Buffalo Bills roster holes: Areas of need after the 2018 NFL Draft

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The Buffalo Bills need to add more depth and athleticism to their linebacker unit

Buffalo traded up to No. 16 overall to select Tremaine Edmunds, one of the elite physical talents in the draft at linebacker but were unable to plug all their holes at the position. Relying on a 20-year-old who is still growing into his own body as your middle linebacker will come with its up and downs but at least the Bills have a top-notch athlete in that role now. He’s intelligent and should learn quickly on the job. By the end of the season, expect Edmunds to be making many more spectacular plays than rookie mistakes on Sundays.

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The Bills other two starters should be Matt Milano on the weakside and Lorenzo Alexander on the strongside. Both were solid contributors last season for the team.

Milano played above expectations for a fifth-round pick and he should only improve upon that this year. He’s a good player with tremendous heart but he lacks top-tier athletic ability which is ideal for linebackers in Sean McDermott‘s defensive scheme.

Alexander has proven he can still get it done on the field from many positions, but at some point, father time will catch up with the soon to be 35-year-old and the Bills will need someone else to play meaningful snaps.

Milano and Alexander are suitable starters, but neither of them possesses top-end athletic ability and their backups are no better. Buffalo will be in trouble should they need to rely on Tanner Vallejo or Ramon Humber for considerable snaps this season.

Next year in the offseason, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Bills go after a top free agent linebacker when they will have plenty of salary cap space to make a splash.

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