By CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun Senior Sports Columnist
Remember when Buffalo had no third- or seventh-round picks in this year’s NFL Draft?
That was Thursday … it all changed a day later.
Having addressed one need a night earlier when taking Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston with the 30th pick in the first round, come Friday night, the Bills’ attention turned to the defensive line. It’s a short-handed unit via the careless signing of edge rusher Michael Hoecht (Rams) and tackle Larry Okunjobi (Steelers), both of whom face six-game suspensions for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug (PED) statute.
General manager Brandon Beane won’t admit both were his mistake — his spin is that he already knew about Hoecht’s penalty before the signing, but clearly losing two key members of the defensive front for over a third of the season, helped force the trade which totally changed Buffalo’s third day of the draft.
Beane engineered a deal with the Bears that bought Buffalo a third- and seventh-round draft pick and moved it up 15 selections to grab the player they wanted.
The Bills sent both their second-round picks (56 and 62) and a fourth-rounder (109) to Chicago for the Bears second-rounder at 41, a third round pick (No. 72) and a seventh rounder (240).
Buffalo used the selection at 41 to choose 6-foot-4, 285-pound defensive tackle T.J. Sanders from South Carolina and with the third-round selection at No. 72 they took 6-foot-5, 270-pound edge rusher Landon Jackson from Arkansas.
The Bills came into the draft with 10 picks knowing full well that all of them would not make the roster. After Friday’s trade, they still have 10, and seven will come today, a fourth rounder (132), three fifth round choices (169, 170, 173), two sixth rounders (177, 206) and a seventh round selection (240).
LINDY’S Draft Guide assessed Sanders this way:
Overview: His decision to enter the draft (as a junior) projects to be a good one as he appears to be a safe Top 50 pick (he was taken at 41).
Strengths: Good burst gets him through gaps on passing downs. Often needs a double team to defend on passing downs. Willing to be patient and read things as a run defender rather than play reckless. Uses leverage effectively to manipulate blocks. Excellent pursuit player who can run down quarterbacks.
Weaknesses: Underweight for a typical NFL tackle. Will need some time to adjust to the power and strength of NFL linemen. Tackling strength average at best. Had a little trouble against bulky interior players later in the season.
Pro assessment: It would be a surprise if Sanders wasn’t an early contributor and eventual starting-caliber player.
OF JACKSON Lindy’s assessed:
Overview: Had he come out last year, he likely would have been a second-rounder. While he failed to elevate into a firm first-round pick his final season, he proved himself worthy of a Top-50 pick (he was taken 72nd).
Strengths: Force of nature against tight ends and smaller offensive tackles. Dominant power rusher. Sturdy when setting the edge and can hold his own against double teams.
Weaknesses: Height can work against him. Will be shut down by highly-technical or athletic opposition. Inefficient on running stunts. Reliance on length and strength will likely limit his production as a pro.
Pro assessment: Jackson should face a development arc that should see him starting by his second year and thriving by his third.
IF YOU’RE wondering about the Bills’ urgency in picking two defensive linemen in the first 72 selections, ponder this.
In the first three rounds, there were 102 picks and 15 of them were edge rushers and 12 were tackles or 27% of the draft selections in the draft’s opening rounds were defensive linemen, including one each by the Bills.
(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun and Olean Star senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
