Buffalo Bills: Re-grading each pick from the 2019 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 74: Devin Singletary
With their third-round selection, the Buffalo Bills selected running back Devin Singletary out of Florida Atlantic University.
During his time as an Owl, the Deerfield, Fl., native was given the nickname “Motor” which was easy to understand when watching him play. Over three years, Singletary appeared in 38 games for FAU, recording 4,287 yards on the ground and another 397 through the air for a total of 67 touchdowns. In his junior season in 2018, Singletary was named C-USA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and 2018’s fourth Most Dangerous College Football Playmaker.
Singletary joined the Bills and was joining a running back room with decades of experience in LeSean McCoy and the Canton bound, Frank Gore. After the Bills cut McCoy, Gore and Singletary split the backfield for the first few games of the season but when he returned from injury that changed and the Bills saw what an incredible talent their third rounder was.
In just 151 attempts, Singletary rushed for 775 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie season, placing him in the top 25. In addition, Singletary recorded another 194 yards through the air as he served as Josh Allen’s “safety net” as he would routinely dish passes off to his running back when in a jam.
The combination of Gore and Singletary served the Bills well during the 2019 season as it gave them the best of both worlds. Gore was called in predominantly in short-yardage situations as he served as the “power back” while Singletary was more of a “speed back”. The two combined for a total of 941 yards and created a real disturbance for defensive play-callers. Singletary constantly showed why he was given his nickname as with 322 yards-after-contact showed that it would take more than one attempt to pull him down.