OL Ben Bartch | St. John’s
Don’t know about Ben Bartch? Us either. He was the only Division III player invited to the Senior Bowl and he evidently impressed a lot of people. For St. John’s he played tackle. At the Senior Bowl, his positive play came via the guard position. That’s where the Bills might have a hole to fill with Quinton Spain, but Bartch might be a project player for any team with his DIII roots in mind.
Here’s how Draft Wire broke down the little known prospect:
Every year, the Senior Bowl illuminates small-school talent by giving them a chance to face top competition. No player made the most of that opportunity than Bartch, a left tackle who lined up at guard in Mobile. He was one of the few blockers to hold his own against South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw, and he proved he has all the physical and mental tools to be NFL starting material.
@72TraThomas here is him competing at senior bowl. D3 OT doesn't seemed phased by competition. Ben Bartch (St Johns) pic.twitter.com/8ZNmBcvsFD
— Johnny Ulecka (@Johnnyu9322) January 24, 2020
EDGE Josh Uche | Michigan
Josh Uche was also a runner-up, not All-Senior Bowl honoree from Draft Wire. But the one who was, North Carolina’s Jason Strowbridge, is likely a 3-4 defensive end and not a fit for the Bills defense. In addition, Uche was one of the Bills’ reported meetings down in Mobile during the game, so there’s interest.
In 12 games last season, Uche had 7.6 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss for the Wolverines. He also forced a fumble and had a pass defended with 33 total tackles.
At about 6-foot-2, Uche is a tad undersized for potentially playing as a defensive end in Buffalo’s 4-3 defensive scheme. According to Pro Football Focus, Uche did play 170 of his 470 defensive snaps this season off the ball, though. So he has experience with his hand on and off the ground.
Michigan’s Josh Uche locking down Purdue’s Brycen Hopkins🔒 pic.twitter.com/Zk3Iwr9t78
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) January 22, 2020