Tag: Laviska Shenault

2020 NFL mock draft: 4-rounds of Bills picks post-title game

Buffalo Bills 2020 NFL mock draft, four rounds, following the national title game.

The National Championship Game is in the history books and the LSU Tigers are the top team and grouping of Tigers after defeating the Clemson Tigers on Monday.

Of course, plenty of players out on the field will find new homes next season in the NFL. Could any of them be on the Buffalo Bills’ radar as April’s draft slowly comes into focus?

Draft Wire released a four-round mock draft following the divisional round of the playoffs last weekend, and here’s how that plays out for the Bills in another very early 2020 NFL mock draft:

Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

In Buffalo’s first pick, wide receiver could certainly be in play and that’s the direction the Bills go in for this mock draft. The pick is Laviska Shenault from Colorado, one of the top-wideout prospect in the upcoming draft.

Here’s how Draft Wire breaks down the pick:

22. Buffalo Bills
Laviska Shenault, Jr. | WR | Colorado
The Eagles passing on a receiver here is a big win for the Bills, who are also in desperate need of a true No. 1 target for Josh Allen. Shenault is a physical player with a well-built frame who puts it to good use, both at the catch point and after the catch. He’s the complete player this offense needs to take their game to the next level in 2020 and beyond.

As mentioned, the Bills could use some help for Allen. Are Cole Beasley and John Brown reliable options for 2020? Yes. But could the Bills use more depth and a youthful option at receiver too? Also yes. At 6-foot-2 and a strong 220-pound frame, Shenault looks very much like the No. 1 wideout the Bills have lacked in recent years.

We all love getting excited for the Duke Williams and Brandon Reilly’s of the world, but Buffalo, let’s get a real prospect in here.

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PODCAST: Way-too-early Bills’ 7-round mock draft

Kyle Silagyi is joined by Justin DiLoro and McKenna Middlebrook to lead the Buffalo Bills through a 7-round 2020 NFL mock draft.

In markets that house an NFL franchise, there is a fifth season, a sometimes-annoying but ever-interesting period that complements spring, summer, fall, and winter.

In Buffalo, NY, this enigmatic fifth season perhaps outlasts spring.

This mysterious period – known affectionally as ‘mock draft season’ – is now upon us.

On this episode of The Kyle Silagyi Variety Hour, host Kyle Silagyi and BillsWire staff writers Justin DiLoro and McKenna Middlebrook take the reins of the Buffalo Bills, leading the team through a seven-round 2020 NFL mock draft.

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Mapping out the Bills’ perfect 2020 offseason

Here’s how the Buffalo Bills can build upon their success in the 2020 offseason.

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

If you listened closely enough, you likely could have heard a collective sigh in western New York as you woke up on the morning of Jan. 5.

A feeling of dread lingered over the region like a lake effect cloud on the morning after the Buffalo Bills’ Wild-Card round loss to the Houston Texans.

It can perhaps best be described as the ultimate Bills hangover.

Buffalo held a two-score lead over the Texans in the second half of the contest, at one point looking as though it was going to exit NRG Stadium with its first postseason win of the millennium.

What it instead left with was a 22-19 loss and a 25-year postseason-winless streak still intact.

Though the thought of the Bills’ postseason collapse is still fresh in the collective mind of the Buffalo faithful, it’s difficult to not be excited about the team’s future. Coming off a 10-6 season with north of $88 million in salary-cap space, it’s clear that the Bills will be eager to build upon their success in the offseason.

And here’s how they should do so:

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2020 NFL draft: Bills go WR, DE in 2-round mock

The Draft Wire’s Christmas Day 2020 NFL mock draft for the Buffalo Bills.

In Draft Wire’s latest mock draft which was released with the Christmas holiday in mind, the Bills address their two biggest needs in the two-round 2020 NFL mock draft.

As many in Buffalo would like to see, the Bills take a wide receiver with No. 1 potential in the first round. Following up that pick, the Bills go edge defense and pass rusher in the second round.

It can be argued that those two picks are the two most important needs for the Bills to address heading into the offseason. That is, after the playoffs.

Here’s the two picks that Draft Wire laid out for Buffalo:

23. Buffalo Bills
Laviska Shenault, Jr. | WR | Colorado
Josh Allen has some solid role players in his receiving corps, but nobody with the combination of size, athleticism and physicality that Shenault brings to the table. A terror after the catch, Shenault would immediately be Allen’s most complete pass-catcher.

