Buffalo Bills continue to focus on defense in latest FanSided mock draft
The latest FanSided 2018 NFL mock draft has the Buffalo Bills focusing on defense with the two first-round picks the team holds.
We ran a piece earlier this week that recapped a FanSided mock draft that saw the Buffalo Bills end up with two top defensive talents.
Brad Weiss was the author of the piece and had the Bills taking Vita Vea and Malik Jefferson, respectively. Vea is a defensive tackle out of Washington and Jefferson is a linebacker out of Texas.
Weiss is back with another mock draft this week and he has the Bills once again focusing on the defense.
One thing to note before we get into his picks is the fact these mock drafts don’t account for potential trades. That would make things too difficult, so these mocks, and least for now, focus on who the Bills could take if they stay in the No. 21 and No. 22 slots. If the Bills want to make a splash and take a quarterback, that’s where a potential trade comes into play.
Now onto the latest picks.
Weiss starts off with the Bills taking Maurice Hurst, defensive tackle out of Michigan at No. 21 overall.
From the article:
"There is a good chance the Bills could trade one of these two picks, but if they stay at No. 21, they may want to look at a player who can bolster their defensive line. Maurice Hurst has been a beast for the Michigan Wolverines during his collegiate career, and should have an instant impact at the next level. This Bills defense was solid in 2017, and using both of their first round picks on that side of the ball could make them elite."
Hurst is listed at 6-foot-2, 282 pounds on his NFL.com draft profile. That isn’t major size for a defensive tackle, but it is clear he makes up for it given his high draft projection. He will likely add more size once he gets to the NFL anyway as he is only 23 years old.
The next pick stays on the defensive side of the ball and sees the Bills going with Rashaan Evans, linebacker out of Alabama.
From the article:
"Thanks to Evans, Alabama won two national championships in the last three years, as he was the unquestioned leader of the linebacking corps. Evans has the talent to play sideline to sideline, and his speed really sets him apart from the other linebackers in this draft class."
Both of these players are great options, but I would be surprised if the Bills end up keeping both picks in these exact slots. Then again, all the talk of trading up and going after a quarterback could simply be wishful thinking.
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The situation will be more clear before the draft if the team cuts Tyrod Taylor or signs a free agent quarterback. If Taylor is gone and no one has been signed, that’s when we could see some traction to the trade speculation.