The Buffalo Bills made it a point to build through the NFL Draft. One late-round pick could do big things during the 2019 season.
It is easy for Buffalo Bills fans to only look at the top of a draft class to determine the success or failure of a group for any given year.
Yet players like Robert Foster, Levi Wallace and Matt Milano show that being taken late or not at all doesn’t prevent a successful NFL career from taking place.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report recently posted an article looking at a potential rookie gem on every NFL team. This includes players who weren’t taken at the top of the draft, yet who could still end up doing great things.
His choice for the Bills is fifth-round pick Vosean Joseph. From the article:
"However, Buffalo may be a best-case landing spot for the former Florida standout. With young stud Tremaine Edmunds in the middle, the weak-side linebacker in Buffalo is free to roam and attack the ball. And while Matt Milano is a capable veteran linebacker, he doesn’t have Joseph’s wheels. If Joseph is a quick study in his new home, he could push Milano for snaps. And if the 6’1″, 230-pounder can come close to realizing his potential, he’ll be one of Day 3’s biggest steals."
The key part of that excerpt is the part about Joseph “realizing his potential.” Most draft selections are a crapshoot in that a player can look great in college, only to struggle in the pros. That is true of the first pick all the way down to Mr. Irrelevant at the end of the draft.
Joseph should have a small advantage in that he is a Brandon Beane draft pick, but his draft slot means he could be cut without anyone batting an eye. So it will simply come down to how good he looks in training camp and the preseason.
In terms of undrafted free agents, Buffalo’s own Tyree Jackson stands out as an intriguing player. With Derek Anderson gone the undrafted quarterback could end up making the roster and sticking around for quite some time.
Elsewhere on the offense, wide receiver David Sills V stands out as a player who could make the team at a position in need of playmakers. The former quarterback stands 6-foot-3 and ran a 4.57 40-yard dash at the combine.
Basically any late-round pick and undrafted player could be a potential gem. That is the beauty of watching things progress throughout the summer to the fall.
Everyone will fall in love with players in the preseason, only to see some get cut. But those who stick around could do great things in 2019 and beyond.