2024 NFL draft: Bills select OL Tylan Grable in Round 6, No. 204 overall

2024 NFL draft: #Bills select OL Tylan Grable in Round 6, No. 204 overall:

The Buffalo Bills have used a sixth-round pick at the 2024 NFL draft on offensive lineman Tylan Grable.

The UCF product was selected with the No. 204 overall selection:

Grable transferred to UCF for the 2022 season and started 14 games at left tackle. This past season Grable started 13.

Most interestingly, Grable has only played offensive line for four years. He is a former quarterback turned tight end, turned offensive tackle. Needless to say, he is an athletic player.

With the Bills, Grable will have a very uphill climb to team’s final 53-man roster with the likes of Dion Dawkins, Spencer Brown, and La’el Collins at the top of the depth chart.

[lawrence-related id=134965,134918,134934]

2024 NFL Draft: Instant Analysis of Bills Day 3 Draft Picks

Instant analysis of the Buffalo Bills 2024 draft picks for rounds 4-7.

The Buffalo Bills are scheduled to make seven draft picks on the third day of the 2024 NFL Draft. Entering Saturday, the Bills have one fourth-round pick, four fifth-round picks, one sixth-round pick, and one seventh-round pick.

While day three is a day for taking chances and finding depth in the roster, the Bills have done a great job at finding starting value late in the draft. During the Sean McDermott regime, Buffalo selected Matt Milano, Dane Jackson, Christian Benford, Siran Neal, Khalil Shakir, and Gabriel Davis on the third day of the draft.

Here is The Bills Wire’s analysis of Buffalo’s day three draft picks. Be certain to check for updates as the Draft progresses.

*Update: The Bills traded the No. 144 overall selection to the Chicago Bears for a 2025 fourth-round pick.

The Bills traded pick 163 to the Green Bay Packers for selections 168 and 218.

Davis is a bowling ball of a running back, bringing massive power in a small frame. At 5-8, 211 pounds, Davis has little problem lowering his pads and making contact, as he uses his lower center of gravity to battle through defenders. Simply, Davis is a tough back for defenders to handle. He has good change-of-direction maneuverability as well. Davis is an above-average receiver back. He caught at least one pass in every game he played over the past two seasons (25 games). He led FBS running backs with seven receiving touchdowns last year. The knock on Davis is that he lacks top-end speed. Davis is a bit impatient waiting for lanes to open up, as he doesn’t always set up his blocks. However, his traits will fit with the Bills as a rotational back.

Grade: B. Davis’ pass-catching ability puts him on the edge of Buffalo’s roster.

Van Pran-Granger was a three-year starter for Georgia. He was a two-time captain for the Bulldogs. As a junior, Van Pran-Granger earned Second Team All-SEC honors. Last year, he earned Second Team All-American and First Team All-SEC accolades. He started 44 games at center during his collegiate career. The Georgia product has earned high marks for his game IQ. Physically, he’s not the most agile in space. The only other knock is that there were occasions where he struggled against bull rushes. Van Pran-Granger does not have the position versatility that the Bills normally look for with deep draft picks.

Grade: A-. Van Pran-Granger is an intriguing pick. He has played a ton of snaps at center over the past three seasons. A good camp should propel him up the Bills depth chart at center.

Ulofoshio earned First Team All-PAC 12 honors last season after recording 94 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and an interception. Ulofoshio was a captain for the Washington Huskies last year. He was named the recipient of the Guy Flaherty Award, which is a player-voted award for the most infulential player on the team. He is a sideline-to-sideline player with great instincts who makes it his mission to find the ball. Ulofoshio gets downhill against running backs and loves to hit. He also plays well in zone coverage. However, Ulofoshio will be challenged with his adequate speed and size at the next level. In addition, he did not receive high grades for man coverage. Ulofoshio suffered two massive injuries in a short time: torn biceps (October 2021) and torn Achilles (January 2022).

Grade: B-. Ulofoshio has only one speed, which fits the Bills defense well. While the intangibles are high, his average athelticsim may limit how much time he will have on the field. Olofoshio adds depth to the linebacker room. His major contributions might be on special teams in the short term.

The Bills were looking for a pass rush specialist, and they found one in Solomon. Solomon recorded 16 sacks last season for Troy. He was named a First Team All-Sun Belt Conference player twice in his career. Solomon is a bit smaller at 6-0 and 246 pounds, but he uses his leverage and bend well to get around the edge of offensive linemen. His quickness is very good. He has very good instincts and tracks ball carrier nicely. He will need to diversify his pass-rush repetoire at the next level. He may need a little time to develop while facing the superior competition of the NFL. He’s going to deal with some massive tackles in the NFL who may be able to neutralize his speed. Solomon will be a passing-down specialist for the short term.

Grade: B+: All of the traits are there for him to be productive for Buffalo. Now, the Bills must work with him to get him to the next step in his development. There is going to be a bit of a learning curve going from what Solomon saw in college to his new oppoents in the NFL. Solomon has some work to do against the run as well.

