Buffalo Bills: The top Rookie of the Year candidate in 2018
The Buffalo Bills had a large draft class in 2018 and one player stands out as a potential candidate for Rookie of the Year honors.
The Buffalo Bills took two players in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft and expectations are high for both Josh Allen and Tremaine Edmunds.
Allen may have the benefit of learning from the sidelines, given Sean McDermott remains patient, but Edmunds will likely be helping to run the show on defense right away.
A way to raise the expectations a bit is to throw Edmunds’ name into the Rookie of the Year conversation, which Dan Parzych did in a recent NFL Spin Zone piece looking at Rookie of the Year candidates on every NFL team.
Here is what he had to say about Edmunds:
"As for the other selection in the round, early signs point to the Bills landing one of the biggest steals from the first round in Tremaine Edmunds, who many believe deserves consideration for being one of the top linebackers from this year’s draft class."
Not a ringing endorsement but Bills fans are already expecting a lot from the young player after he was taken in the first round. So much of the focus was on the quarterback position, but Edmunds can become the quarterback of the defense.
His competition for the ROY award on the defensive side of the ball will include Denzel Ward, Bradley Chubb, Roquan Smith, Derwin James and some potential late-round picks who stand out as well. Maybe even Harrison Phillips can throw his name in the running with a big season.
Josh Allen certainly factors in as a potential offensive ROY candidate if he starts in Week 1. If he doesn’t, he will fall behind of players like Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold who may be racking up stats right away.
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Awards are nice but the Bills just need the rookies to be solid. The young guys need to grow into foundational pieces for the franchise who end up signing another deal after this current one expires. If that happens, Bills fans won’t have to focus on the draft as the way to bring the team back to prominence.