History will show that the 2020 National Football League Draft was unusual, and not merely for the precautions created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the Bills, it was also interesting based on the seven selections they made Friday night and Saturday afternoon, but also who wasn’t taken.
General manager Brandon Beane maintained, pre-draft, that especially in rounds two and three — Buffalo had no first-round pick due to the Stefon Diggs trade — the Bills would take the “best player available.”
And when the NFL’s 85th Annual Draft was over, he pointed out, “Four of the seven (Bills picks) were highest on the board and the other three were in the conversation.
“It truly was my goal to not have to draft for need and, I know you guys don’t believe me, but that’s the way it went down on this board.
“I didn’t want to just draft guys at the end that couldn’t make the roster. That becomes the question when you get later: which player, which position has the best chance to be on your 53 (regular-season limit) or at a minimum, you’re going to really want this guy on the practice squad?”
That was certainly true Friday night when in the second round, Buffalo’s initial selection, Beane took defensive end A.J. Epenesa, 54th overall. To be sure, the Iowa star was projected to be a middle-of-the-first-round pick. But that leaves the Bills depth chart at defensive end more crowded than a clown car and some wondering why Wisconsin linebacker Zach Baun, also with a first round grade and playing a position of need, wasn’t selected instead.
In the third round, Utah running back Zack Moss filled a position of need, and was taken just a few picks later than he was projected to go as Beane sweated out whether he should have traded up to get him.
Saturday, though, produced a couple of surprise Buffalo selections, one of them a total shocker.
Here they are by round:
FOURTH
Gabriel Davis, wide receiver
(Central Florida, 6-2, 216)
Even with the trade for Diggs, the Bills still see room for improvement at wideout, a reality verified again in the sixth round.
According to The Football Rookie Handbook, Davis was the eighth-rated receiver though 17 were taken ahead of him.
Strengths: ball-tracking skills, quick release, vertical separation
Weaknesses: run-after-catch, route-running precision, body control
Analysis: Davis has the physical gifts to be a solid starter in the NFL but needs to show more to be the complete package. He projects to be a No. 2 starter by his second year.
FIFTH
Jake Fromm, quarterback
(Georgia, 6-2, 220)
For a team that has put its eggs in the Josh Allen basket, this was an unexpected pick. But, true to Beane’s word, to get a player ranked No. 82 in the draft with the 167th pick was hard to pass up.
“(It was) the board,” Beane admitted. “I wouldn’t have told you going in that he was on our radar. But we had him in a spot that you just can’t ignore and we gave him his due. This guy is a winner at the highest level of college. You look at all the guys that come out of the SEC…this guy’s got all the intangibles. He’s smart.
“He loves everything about the game, the full process, the preparation. If he had a big-time, cannon arm, or he was 6-5, he would have gone Day 1. He’s got all the other things. He’ll have to earn a spot here, but he was just too good to pass up.”
According to The Handbook:
Strengths: ball placement, touch, football IQ
Weaknesses: deep balls, velocity, mobility
Analysis: Smart and competitive quarterback with an accurate arm but doesn’t have the arm-strength, mobility and deep accuracy that would allow him to ascend to the next level. Fromm projects as a sufficient quarterback as a borderline “win with” or “win in spite of” player. He isn’t necessarily a guy who will be the main reason a team wins games, but he won’t normally be the reason his team loses them. His leadership and smart decision-making will be his best assets.
SIXTH
Tyler Bass, placekicker
(Georgia Southern, 5-10, 183)
The Handbook did not rate kickers. However, the Bills wanted Stephen Hauschka, 35 before next season, to have some competition in training camp due to his seemingly diminishing leg strength.
As a collegian, Bass had 74 percent of his kickoffs become touchbacks and hit three-quarters of his field goals from 40 yards and above.
“We really liked (Bass),” Beane said, “my exposure to him was at the Senior Bowl and he really did a nice job with his leg. So we put him where we thought he belonged on the board, and he was the best player there. We definitely wanted to go to camp with two kickers.”
Isaiah Hodgins, wide receiver
(Oregon State, 6-2, 210)
Hodgins gives the Bills 11 wideouts, the difference is that both he and Davis bring the size that only Duke Williams (6-3) has among the other nine.
His numbers last season were impressive: 86 catches for 13 touchdowns.
According to The Handbook:
Strengths: catch radius, tracking ability, body control
Weaknesses: separating quickly, release, blocking ability
Analysis: Hodgins has the size, hands and ball skills that will allow him to make plays at the next level, but he will need to improve as a route runner and prove he can separate more consistently to take the next step. He projects as a No. 3 receiver where he’d only fit on the outside.
SEVENTH
Dane Jackson, cornerback
(Pitt, 6-0, 180)
It would seem to be an inspired pick to get the eighth-ranked corner in the final round.
According to The Handbook:
Strengths: tenacity and physicality, football intelligence, press technique
Weaknesses: deep speed, off-man coverage, hip tightness
Analysis: His physical play and closing speed suggest he can be a contributor at the next level, but his inconsistent ball skills and ability to transition cleanly will likely force him to be a No. 3 corner who can play both inside and outside, though his skill set fits better outside.
As soon as the draft ended Saturday afternoon, the Bills quickly signed seven undrafted free agents: offensive linemen Marquel Harrell (Auburn) and Brandon Walton (Florida Atlantic), defensive backs Josh Thomas (Appalachian State), Ike Brown (Florida International) and Garrett Taylor (Penn State), tight end Reggie Gilliam (Toledo) and running back Antonio Williams (North Carolina).