56. Buffalo Bills | Alton Robinson | EDGE | Syracuse

In 2020, it’s predicted that the wide receiver class will be deep. Shenault is a reason why. As described, he’d bring in the No. 1 mold for the Bills. Cole Beasley and John Brown have been efficient for Buffalo this season, but both aren’t young and aren’t top-wideout molds. There should be no issue with bringing in more talent to their receivers room for 2020.

Robinson is viewed as a potentially big time pass rusher at the next level, something the Bills very much need. But this one is also about who could be leaving Buffalo. Shaq Lawson is currently in a contract year while Trent Murphy could be a cut candidate next offseason. The Bills need some young, fresh blood that can get to quarterbacks.

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Saints stand to benefit as loaded 2020 wide receiver draft class gets deeper

The 2020 NFL Draft class may feature the best group of wide receiver prospects ever assembled, which is big news for the New Orleans Saints.

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The New Orleans Saints are putting up points and winning games in spite of a very shallow depth chart at wide receiver, thanks to Herculean efforts from All-Pro Michael Thomas and creative play-calling from Saints coach Sean Payton. Thomas has proven he can put the world on his shoulders for New Orleans’ passing game.

However, the lack of production from the group as a whole can’t be ignored: in the four games since their bye week, all of the non-Thomas receivers have combined for 8 receptions and 90 receiving yards (with two touchdown catches) on 21 total targets. Those stats all came from Tre’Quan Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. Practice squad call-up Krishawn Hogan has logged 37 snaps in that time, but has yet to receive his first target with the Saints.

Fortunately, the situation shouldn’t remain this grim forever. The 2020 NFL Draft class is shaping up like one of the best groups in recent memory, rivaling the 2014 class that put Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans, Brandin Cooks, John Brown, Sammy Watkins, and Allen Robinson into the pros.

While the top draft prospects in this year’s draft are underclassmen who or may not leave early for the NFL — names like Alabama stars Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs, Oklahoma big-play threat CeeDee Lamb, and Clemson’s clutch performer Tee Higgins — there are plenty of options generating excitement around the league. Four talented juniors have already declared, at least two of whom are popular picks in the conversation of who might be a first-round pick:

  • Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado
  • Jalen Reagor, TCU
  • Isaiah Hodgins, Oregon State
  • Gabriel Davis, UCF

Shenault has a reputation as one of the most versatile players in the draft class, having lined up everywhere from slot receiver to tight end and fullback, and still found ways to make plays. Think of him as a Swiss army knife in the mold of Taysom Hill, but with more aptitude as a receiver (which is saying something, given Hill’s four touchdown catches this season).

Reagor is another hot name in draft circles, given his game-breaking speed and ability to track the ball in flight deep downfield. He’s averaged over 15 yards per catch in his career despite the Horned Frogs’ instability at quarterback (half a dozen different passers have targeted Reagor over the last three years), drawing comparisons to Cooks, the Saints’ own former first-round pick.

Something has to be said for both of the two big men who have declared early, as Hodgins (6-foot-4) and Davis (6-foot-3) have each caught 70-plus receptions and scored double-digit touchdowns this season. There’s room in the NFL (and in New Orleans) for either of them to contribute.

And this doesn’t even include the numerous talented seniors in this year’s draft class, ranging from Minnesota graduate Tyler Johnson to Arizona State product Brandon Aiyuk, as well as Texas Longhorns fixtures Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson. Keep an eye on Ohio State alum K.J. Hill and experienced South Carolina receiver Bryan Edwards.

Of that group, four have already accepted invitations to participate in the 2020 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., taking the opportunity to practice in front of NFL scouts ahead of the annual all-star game. Those participants include Aiyuk, Edwards, as well as Longhorns prospects Duvernay and Johnson. They’ll be joined by receivers not previously mentioned such as Kalija Lipscomb (Vanderbilt), Antonio Gandy-Golden (Liberty), Michael Pittman Jr. (USC), and Chase Claypool (Notre Dame), all of whom will have a good shot at improving their draft stock.

So all of this was said to say: the Saints do not lack for options at addressing the wide receiver position during the offseason. They’ve thrown resources at the problem before, it just hasn’t worked out — Smith hasn’t consistently helped the offense after being drafted in the third round last year, while the Saints lost their wager that Cameron Meredith would be a better free agent addition than what it would have cost to keep Willie Snead. Here’s hoping the players New Orleans already has to work with can continue doing enough to compete for Super Bowl LIV.

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