RD 1, Pick 30: Greg Rousseau, Edge (Miami) Public Poll Added

[Canadian Bills Fan]

7 hours ago, Aaronthebaron said:

Makes sense. We were great at pressuring the QB, not so great at getting the sack. This guy finishes. He’s huge, long arms. Blink and it’s Bruce. 

 

 

[North Buffalo]

I'm no draft expert and figuring out a guy who opted out had to be a difficult task... but Beane and McD interviewed the guy and checked out his background... if he is the process guy they think with his height and arm length gotta billieve he is just the guy for the Bills to take the next step.

[colin]

5 hours ago, junior12thman92 said:

Does anyone know where to find snap percentages for our DL during the 2018/19/20 seasons? I ask because I know McD prefers to have his defensive linemen cycle a lot, which I find interesting. 

 

Beane seems to like taking DL early (looking at Carolina's record while he was there and now here in Buffalo). With premium picks being used up on players that rotate in/out all the time, I would hope/expect for more sacks due to them being "fresh" during games.

 

That doesn't seem to be the case over the last few of seasons, so hopefully it starts coming together this year with Star back in the fold. Otherwise this is a lot of draft capital (1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd) and money (3rd most in the league) tied up in a group that can be pretty underwhelming at times.

 

 

 

we've dumped money and draft picks at the line, results were good for 2 years, meh to bad for one year.

 

i remember the philly and carolina ds which mccoach ran.  he's all about waves of d linemen being fresh and playing as a team concept, but clearly values disruptive star players.  he likes athletic LBs who can do it all and clean up underneath.  what's interesting is altho that Boston college LB he drafted in carolina is celebrated the most (and he deserves it), when crazy man greg kraken hardy was lost to them, their d fell off much harder than what the LB was out.

 

i b word and moan about our scheme on d perhaps a bit too much, but it really is a 1/11 type of thing, he dials up everything from the ball out, and his secondary is much more about sound coverage and taking away big plays than dice rolling and bump and run type aggression, so i think he's a guy who will always be throwing picks and money at the dline, because with the rotation we play with if any of the young guys show improve it will be on tape and they will gain burn.

 

not sure if this kid is the best guy at our pick (no idea really, he could be) but mccoach has had enough success that i'd ride with our pick over anyone else today on the back of that.

[Brennan Huff]

4 minutes ago, Beerball said:

huh?

I agree

[Canadian Bills Fan]

7 hours ago, TheBeaneBandit said:

No, but he can get a lot bigger.

 

 

Agreed. This is where it pays off to have a good strength and conditioning coach

[MAJBobby]

Play 3. He is in coverage. Tell me some more about the poor athletic profile. 
 

https://youtu.be/K7tLBK7akVY

[LyndonvilleBill]

Maybe we can move him to TE. He did play as a wr...🤔... I'm kidding,  I AM JUST KIDDING!!!😁. Too early? LOL.

 

I actually really like this pick. I honestly thought he'd be gone well before 30 and go to the Dolphins and we'd make a really bad choice and take Phillips if he was still there.

[stevewin]

 

6 hours ago, IronMaidenBills said:

Some have the nickname the professor. I’m going to call Greg the philosopher. 

 

 

Edited April 30, 2021 by stevewin

[TheJauronClap]

I like the pick he is raw with a ton of upside if we hit we got a big steal. If we miss I think at worst he is a Shaq Lawson type 

[JohnBonhamRocks]

7 minutes ago, LyndonvilleBill said:

Maybe we can move him to TE. He did play as a wr...🤔... I'm kidding,  I AM JUST KIDDING!!!😁. Too early? LOL.

 

I actually really like this pick. I honestly thought he'd be gone well before 30 and go to the Dolphins and we'd make a really bad choice and take Phillips if he was still there.

 

Why move him to TE when we could just go after Tebow? 🤪

Didn't know much about him pre-draft, but the more I learn the more I like. Just watched him interviewed for the first time and he seems like a genuinely good dude. Buffalo connection doesn't hurt either.

 

[BUFFALOTONE]

8 hours ago, BillsMafi$ said:

Not good. Slow off ball, a lot off sacks were coverage sacks 

Stop listening to Mel, no they were not and regardless he gets to the QB. Great pick and this coming from an FSU fan...

[colin]

after looking at some more highlights and breakdowns of this kid, i get a kinda sorta jared allen feeling.  guy had slipperyness, but not great athletic numbers, and he was as long as a tree.  once he learned to use his hands and feet together to disrupt the OL, he was an absolute beast at getting sacks.  he doesn't have the "explosive" numbers of oweh and others, but he runs super quick out the gate, so if he can use his hand placement and jab steps to get the OL off balance, he still has plenty of speed to take the shorter route and the long arms to wrap up the qb.  i kinda like it!

[YoloinOhio]

13 minutes ago, MAJBobby said:

Play 3. He is in coverage. Tell me some more about the poor athletic profile. 
 

https://youtu.be/K7tLBK7akVY

I think the poor pro day was mostly around the vertical and bench and 3 cone but someone said he slipped in the 3 cone and no way is he going to bench a lot with those crazy long arms. His speed was very impressive for his size.

[racketmaster]

Beane and Co. got a steal in drafting a 21 year old edge rusher like GR. First year playing DE as a 19 year old and he records 15.5 sacks. By all accounts, not only is he a freakish talent but has excellent character and intangibles. Bills really needed a young talent at this position and without drafting in the top 15 it is very difficult to find such players. Beane took advantage of the opt out as GR was a consensus top 10 pick going into last season before opting out. So the Bills get a top 10 talent at a premium position. Guys with his height, length, speed, ability to bend, play inside and out, with work ethic and character are steals at pick 30. Sure there is some risk but he is a superior talent to the other edge rushers we had to choose from and I think he is well worth the risk from only being a 1 year player. 

