‘A 6-foot-4, 245-pounder, Likely led all tight ends in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 12 receiving touchdowns in 2021. He was a first-team All-Sun Belt Conference after finishing with 59 catches for 912 yards in 13 starts, helping Coastal Carolina win its first bowl game in program history. Likely played wide receiver in high school in Massachusetts before converting to tight end in college. During the 2020 season, he averaged 20.0 yards per catch (30 catches for 601 yards), which ranked 10th in the FBS. He also played through a lower-body injury that required surgery after the season.’
Archives for April 10, 2022
Report: Ohio State OT Nicholas Petit-Frere to make pre-draft visit with Bills
‘Petit-Frere, a redshirt junior, is a 6-foot-5, 316-pounder who ran the 40-yard dash in 5.14 seconds at the NFL scouting combine. He made 22 career starts with the Buckeyes, leaving school with one year of college eligibility. The consensus top offensive line prospect in the country coming out of high school in Tampa, Fla., Petit-Frere redshirted as a freshman in 2018.’
Bills Mailbag: How Brandon Beane tries to massage the salary cap without mortgaging future
‘Restructuring contracts, especially after the cap decreased because of the pandemic, was a necessary evil for all NFL teams. It’s clear Beane doesn’t favor using that tool too often, though. Because of that, I’d say you don’t have to worry too much about Beane totally mortgaging the future.’
NFL draft preview: All eyes on cornerbacks for Bills as a first-round option
‘“My main focus right now is the draft,” Beane said last month at the NFL owners meetings. “We’re out of money unless you guys have some here. Other than that, we’ll always look. After the draft, we’ll be looking. We’re never satisfied. We got a lot of positions that I still want to get more depth. We’re not just waking up every day saying, ‘Where’s the corner?’ We’re looking everywhere and we have a lot of time. We don’t play games until September. It’s my job to make sure we have the roster ready by then and not April 1.”’
Opposition to Bills stadium funding not enough to sway budget voting
‘The bill that included the Bills stadium funding passed 95-49 in the Assembly and 39-23 in the Senate.’
Source: Bills host UCLA OL Sean Rhyan on top-30 visit
‘Rhyan was the Bruins’ starter at left tackle the past two seasons (19 starts) and started in 12 games back in 2019 as a true freshman. In the NFL, Rhyan has the versatility to play tackle or guard.’
Jerry Moore: Buffalo Bills stampede New York taxpayers
‘“Hochul’s office denies there was a conflict of interest involving the new stadium deal and her husband’s role with Delaware North, a global hospitality and food service company. But questions about that connection may continue, and lobbying records indicate another emerging issue involving the Seneca Nation,” according to a story published Monday by the Times Union in Albany. “Late last year, a top Albany lobbying firm, Dickinson & Avella, reported lobbying four top state budget officials — including state budget director Robert Mujica — on behalf of Delaware North. The topic was the Seneca Nation Compact, according to state records. The Seneca Nation Compact is a contentious 2002 agreement in which the nation agreed to pay substantial casino revenue to New York; it was that deal which Hochul succeeded in enforcing last week to secure $564 million from the Senecas.’
What they’re saying | National analysts praise Bills for Stefon Diggs extension
‘”No team in the league I think, honestly, has done a better job of team building from where the Bills were four years ago to now. They are now a rich Super Bowl contender and there’s no way you let Josh Allen’s sidepiece, they work together so well, and they love each other, you don’t let them go. This can’t be a Davante Adams or Tyreek Hill situation.”‘