Buffalo Bills 2nd and 3rd rounds, 2020 mock draft compilation – 4.0
By Ed Stein
Round 2, 54th overall
There isn’t as much information about subsequent rounds after the first. The further along a mock draft goes the more of a guessing game it becomes. Different drafters may have great sources, but every team evaluates talent differently. There is a myriad of variables in play that make predictions very difficult.
With all the could happen in the 53 selections before the Buffalo Bills are on the clock, Beane needs to be diligent about who he selects. Of the 18 mocks that go into the second round, there are three schools of thought, edge rusher, running back, and everyone else.
Edge Rusher (44.4 percent of selections)
For the first time this mock season, there is a big favorite in the second round, Curtis Weaver of Boise State was chosen four times. A virtually unheard of consensus. EWB has written about him quite a bit, which you can read here, but keep this in mind. No one in this draft class had more career sacks in college than Weaver. Additionally, he went against the Broncos best tackle in practice every day, Ezra Cleveland, who is also a likely second-day pick.
A.J. Epenesa from Iowa and Notre Dame’s Julian Okwara each received two selections. With all due respect to Weaver, if Epenesa is somehow on the board when the Bills make their pick, there should be no hesitation. As a matter of fact, if he’s still available at 48, Beane has to seriously consider trading up.
The Iowa Hawkeyes edge rusher is a first-round talent. After the bowl season, Epenesa was the second-rated edge man behind Chase Young. Epenesa has fallen due to his poor performance at the combine, but he’s going to be a very good NFL player.
Running Back (27.8 percent of selections)
Up until this week, LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire was gaining steam to be the Bills second-round pick. The mock drafters have changed their opinion a bit as the tide turned toward defense. The bell-cow back had a combined 1,867 yards and 17 touchdowns for the NCAA National Champion Tigers. He is now in second place among running backs to Jonathan Taylor from Wisconsin.
Taylor is the real deal. He finished in the top 10 in Heisman Trophy voting all three years of his career. The power rusher gained over 2,000 yards on the ground each in of the previous two seasons (2,194 in 2018, and 2,003 in 2019). Last year he added pass-catching to his duties, pulling in 26 balls for five touchdowns, which upped his TD total to 26.
The other running backs receiving consideration are D’Andre Swift, Georgia; and J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State.
Other Positions (27.8 percent of selections)
There is a talented group of players in this camp including safety Kyle Dugger. The small-college star from Lenor-Rhyne has impressed many scouts this year.
"It’s rare to find a safety with elite size, speed, explosiveness and production at a Power 5 school and almost impossible to find one at a Division II school. Dugger crammed the stat sheet full and used those elite traits to dominate the opposition… He plays with controlled violence and carries an alpha demeanor on the field. – NFL.com Lance Zierlein"
Others in this group are Ezra Cleveland, T, Boise State; Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah; Cameron Dantzler, CB, Miss State; and Jordyn Brooks, ILB, Texas Tech.