this fact. At times, its game plan was essentially ‘give the ball to Shenault, and he’ll make it work.’
The Buffaloes got the ball into Shenault’s hands in a variety of ways. He lined up on the boundary, in the slot, in the backfield, and even as a wildcat quarterback in red-zone situations.
Shenault’s versatility and ability shined through as a result. He was incredibly difficult to defend, as defenses simply didn’t know how he was going to get the ball. If a defender was able to get a hand on him, he was often able to make them miss with his elusiveness and tremendous lower-half strength.
Out of all the receivers in the 2020 draft, Sheanult is perhaps the best complement to Buffalo’s current receiving corps, as it simply doesn’t have a player like Shenault on its roster.
It doesn’t matter if the team wants to get the ball to Shenault via a deep pass, at the line of scrimmage, or even on a handoff – he can make anything work. He’s simply electric with the football, a player who could immediately become the backbone of the Bills’ offense should Kiper’s mock come to fruition.
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