Round 6 – Pick 28 (207th Overall)
This sixth round pick is a tricky one considering no one saw much of anything from Isaiah Hodgins because of a preseason injury. Hodgins was an interesting prospect that plenty of analysts deemed as a great value pick for the Bills in the sixth round. Hodgins is a tall and lanky pass catcher with enough athleticism to play on the outside. What is so unique about his game is how precise of a route runner he is for his size.
Although it is unfair to Hodgins to hypothetically and retrospectively go in another direction with this pick merely because he got injured, there is a player available that could’ve been a contributor to the Bills this past year and moving forward. That player is cornerback Isaiah Rodgers from the University of Massachusetts.
Rodgers didn’t play much cornerback this year for the Colts but was primarily used as a kick returner. At UMass, Rodgers accumulated 11 interceptions, 34 passes defended, and 3 defensive touchdowns in 4 years. In his rookie year he only played a total of 51 regular season defensive snaps, but actually almost made a spectacular diving interception against the Bills in the playoffs.
Rodgers did most of his work as a returner where he averaged just about two yards less than Andre Roberts in yards per kick return. In addition to the 692 kick return yards Rodgers had on his 24 returns, he did bring one all the way back for a touchdown.
Although Rodgers wouldn’t have been drafted as the eventual cornerback two to play opposite of Tre’Davious White, he could’ve been yet another potential draftee that would make it easier for the Bills to save cap space and let Roberts and/or McKenzie walk in free agency this offseason.
I’m not going to sit here and pound the table to say that the Bills should’ve selected Rodgers with the 207th overall pick in last year’s draft. However, in hindsight, if this hypothetical re-draft was real, Rodgers is the only other player I would’ve liked to see the Bills pick instead of Hodgins. With that being said, Hodgins could prove to be a solid contributing pass-catcher next year should the Bills decide to cut some of the receivers that were on the roster this past year.
Original Pick: Isaiah Hodgins
Re-Draft Pick: Isaiah Rodgers