Buffalo Bills Draft Adolphus Washington In Third Round
On Friday night, the Buffalo Bills drafted Ohio State defensive tackle Adolphus Washington in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft at #80 overall. They continued to bolster their defense with their third consecutive pick of the draft on that side of the ball.
Their previous two picks were defensive end Shaq Lawson out of Clemson who figures to play defensive end in 4-3 looks and outside linebacker in 3-4 looks most of the time for the Bills. The other player the Bills took was Alabama inside linebacker Reggie Ragland who was a steal at #41 in the second round. The Bills had to trade up from #49 to snag him at #41 and it cost them a fourth-round pick this year and next but it was well worth it to get the best inside linebacker prospect in the draft.
On top of those two great players, the Bills have now added a third at defensive tackle which is another position of need for the team. Washington was an extremely effective player for Ohio State. According to fellow FanSided expert site NFL Mocks, below are some of Washington’s strengths and weaknesses.
More from BuffaLowDown
- Buffalo Bills were ready to trade back if they couldn’t get Dalton Kincaid
- Grading Buffalo Bills drafting Dalton Kincaid in 2023 NFL Draft
- How the Buffalo Bills can win Day 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft
- Buffalo Bills having conversations about trading for DeAndre Hopkins
- Buffalo Bills Draft Rumors: Bills linked to this shocking first round target
Strengths: Washington moves very fluidly for a lineman of his size, creating tons of disruption at the line of scrimmage. His size, quickness, and strength can be overwhelming, and will command double teams at the next level.
Weaknesses: There are moments in Washington’s game when he isn’t as technically sound, costing him ground and, at times, the point of attack.
Some argue that because Joey Bosa was getting double teamed that Washington received less attention and was able to thrive but without a star player alongside him that he would not have had the same success. It’s doubtful that Washington would have been selected as First Team All-American by the Sporting News his senior year if there was much credit to that argument.
Another weakness for Adolphus Washington was when he tried to solicit a prostitute before the Fiesta Bowl. As we pointed out in our pre-draft write-up of him, the charges against Washington were eventually dropped when he agreed to go to a course called “John School”. He hasn’t shown anything to be concerned about besides this one incident.
Related Story: Bills Select Reggie Ragland in Second Round of 2016 NFL Draft
The Bills have no reason to believe that it wasn’t just one stupid mistake and they could not ignore Washington’s talent when he was still sitting on the board at #80. Buffalo has now taken three huge positions of need in their first three picks and are well on their way to having a very successful 2016 draft class.