Buffalo Bills Add Four Potential Starters in Day One of NFL Draft

(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Round 2, Pick 42: Buffalo Selects DB Jairus Byrd

This is the pick that surprised me most, as the Bills selected Jarius Byrd with their second-round pick.  Byrd is certainly a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball, but he plays a position that the Bills already have great depth at.  The only reason I see the Bills taking Byrd so high is the fact that he will be playing safety in the NFL.

Pros

Has good size, standing at 5' 10" and 207 lbs...Is a ball-hawk with soft hands and the ability to get his hands on a lot of passes (17 career interceptions in college career)...Has good closing speed when ball is in the air...Can jam wide receivers at the line of scrimmage while also having the ability to open up his hips and run one-on-one with wide receivers...Good in rush defense and can blitz when called upon to do so...Physical, fights to get off of blocks and plays with a mean streak...Good route recognition as he can tell what wide receivers are running...Helps him break up passes and picks off passes.  Good athlete...Good vision and a natural playmaker...Can also punt return.

Cons

One of Byrd's biggest concerns coming into the draft was his slow timed runs...May lack the speed to play a true man-to-man defense, better suited for zone coverage...Loves to play phyiscal down the field, and messes up wide receiver's routes but that may lead to penalties in the NFL...By no means a big hitter...At Oregon, he was assisted by an aggressive pass rush and a veteran secondary, leading to poor QB throws/decision making, giving him more chances to make plays.

Already There

The pick was a surprise to most fans based on the depth of the Bills cornerbacks.   While Leodis McKelvin and Terrence McGee will both start next year, the Bills already have good slot men in Ashton Youboty and free agent signee Drayton Florence. 

You can't forgot about Reggie Corner either; a fourth-round selection from last season.  He made great strides in his rookie campaign and might be the starter of the future at the cornerback position.  Even if the Bills are not going to resign McGee next season (he is only signed for one more year and will fetch a big asking price in free agency), McKelvin and Corner are here long-term.  Byrd would have to leap from multiple players in order to start two years from now.

Byrd was expected to make a move to safety though, which makes senses for the Bills to address, just not this early.  The Bills have Donte Whitner, who can play either safety position and was expected to start at free safety this up-coming season while Bryan Scott took over the strong safety role. 

Scott is a good player who plays very physical, but with the pick of Byrd, he might not be viewed as high as far as the team sees it.  Whitner might now stay at the strong safety position with Byrd starting at free.

Others at free safety are Ko Simpson and George Wilson.  Simpson was linked to trade rumors and hasn't done much in his time with the Bills so far (although injuries haven't helped). 

George Wilson is a good backup, but is more of a special teams player (in that role, he was named a team captain last season).  Byrd could start over both though if he can learn the position quickly and perform well in the pre-season.  I would pencil him in the FS spot and Whitner back at SS.

Outlook:

Bryd is another great play-maker that the Bills added to their defense.  While there were more pressing needs (a linebacker and tight end come to mind) the Bills like him enough to pull the trigger. 

He could easily be an upgrade over Simpson at FS and could help out in forcing turnovers. He is a player with all the skills to play in the league, but he will need a little work.  Most likely a starter for the Bills for at least the next few years at safety, while also providing depth at corner.

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