Buffalo Bills: 7-round mock draft before start of free agency

Round 3 – 93rd Overall

Edge Rusher Dayo Odeyingbo – Vanderbilt

The toughest decision of this mock draft is at 93rd overall, where I had the chance to select tight end Brevin Jordan from Miami. I elected to go in a different direction, mostly because I believe the Bills will give Dawson Knox this next year to prove himself and bring a veteran tight end in free agency to supplement the position group.

In addition to interior defensive lineman Tyler Shelvin from LSU, Bills fans have fallen in love with edge rusher Carlos Basham Jr. from Wake Forest. If the Bills miss out on Basham in either of the first two rounds, Dayo Odeyingbo is a very solid consolation prize.

After the recent J.J. Watt decision to sign with the Arizona Cardinals, the Buffalo Bills have some questions surrounding the future of their edge rusher position. It is likely the Bills bring at least one more person into this position group before the 2021 season, whether that be through the draft or free agency.

If the Buffalo Bills decide to go through the draft, Vanderbilt edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo is a very solid pickup in the 3rd round that can make solid contributions as a rotational piece in year one and hopefully an eventual starter in the future. At 6’6 and 276 pounds, Odeyingbo has a very similar athletic profile to Carlos Basham. Both are powerful edge rushers with the ability to reduce down on passing downs and pass rush from the 3-tech defensive tackle position if need be.

With his size, it’s surprising to see that Odeyingbo had more success as a pass rusher off the edge than a run stopper. However, his athletic profile lends itself to be someone that can develop into a pass-rushing and run-stopping dual-threat off the edge at the next level. According to Sports Reference, Odeyingbo has had some solid run-stopping seasons exemplified best by his junior season at Vanderbilt in which he tallied 12 tackles for loss.