Woods Must Show Bills He Is A True No. 2
By Joe Sarro
Woods Must Show Bills He Is A True No. 2
Wide receiver has been a question for the Bills heading into the 2016 NFL Draft.
With Percy Harvin retiring and Chris Hogan leaving for New England, it leaves the competition thin for the number two receiver.
Roberts Woods has come on to be a favorite to get the number two job. The wide receiver is entering his fourth season with the team and was hurting with a groin injury for 14 games of 2015.
Before the injury, Woods came into the 2015 season averaging 51 receptions, 613 yards, and four touchdowns per the Buffalo News. He’s shown that he is capable of being a No. 2 threat when he was Stevie Johnson’s counterpart in 2013 putting up 40 catches for 587 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Hall of Famer Andre Reed views Woods as a solid No. 2 when defenses focus their attention on Watkins.
Reed told the Buffalo News that he calls Woods a “great possession guy” who also runs better routes than Watkins.
“He has everything that a No. 1 receiver has. I think he can’t be too nonchalant about it. Because if you’re that good, there’s always room for improvement. And I see that in Sammy – he always wants to get better,” Reed said.
With the needs on the defensive side of the ball, the plan is most likely to take a receiver later in the draft.
The offseason has been a letdown with Buffalo losing a ton of depth behind number one receiver Sammy Watkins. With the three-day NFL Draft starting tomorrow, Buffalo will look at guys to fill those depth roles, such as:
Braxton Miller – Miller moved to wide receiver after Cardale Jones’ historic National Championship run warranted him the starting position. Per CBSSports.com, he finished fourth on the team with 26 catches for 341 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 260 rushing yards and a touchdown on 42 carries and even completed his only pass – albeit for three yards.
Sterling Shepard – Per CBS Sports, Shepard finished his Sooners career with 223 receptions for 3,482 yards and 26 touchdowns and was a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award as a senior. He received an invitation to the Senior Bowl, where he earned the Practice Player of the Week Award among wide receivers.
Leonte Carroo – Carroo finished his career at Rutgers with 39 catches for 809 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2015. His strong hands and playmaking ability showed NFL scouts why he thinks he can succeed at the next level.
Kenny Lawler – Lawler was the top target for Jared Goff at Cal. The wide out brings speed with a 4.56 40-yard dash and brings size, standing at 6’2″, 203 pounds. Lawler totaled over 1700 yards and 27 touchdowns in three seasons with the Mountaineers and is expected to be selected anywhere between the 3rd-4th rounds.