Tag: Greg Rousseau

Bills select DE Greg Rousseau at 2021 NFL draft: How he fits

How does Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau fit in on Buffalo’s defensive line?

The Buffalo Bills began their 2021 NFL draft in the late hours of the night. Eventually at No. 30 overall, the Bills landed defensive end Greg Rousseau.

The Miami product comes to the Bills having exploded onto the college football scene in 2019. In 13 games played that season, he had 54 tackles, including 19.5 for loss, along with 15.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

Again, that’s in one single campaign, but Rousseau is the type of prospect that we have to tempter expectations for. in regard to how he’ll fit in with the Bills… at least right away. Part of that has to do with the fact that he really only had that one year of college football experience. That’s not a lot no matter how good it went.

Next season, expect… the guy Rousseau will be tied to for the foreseeable future: AJ Epenesa. Like Rousseau, Epenesa came to Buffalo coming off a college season with double-digit tackles for loss (14) and sacks (11.5). Still, he was worked into the lineup slowly. So much so, he was inactive for the Bills’ season opener last year.

But that’s not to say that Rousseau won’t see any playing time with the Bills as a rookie. Bills head coach Sean McDermott runs a big rotation along the defensive line. Last season the top-two in terms of snaps played in that rotation were Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison.

At least early, expect that to be the same. By the end of the season, Epenesa might start seeing more snaps if he’s ready to handle that load. Factoring that in, don’t expect Rousseau to be the guy the overtakes Hughes or Addison in 2021, it’s much more likely to be Epenesa.

Rousseau might not see himself inactive on game day, but until he rounds out his full skill set, he could see similar snap counts as Epenesa did as a rookie next year. Playing in 14 games last season, Epenesa saw action in 27 percent of Buffalo’s total snaps on defense.

So now that begs the question, what does Rousseau have to do to improve his game enough so he can achieve starting reps?

While an edge player, Rousseau can move all around the defensive line, according to his scouting reports. That’s good. But he did so in college on the inside so he could exploit lesser skilled guards and centers with his athleticism. Quicker offensive tackles handled him better. In the pros, he has to bring an all-around pass rushing prowess and not rely one thing.

Like other young prospects, or just 21-year-olds in general, Rousseau will need to add to his frame, too.

It’ll take some patience from the Bills, but let’s be fair. Rousseau was a first-round pick for a reason. He has talent. We’ll have to just give him time to see what he can become.

Rookie projection: Rotational defensive lineman, especially on passing downs.

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12 things to know about Bills first-round pick Greg Rousseau

Everything to know about Buffalo Bills 2021 NFL draft first-round pick Greg Rousseau.

The Bills’ pass rush just got interesting.

First-round NFL talent can be valuable and of great intrigue, and 21-year-old Gregory Rousseau, whom the Bills have selected with their first pick in this year’s NFL draft, offers just that.

Being in that spotlight and high visibility for one’s abilities is unique and can make them of great interest off the field as well when teams look at drafting them. As he’s poised to become a key part of the team’s defensive rotation in the coming years, fans may want to familiarize themselves with who Rousseau is.

With that, here are 12 things to know about the Bills’ new defensive end:

Morning mock draft: TD Wire selects Greg Rousseau for Bills

Miami DE Greg Rousseau selected by Buffalo Bills in 2021 NFL Draft mock.

Words were not minced in the NFL Wire’s latest mock for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Are the Bills good? Yes. But what did they lack last year? Pass rush.

Touchdown Wire‘s Doug Farrar laid that point out very clearly in this mock. And because of that, Miami prospect Greg Rousseau is the pick for the Bills.

Here’s Farrar’s breakdown:

The defending AFC East champs have as loaded a roster as you’ll find anywhere in the NFL, but there is one obvious need — quarterback pressure. Last season, Buffalo’s sack lead was shared by linebacker A.J. Klein and end Mario Addison with five each, and veteran Jerry Hughes came in second with 4.5. The hope is that 2020 second-round pick A.J. Epenesa is ready to hit the proverbial next level, but it’s also possible that the Bills could be true Super Bowl contenders with more of a push in this direction. Rousseau had just one season as a starter for the Hurricanes — he opted out in 2020 — but his effect on the defense in 2019 was clear. He racked up 15.5 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss, 46 total pressures, and 40 stops. With his freakish athleticism and ability to win from multiple gaps, Rousseau projects well as a rotational disruptor who can become truly special over time.

