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Buffalo Bills: 6 Players to draft as replacements for Matt Milano

By Kendall Mirsky

ORCHARD PARK, NY - SEPTEMBER 29: Matt Milano #58 of the Buffalo Bills moves on the field after a play during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at New Era Field on September 29, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. New England defeats Buffalo 16-10. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY - SEPTEMBER 29: Matt Milano #58 of the Buffalo Bills moves on the field after a play during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at New Era Field on September 29, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. New England defeats Buffalo 16-10. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 23: Zaven Collins #23 of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane celebrates after intercepting a pass thrown by Noah Johnson #0 of the South Florida Bulls and scoring during the second half at Raymond James Stadium on October 23, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 23: Zaven Collins #23 of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane celebrates after intercepting a pass thrown by Noah Johnson #0 of the South Florida Bulls and scoring during the second half at Raymond James Stadium on October 23, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

Zaven Collins – Tulsa (Round 1 or 2)

At 30th overall, the Bills will likely miss out on the top two linebacker prospects Micah Parsons and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, which leaves Bolton and polarizing prospect Zaven Collins.

Collins is a fantastic prospect that has a chance of being drafted in the middle of the 1st round, but his lack of a true position fit moving forward could be the reason he falls into the 2nd round. At 6’4 and 260 pounds, Collins has the prototypical size of an edge rusher, but also some abilities of a typical off-ball linebacker.

Collins’ production this past year is eye popping and earned him the top linebacker grade in collegiate football from Pro Football Focus. This past year Collins played only 8 games and racked up 54 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 2 passes defensed, 4 interceptions, and 2 defensive touchdowns. A stat line like that illustrates just how versatile Collins was this past season.

One of the best things Milano did for the Buffalo Bills was generating pressure on the quarterback on blitzes. Although Collins is not a prototypical off-ball linebacker, he would be able to blitz as well if not better than Milano should the Bills add him in the draft. Additionally, his surprising athleticism matched with his length allowed him to excel in coverage at the collegiate level.

Collins is not an obvious fit into the Bills defense, but the Buffalo Bills should still explore how to make a prospect with this kind of potential fit into their defense. Collins isn’t someone I see the Bills targeting in the draft, but would certainly be an intriguing addition. He reminds me of a bigger, more versatile and athletic Lorenzo Alexander.

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