The Buffalo Bills found a special player in Matt Milano as the linebacker has emerged as one of the most talented players on the roster.
The Buffalo Bills drafted Tremaine Edmunds with the hope that he could be a star on defense for years to come.
But another player has stepped up in 2018 as a building block for the future.
That player is Matt Milano.
#Shoutout: Matt Milano is tied for the @NFL lead in takeaways. pic.twitter.com/gyg1f40e3f
— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) November 26, 2018
The above tweet shows the impact Milano has had this season. The Bills defense has 17 takeaways this season, and Milano has six of those.
He is also second on the team in total tackles behind Tremaine Edmunds and leads the defense with nine tackles for loss.
Milano has started all 11 games this season after appearing in all 16 in 2016, but only starting five. Talk about some major value in the fifth round of the draft.
The second-year player was technically a Doug Whaley pick, but began his career with Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott in charge. A change at GM can sometimes lead to major overhaul on the roster, especially for late-round picks. But Milano has proven that his value parallels that of a first or second-round pick.
It is important to hit on draft picks when going through the process of a rebuild. A ton of focus is paid to the first-round picks, but NFL fans know there is great value to be had in all seven rounds.
Milano has blossomed into not only a player for Bills fans to keep an eye on, but for fans all around the NFL. Those who don’t know his name will soon learn it once their team takes on this top-ranked Bills defense, anchored by a linebacker who will hopefully be in Buffalo for years to come.