Hard to not love reading a sentence with the Bills and Super Bowl in it. In an effort to add to the reasoning for Rousseau to Buffalo, we can do a bit of reading between the lines.

We’ve know for awhile that the Bills would have Addison, Hughes and Epenesa back in 2021. Despite that, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane was still linked with pursuing the likes of JJ Watt and Jarren Reed this offseason, two of the top pass rushers on the free-agent market.

He didn’t land either… so where there’s smoke, we could have some fire. Rousseau is a roll of the dice based on his experience, but some pass rushing prospect out there might be the Bills’ target at the upcoming draft because of Beane’s approach this offseason.

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Panthers potential 2021 NFL draft targets: Miami DE Greg Rousseau

Panthers potential 2021 NFL draft targets: Miami DE Greg Rousseau

Pass rush is one of the most important pieces to a successful defense in today’s NFL. Fortunately for the Panthers, former first-round pick Brian Burns is progressing nicely and is quickly developing into a top-tier edge rusher. However, the Panthers do not have much stardom behind him.

This year’s second round pick, Yetur Gross-Matos, has underperformed thus far, Stephen Weatherly and Marquis Haynes are decent rotational pieces but by no means long term solutions, and fan favorite Efe Obada seems to be on a short leash. Gross-Matos still has plenty of time to develop, so by no means should we write him off. With the help of Burns, Kawann Short, and Derrick Brown, he should be able to get his feet under himself and pick up the production a bit.

But what if the Panthers used their first-rounder on a three-down pass rushing specialist to compliment Burns? This would give Carolina a feared pass rush and a valuable rotational piece in Gross-Matos, who can even play the two or three technique along the defensive front when Short or Brown need a breather. Let’s take a look at Miami’s Greg Rousseau and how he compares to the other top edge rushing talent in this year’s draft class.

Profile:
6-foot-6, 265 pounds
Projected 40 yard dash: 4.65 seconds

Rousseau is a tremendous talent who pairs excellent first-step explosiveness with power. He has all the pass rush moves in the book, powerful hands, long arms, and a solid ability to bend around the edge for a player his length. Rousseau is also great at defending the run, containing the edge on stretch plays and penetrating his corresponding gap. Miami lines him up mostly at the 3 and 5 technique, but Rousseau projects well as a strong-side 4-3 end in the NFL. He has amazing length and uses it right, mostly shown in his bull rush and rip moves. He still needs to refine his pass rush moves, but overall Rousseau is a Week 1 impact player with incredible potential.

Highlights:

Rosseau vs. Virginia

Rosseau vs. FSU

2019 highlights

How he compares:
Rousseau is a man amongst boys in the 2021 edge rusher group. His combination of power, explosiveness and length is totally dominant and has as much upside as any player in the class. Miami teammate Quincy Roche, Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson, Wake Forest’s Carlos Basham Jr, and Texas’ Joseph Ossai are all top edge rushing talents in this class. However, Rousseau out-duels them in nearly every category. Even with Rousseau sitting out the 2020 college season, scouts see him as the top edge defender in this year’s class. As long as he has a respectable combine and pro day, look to see Rousseau’s name called in the first five picks in the draft.

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Purdue, Miami stars opt-out of college football ’20

Greg Rousseau of Miami and Purdue’s Rondale Moore are skipping the 2020 college football season, getting ready for the NFL Draft.

Two more big names have opted-out of the 2020 college football season.

The day started with Penn State star linebacker Micah Parsons saying he was skipping the season.

Hours later, Miami DE Greg Rousseau said he plans to pass on the season and prepare for the NFL Draft.

Hed the ACC in sacks last season with 15.5 and is widely considered a first-round selection in the 2021 NFL draft. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. lists Rousseau as his No. 24 overall prospect and the top defensive end.

Then, one of the more exciting players in college football added to the exit list.

Purdue WR Rondale Moore said he is leaving Lafayette, IN, to prepare for a pro future.

Moore caught 114 passes for 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns as a true freshman in 2018. He also rushed 21 times for 213 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the first true freshman consensus All-American in Big Ten history.

He missed most of the 2019 season after suffering a hamstring injury.