Buffalo Bills: 7-round mock draft before start of free agency
Round 7 – 234th Overall
IDL Khyiris Tonga – BYU
As alluded to before, I had chances to select an interior defensive lineman earlier in this mock draft, but with the expected return of Star Lotulelei in 2021 I felt that I could add depth to the position in the later rounds.
My idea was to target a bigger interior defensive lineman that could be the succession plan to Lotulelei. This means I’m looking for a heavier prospect that has more prowess in run stopping scenarios rather than pass rushing. Initially, I was hoping former Florida Gator Tedarrell Slaton would fall to my seventh round pick. At 6’5 and 340 pounds, Slaton would be an ideal prospect to draft in the late rounds to develop behind Lotulelei in 2021.
Unfortunately, Salton was taken at 230th overall by the Bears so I had to find a different prospect that fit the same athletic profile. Sitting there on the board was former BYU Cougar Khyiris Tonga. At 6’4 and 321 pounds, Tonga offers a bit more explosiveness and athleticism in pass rushing situations in comparison to Slaton but still provides that run stopping ability assumedly desired by the Buffalo Bills.
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Similar to when the Bills drafted Harrison Phillips to be the heir apparent to Kyle Williams, this mock draft hypothetical could make Tonga the heir apparent to Lotulelei.