Grable earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention status last year at UCF. He started 43 games at offensive tackle during his six years of collegiate eligibility. Grable transition from tight end to tackle during the 2019 season. He has good agility, adapted from his time as a tight end. He still has a bit of work to do with respect to his technique. His development in such a short period of time is admirable. As Grable has played tackle for only a few seasons, he still needs to iron out some issues with hand positioning and body position against power rushes. Grable played exclusively at tackle in college. However, he did practice at center, which puts him on the radar for the Bills.

Grade: C. It seems like a lot to put on Grable at this point. He is a developmental prospect. Grable’s physical attributes are intriguing. There’s always the hope that the Bills have found another Jason Peters. Nevertheless, he’s new to the offensive line, and any inkling that he could adapt to center is concerning.

Hardy is a speedy corner with return experience. He ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the Combine. Hardy can close down on receivers with his speed. Hardy does well enough to diagnose plays. He worked out of the slot for Penn State. At 5-9, he rises up to the phsyicality of receivers. He was guilty of only one coverage penatly in his collegiate career. Hardy was Penn State’s main punt returner last year. While he did well to battle physical receivers in college, Hardy will face a completely new challenge in the NFL. His missed tackle rate increased in 2023. Contested chatches will be an issue moving forward. Hardy will be a slot-only receiver at the next level.

Grade: C+: The Bills need some depth at cornerback. However, Hardy offers only slot coverage. His ability to return punts is helpful. However, there’s a big jump that needs to happen in Hardy’s game if Hardy is to see defensive snaps.

Welp, the Bills looked long and hard for their final pick, settling on Travis Clayton from England. The former rugby player has a massive wingspan (84 inches) and the size of an offensive lineman. At 6-7, 301 pounds, Clayton could be a mauler in the NFL. The athleticism can translate to the NFL. He ran a 4.81-second 40-yard dash. However, it’s going to take some time for him to acclimate to the league. Clayton needs time to learn the position in greater depth. There’s a great deal of growth that needs to happen for Clayton to be a functional player in the NFL. He is a part of the International Player Pathway, so the Bills will have a couple of years to work with Clayton.

Grade: C+. It’s a seventh-round pick. Why not? Clayton’s upside is quite intriguing.

Unpacking Future Packers: No. 48, UCF OT Tylan Grable

Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series is UCF offensive tackle Tylan Grable.

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2024 NFL draft.

Bolster the offensive line. That’s a bullet point on Brian Gutekunst’s “To Do List”, this offseason. If the Green Bay Packers were to play a game tomorrow the starting offensive line would be a formidable group. The depth behind Rasheed Walker, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Sean Rhyan and Zach Tom is lacking. 

Tylan Grable is a player that Green Bay’s general manager could target on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft, as he looks to depth to the Great Wall of Lambeau. The University of Central Florida offensive tackle checks in at No. 48 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.

Grable, a Georgia native played quarterback during his prep career. He started his collegiate career at Jacksonville State and played tight end and offensive line.

Grable transferred to UCF for the 2022 season and started 14 games at left tackle. This past season Grable started 13 games at left tackle.

“Grable’s biggest strength might be his durability,” Matt Murschel, a college writer for the Orlando Sentinel, said. “He started all 27 games during his two seasons at UCF and played more than 1,800 offensive snaps for the Knights. He was a rock at the left tackle spot, which was a plus for the program, which was forced to use four different players at center last season. He even began working out at the center, anticipating it could help him at the next level.”

Grable is an outstanding athlete and gets on top of defenders quickly. The former quarterback turned tight end, turned offensive tackle moves like a tight end. He has nimble feet and is comfortable out in space. He latches onto a defender and uses his upper body strength to control them. 

“According to Pro Football Focus, he was the highest-graded run blocker on the offensive line, which is attributed to UCF’s success in running football in the past two seasons,” Murschel said. “Most of the Knights’ rushing yards came from Grable’s side of the offensive line.”

Grable has good speed of the snap with the lateral quickness to win the corner. He has active hands to slow down defenders. According to PFF, Grable gave up zero sacks and 10 pressures this past season. Quite an improvement from the year prior when he gave up five sacks and 25 pressures. 

“Grable is quick for his size, as demonstrated by his 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine,” Murschel said. “It’s helped him stay ahead of pass rushers. He also greatly understands the offense, which helps him know where everyone needs to be.”

Grable put on a show at the NFL Scouting Combine. He clocked a 4.95 40-yard dash time, with a 1.69 10-yard split. Along with that blazing time at 306 pounds, Grable posted a 36.5-inch vertical jump.

Fit with the Packers

Grable is fairly new to playing offensive tackle. Given his athleticism and the improvement he’s shown throughout his collegiate career, it’s safe to assume that upward trajectory will continue. The Packers have a rich history of developing Day 3 picks and one would have to assume that they’d like to get their hands on a player with Grable’s potential. 

“It’s important to find a durable offensive lineman with the versatility to move around if needed,” Murschel said. “His understanding of the offense shows his commitment to doing what it takes to be successful.”

Grable started 27 games at left tackle over the past two seasons and logged two snaps at right guard this past season. The Jacksonville State transfer has taken snaps at center during practice. Given Green Bay’s history of drafting college offensive tackles and kicking them inside, it’s possible that the Packers could envision Grable as a guard. 

The Packers own six picks on Day 3 of the draft. With his athleticism, Grable would be well worth the gamble and could serve as the team’s swing tackle, while potentially providing depth along the interior.