Report: Bills have pre-draft meeting with top DL prospect Javon Kinlaw

According to NYUP.com, the Bills had a pre-draft video meeting with South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. 

The Bills had a surprising pre-draft meeting which was reported last week. According to NYUP.com, the Bills had a pre-draft video meeting with South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.

In a recent USA TODAY mock draft, Kinlaw was the 15th overall selection. There’s nearly no way the Bills would be in play for Kinlaw without a first-round pick at the 2020 NFL Draft. Buffalo now doesn’t pick any players until the No. 54 overall pick thanks to their trade for receiver Stefon Diggs.

Kinlaw is an explosive defensive lineman who could be a force in NFL backfields for years to come. Speaking of years to come, that could be the reasoning the Bills met with Kinlaw.

While there’s the obvious, could the Bills trade back into the first round for him? There’s also the Bills’ future to consider.

In four or five seasons (depending on his rookie contract), Kinlaw will be a free agent. The Bills trading back into the top-15 picks seems unlikely, so perhaps Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane was doing his trademark “due diligence” chatting with the defensive lineman. Get to know him now, and maybe down the road the Bills could bring him on board?

Kinlaw, a senior, had 20 tackles, six sacks and two passes defended in 12 games in 2019.

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Bills met with top-safety prospect Jeremy Chinn

Still, the Bills reportedly met with one of the top-safety prospects ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft, Southern Illinois’ Jeremy Chinn. The Draft Wire reported that meeting:

The Bills locked in Jordan Poyer to a contract extension this offseason, meaning his pairing with Micah Hyde will be intact for the foreseeable future.

Still, the Bills reportedly met with one of the top-safety prospects ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft, Southern Illinois’ Jeremy Chinn. The Draft Wire reported that meeting:

Considering his draft status currently, the meeting is intriguing as well. Buffalo doesn’t pick until the 54th selection after trading away the No. 22 overall pick to the Vikings for Stefon Diggs. It currently seems unlikely that Chinn would be there at 54, but if he is, keep his name in mind. ESPN draft guru Todd McShay released his latest mock draft on Tuesday and he has Chinn off the board at the No. 45 pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

At SIU, Chinn, a senior, finished his career with 13 interceptions, 31 passes defended and six forced fumbles. The Bills’ meeting with him was a video one during to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

What makes Chinn such a highly-touted prospect are his numbers. The 6-foot-3, 221-pound defensive back has impressive size and just as impressive combine numbers. Chinn ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash time and followed that up with a 41-inch vertical jump.

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