By Wake Jatkins (The Crowd Assist Podcast)
The 2021 NFL Draft could not have gone better for me. The Patriots drafted a fatter, less handsome Jimmy Garoppolo. The New York Jets drafted someone who just had his First Communion. Best of all, the Bills drafted Gregory Rousseau, one of my favorite prospects and one with maybe the highest ceiling. I already wrote about him, so I invite you to check out that piece from last week. Merekat and I actually mocked him to the Bills in our live mock draft on The Crowd Assist Podcast. I barely got any sleep because I was so excited about seeing GR in a Bills uniform. But he’s not the only player the Bills will draft this week.
Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft commences at 7pm tonight. As of right now, here is what my big board looks like.
There are a lot of great names on here, most notably Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, which is who I’ll begin this article with.
Trade Up Candidates
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB
JOK falling out of the first round is absolutely a miracle. He was someone that I would’ve been content trading up into the 20s or late teens for. That being said, I would be absolutely shocked if he fell far enough for the Bills to consider trading up for him. I said I’d be content. I never said the Bills would do it though. The Bills just don’t use 3 linebackers at a time very often.
At the same time, linebacker depth proved to be an achilles heel of the defensive unit last year. Milano and Edmunds both sustained injuries during the regular season, leaving AJ Klein and a rag-tag group of Bad News Bears linebackers with more snaps than anyone should be comfortable with. JOK has the ability to play man on man with wide receivers in the slot and he holds his own in coverage outside the numbers too. He even took some reps at safety in his time at Notre Dame. The woes against tight ends won’t be fixed with one player, but a great coverage linebacker like JOK could be a massive first step towards ending that issue.
Trevon Moehrig, S
The top safety in the NFL Draft is still on the board, and while the Bills have Poyer and Hyde, Beane did mention that this draft is about the future as much as it is the present. In my eyes, there’s a massive drop-off after Moehrig. He’s my 23rd ranked player overall, and the 3rd best player still out there. My second ranked safety is Jevon Holland, who could be a fine player, but isn’t someone I’d want to take over other players that will likely also be available at pick #61. Bringing Trevon Moehrig up is purely a value based conversation.
Asante Samuel Jr., CB
ASJ is probably one of the most trendy picks for the Bills in this draft. The Draft Network had him consistently falling into the middle-late second round, but his stock seemed to be on the rise in the last month leading up to the draft. He historically had an issue converting great defensive plays into interceptions, but that’s why he’s a DB and not a WR. He’s a sticky cornerback who excels in man more so than zone coverage, and the Bills could probably trust him out on an island in his rookie year if they had to for an occasional play. He’s also a sure tackler, which is an area the Bills desperately need to clean up after being top 10 in the NFL in missed tackles last year.
My Pick at #61 – Ifeatu Melifonwu, CB
Ifeatu started as a third round pipe dream and has turned into a guy I hope is still there for the Bills at pick 61. With corners like Asante Samuel Jr., Trill Williams and Elijah Molden out there, there are a few ways this could play out. Look at what Pittsburgh did in round 1. They knew the depth of IOL and OT in this draft, so they took Najee Harris despite having no one to block for him. Before the run on corners starts, teams that need one will likely be thinking the same thing: “The cornerback class is deep, so let’s attack a position of need with more value at this moment.”
Melifonwu would be another dream draft pick for me. Levi Wallace isn’t a route disrupter. In fact, Tre white is probably the only CB on the Bills roster who can quickly close out a WR’s route before it gets a chance to develop. Melifonwu can do that because he’s physical at the line and in press coverage. Receivers need to earn every yard against him. Melifonwu is longer than Asante Samuel Jr. and he uses that to his advantage, but I prefer Samuel Jr. over him mainly because of the difference in competition. The thing is I hate knocking players for something they can’t control like the players they go against. Iffy shut them down, and I know he can do it at the next level. If I were Brandon Beane, I’d elect to save my draft capital and take Iffy at #61.
My Pick at #93 – Tyler Shelvin, DT
Last night during our livestream, Robyn Mundy said her biggest priority for the Bills is a man-eating 1-tech defensive tackle. Tyler Shelvin has the physical tools to be the best one to come out of this draft. And I like adding one early because it’s very clear that the free agent route hasn’t worked out very well on the defensive line. Star Lotulelei will return after opting out in 2020, but how effective will he be? Let’s face it, he’s getting old. This defensive line is getting old and we need to continue this infusion of youth; drafting Ed Oliver two years ago, AJ Epenesa last year, and Gregory Rousseau last night.
Shelvin could anchor the defensive line extremely well as a run stopping DT. He’s simply just too massive of a human being to move out of running lanes. This is a player that even while he’s developing his skills early on in his career, has to be gameplanned around. This move would pair well with Rousseau, a versatile, athletic pass rusher who moves so fluidly that he makes offensive linemen just look silly. Shelvin is the ying to Rousseau’s yang.
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