‘“A.J.’s kind of an even-keeled guy,” Bell said, recounting the exchange from his home late Friday night. “He was like, ‘That’d be good. But any team, Coach. You know, any team would be good.’ And I was like, ‘No, man. Not any team. You’re going to play for the Bills. Watch and see. You’ll be a great fit. It’ll be a great fit for you.’ And it came true.”’
Archives for April 27, 2020
Why Pitt cornerback Dane Jackson has fighting chance to make Bills’ roster
‘“The Bills got a steal in Dane Jackson,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement Saturday. “He is as good as any cornerback I’ve ever coached. Dane was not only a playmaker for us, but he also became an impactful leader as a senior captain. He showed on the field this past season, as well as at the Senior Bowl, that he’s a disruptive corner and a big-time competitor.”’
Nobody deeper on D-line than Bills; KO specialist is great idea
‘Getting pressure with four rushers allows the Bills to cover with seven and prevent big plays. No NFL team has been better than the Bills at preventing big pass plays over the past three seasons. The Bills blitzed 24.3% last year, according to Buffalo News charting, which was up a tick from 2018 but still on the lower NFL end.’
Washington’s Trey Adams is latest Bills’ undrafted free agent; see the full list
‘The most recent addition to the Bills is the biggest – literally. Adams is a mountain of a man at 6-8 and 314 pounds. His college career was derailed by knee and back surgeries, but there was a time before that when he was considered a potential first-round draft pick.’
News’ writers give their grades for the Bills’ draft
‘It would have been a slightly better draft had the Bills addressed guard or linebacker, but that’s nitpicking. There’s plenty to like in what Beane did, with a huge assist from his IT guy.’
What draft grades are national media giving the Bills
‘You wonder if they might run into the same problem with A.J. Epenesa that they had with former first-rounder Shaq Lawson: a lack of top-flight explosiveness. This doesn’t appear to be an ideal player and scheme fit. But if anyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, it’s Bills GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott.’
Bills had to wait out the WR run before drafting a pair, Gabriel Davis and Isaiah Hodgins
‘“I would have lost the bet today,” Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Friday night when the big run on receivers prevented him from considering one with the 54th overall pick in the second round, the one he used to take edge rusher A.J. Epenesa. “I would have thought there would have been a wide receiver that we would have still had a second-round grade on, but there wasn’t.”’
Draft grades: Even without a first-round pick, NFL analysts love the Buffalo Bills draft
‘Here’s what the national media thought of the Bills draft…’.
Third-day draft surprises for Bills
‘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.’
Buffalo Bills land coveted UDFA Trey Adams
‘Although he was no longer viewed as a day one or day two prospect, many draft analysts felt Adams would be a low-risk, high-reward pick late on day three. No team took that risk.’
Buffalo Bills Draft 2020: LA Tech WR Malik Stanley, 2 other UDFA targets
‘A source tells NYUP that Buffalo has expressed some interest in Stanley during the draft process.’
Mel Kiper grades Buffalo Bills’ 2020 draft picks, says team had top-5 class
‘We need to count Diggs as a part of this class, and he’s the top-tier wideout who will help further evaluate Allen in Year 3. And with two excellent picks on Day 2, the Bills are high on my list.’
Sullivan: Beane may not say it, but Bills all-in on 2020
‘How can they not be favored? The Bills won 10 games last season and should have won 11; they played the Patriots close. Then New England lost Brady and four defensive starters in the offseason while the Bills were trading for Stefon Diggs and adding four significant players to one of the NFL’s best defenses.’
Buffalo Bills draft class provides value at each pick
‘Finally, when it was all said and done, the Bills had one of the best drafts I can remember.’
If NFL careers of Tristan Wirfs, A.J. Epenesa become stocks, call your broker
‘Epenesa is headed to one of the NFL’s least-glamorous places in Buffalo. There won’t be any Tampa-type spotlight unless the Bills win big. But they are a good and improving team, perhaps the favorite to win the AFC East next season, which would be the first time since 1995. A rising tide lifts all boats. Meaning, it’s better to be headed to a club on the way up.’
Football: Epenesa ready for Buffalo
‘“I always try to play with a chip on my shoulder and play with extra motivation,” Epenesa said. “I was No. 54. There were 53 other players picked in front of me. It’s not the number, I guess, but all I needed was one team … I’m going to give (Buffalo) everything I got.”’
Football: Bills weren’t passing on Epenesa
‘“What we know about (Epenesa) is he’s a competitive guy. The first thing I said to him was that I didn’t know why he fell. Sometimes there’s a run on other players or maybe people feel they don’t fit what their doing. We saw those mocks and I definitely thought he was going to go higher. We feel fortunate he was there. Buffalo is a lot like Iowa and he’s going to fit in here,” Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said in an interview with reporters Friday.’
Why did Jake Fromm fall in NFL Draft? Here’s what the pundits said about it
‘“It’s a gamble when you’re talking about a guy like Eason compared to Fromm from a dependability and a maturity standpoint, but this is the game that we play in the scouting world,” Riddick said. “It’s all about what do you want. Do you want upside or do you want the safe pick? Right now, people are banking on the upside.”’
Dutch Fork graduate drafted by NFL’s Buffalo Bills
‘He especially helped his stock during his performance at the Senior Bowl where he was 4-4 on PATs and made two field goals, including a 56-yarder.’
Buffalo Bills Get Solid Grades For Performance In NFL Draft
‘Epenesa, at 6-6 and 280 pounds, isn’t flashy but he’s big and powerful and is seen as a foundational piece who could be used situationally behind Addison, Jerry Hughes and Trent Murphy. Hughes and Addison are also over 30 and Murphy will be 30 by the end of the regular season.’
Bills defensive line is flush with versatility
‘I’ll start by saying I don’t believe the Bills have the league’s best defensive line – it’s really pretty solid all around, but it may not even be featured in the top-five of NFL defensive lines. Having said that, they’re likely the most versatile in terms of position flexibility and overall player makeup in all of football.’
Bills earn these draft grades from NFL analysts
‘Brandon Beane could afford to be more speculative after getting terrific value for edge-rushing depth in Epenesa and a perfect complementary back to Devin Singletary in Moss.’
Bills Today | Buffalo’s draft class draws positive initial reviews
‘Fromm is similar to former USC QB Matt Barkley, who played a lot early and is a high character guy but doesn’t have the tools the NFL covets. Barkley is smart and solid and probably will be in the NFL as a backup for close to a decade. That’s who I think Fromm could be. It was interesting to me that Fromm ended up getting picked in the fifth round by the Bills, the team where Barkley is the backup.’