Buffalo Bills Team Draft Grades
How did the Bills do in the 2021 NFL Draft? Let’s assign the Buffalo Bills draft grades for every pick they made.
Round 1 Pick 30 (30) DE Gregory Rousseau
The Buffalo Bills needed a defensive end to boost their pass rush, so they picked Gregory Rousseau in the first round. Rousseau, like all the edge rushers this year, is an interesting case. He dominated in 2019 putting up 16 sacks. He then sat out in 2020. He’s the ideal edge rusher with long arms and huge hands. Rousseau is raw though, he’s a converted wide receiver. He needs polish, but he’s produced at a high level before. Grade: B+
Round 2 Pick 29 (61) DE Boogie Basham
Carlos “Boogie” Basham is another edge rusher for the Bills to play with. He’s a bigger edge than Rousseau and put up better workout numbers. Honestly, I like Basham more than Rousseau. He’s more polished and has the size of a three down defensive end. Basham has three good years of college ball and exceptional athleticism. Great pick for the Bills here. Grade: A
Round 3 Pick 30 (93) OT Spencer Brown
Spencer Brown is a physical freak. I was watching for Brown and I can’t wait to see what he does at the next level. He had excellent numbers in the broad, vertical, bench, 40, short shuttle and 3 cone. Strong, fast, quick, explosive, Brown has it all. He’s raw and hasn’t faced top level competition coming from Northern Iowa, but you have to love his potential. Tackle isn’t a pressing need for Buffalo, so they can take the time and develop Brown. Grade: A-
Round 5 Pick 17 (161) OT Tommy Doyle
Well I think I know what kind of offensive tackle the Bills like, because here comes another athletic marvel. Doyle is even from a non power five conference as well. The only drill he didn’t do great in was the bench, but he’s got super long arms which makes the bench more difficult. The Bills will let Doyle sit and develop just like Brown and who knows, maybe in a year or two they’ll have two dominant athletes at offensive tackle. Grade: A-
Round 6 Pick 19 (203) WR Marquez Stevenson
Wide receivers weren’t at a premium this draft and Stevenson fell further than I thought he would. I believe Stevenson makes the team as the Bills need wide receiver depth, but he also put up the best 3 cone drill of any wide receiver. Elite change of direction speed and acceleration are always fun to see in a receiver. Grade: A-
Round 6 Pick 28 (212) S Damar Hamlin
Hamlin is a great run stopping safety and a good pass defending safety. His athleticism isn’t very good, but he played well at Pitt. He’s a big hitter, so I’m guessing he’ll be useful in special teams coverage. I don’t think he sees the field much except on special teams, but that’s important and it’s nice to get those guys in the later rounds. Grade: B+
Round 6 Pick 29 (213) CB Rachad Wildgoose
I expected Wildgoose to go much earlier, so this is a nice value pick. Wildgoose is more of a man coverage corner than zone. The Bills seem to run more zone than man, but, like all teams, they run both schemes. Wildgoose is a potential pick, I don’t think he sees the field much this year, but he’s got the man coverage attributes that you like to see. He played a lot of slot in college, so maybe he can work in as a slot corner a bit this year. Grade: B+
Round 7 Pick 8 (236) G Jack Anderson
Anderson played pretty well for three years at Texas Tech. He’s got really short arms, but he’s playing inside so hopefully it’s not much of an issue. He’s an average athlete, nothing too special about him. Anderson definitely can develop more, but I think it’ll be tough for him to make the active roster. Look for the Bills to try and get him on the practice squad and see what kind of jump he makes. Grade: B
Buffalo Bills Draft Grade Overall: A-