[Beerball]

2 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

I think the poor pro day was mostly around the vertical and bench and 3 cone but someone said he slipped in the 3 cone and no way is he going to bench a lot with those crazy long arms. His speed was very impressive for his size.

As long as the offense isn't allowed to bring a broom stick (he can't jump) onto the field to trip him up I think he'll be ok.

[mjt328]

Here is the thing.  Getting a top pass rusher was always going to be a huge challenge in this draft (many of us were saying it months ago).

 

After Kwity Paye, there were guys with big question marks.  Medical concerns.  Opt-outs.  Long-term projects.

There is also a significant lack of depth at edge rusher.  Once the next 2-3 guys are taken (probably very quickly tonight), there is an astronomical drop in talent at the edge rusher position.  Our choices at #61 would have been pretty pathetic.  

 

Our only real options at defensive end were either to trade-up for Paye (probably would have cost a fortune), taking a chance with a risky prospect (which is what we did), or go with another position like cornerback and completely miss on upgrading the pass rush.  Azeez Ojulari has injury concerns.  Jayson Oweh was also a massive project.  I'm not crazy thrilled with this pick, but you really can't blame Beane for going this route.  It makes plenty of sense.

 

In terms of Rousseau himself, he's very similar to Josh Allen and Tremaine Edmunds.  Very raw.  Very big risk for busting.  Big upside if they can develop him correctly.  Over the last few weeks I've seen him ranked as high as mid-1st round, and as low as end of 2nd (though I really doubt he would have fallen that far).  It's pretty clear that Beane is an aggressive GM and likes going for the players with big ceilings (at least early in the draft), rather than safer picks without much room to grow.

 

As a prospect, Rousseau isn't really the typical athletic freak.  He didn't test fast.  He didn't test really strong.  You will get different opinions about how impressive he looked on tape.  Ultimately, his value comes with his size, length and physical frame.  My guess is that Bills coaches have a plan to pack some weight/muscle (basically the opposite of what they did with AJ Epenesa last year), and work on improving his technique.  With 1-2 years in an NFL weight room, and learning how to use those long arms to his advantage, he could end up being very tough to block.  We will see.

 

[LyndonvilleBill]

5 minutes ago, JohnBonhamRocks said:

 

Why move him to TE when we could just go after Tebow? 🤪

Didn't know much about him pre-draft, but the more I learn the more I like. Just watched him interviewed for the first time and he seems like a genuinely good dude. Buffalo connection doesn't hurt either.

 

Tebow... LMAO... Good One...🤣

 

I only watched a little of Rousseau before the draft. Will spend more time checking him out now he's a Bill. What I've seen so far, your right, seems like a real good person and will probably fit well in Buffalo. 

[JMF2006]

A few mocks had this guy 

 

I trust the Beaner and he must know this is the best fit.

 

Welcome to Buffalo Mr Rousseau

Edited April 30, 2021 by JMF2006
We picked a different edge in the mock

[Luka]

1 minute ago, LyndonvilleBill said:

Tebow... LMAO... Good One...🤣

 

I only watched a little of Rousseau before the draft. Will spend more time checking him out now he's a Bill. What I've seen so far, your right, seems like a real good person and will probably fit well in Buffalo. 

You only watched a little of him because he only played one year.

It's an obvious need with how bad the defense was at times last year. Picking this low in the draft, you can gamble.

[HOUSE]

6 minutes ago, mjt328 said:

Here is the thing.  Getting a top pass rusher was always going to be a huge challenge in this draft (many of us were saying it months ago).

 

After Kwity Paye, there were guys with big question marks.  Medical concerns.  Opt-outs.  Long-term projects.

There is also a significant lack of depth at edge rusher.  Once the next 2-3 guys are taken (probably very quickly tonight), there is an astronomical drop in talent at the edge rusher position.  Our choices at #61 would have been pretty pathetic.  

 

Our only real options at defensive end were either to trade-up for Paye (probably would have cost a fortune), taking a chance with a risky prospect (which is what we did), or go with another position like cornerback and completely miss on upgrading the pass rush.  Azeez Ojulari has injury concerns.  Jayson Oweh was also a massive project.  I'm not crazy thrilled with this pick, but you really can't blame Beane for going this route.  It makes plenty of sense.

 

In terms of Rousseau himself, he's very similar to Josh Allen and Tremaine Edmunds.  Very raw.  Very big risk for busting.  Big upside if they can develop him correctly.  Over the last few weeks I've seen him ranked as high as mid-1st round, and as low as end of 2nd (though I really doubt he would have fallen that far).  It's pretty clear that Beane is an aggressive GM and likes going for the players with big ceilings (at least early in the draft), rather than safer picks without much room to grow.

 

As a prospect, Rousseau isn't really the typical athletic freak.  He didn't test fast.  He didn't test really strong.  You will get different opinions about how impressive he looked on tape.  Ultimately, his value comes with his size, length and physical frame.  My guess is that Bills coaches have a plan to pack some weight/muscle (basically the opposite of what they did with AJ Epenesa last year), and work on improving his technique.  With 1-2 years in an NFL weight room, and learning how to use those long arms to his advantage, he could end up being very tough to block.  We will see.

 

 

 

Very big risk for busting ??