Buffalo Bills 2021 NFL Draft: Team shows interest in ASU WR Frank Darby

The Buffalo Bills appear to be paying close attention to the wide receiver position, in particular the second half of this draft class. According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Bills have met virtually with Arizona State University wide receiver Frank Darby.

He spent four years for the Sun Devils and played in 28 games over that stretch. He would finish with 67 receptions, 1,317 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. The breakout season for Darby came in 2019 when he had 31 receptions, 616 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

However, this past season he dealt with injuries and was only able to play two games and had six receptions, 44 yards and one touchdown.

The one stat though that jumps out when looking at Frank Darby is average yards per reception which is 19.7 yards. This is an impressive number considering he is a player who is not considered to have great speed or burst, as noted in the scouting report on Pro Football Network.

However, what he does well is create separation with a combination of physicality at the line of scrimmage and quick feet. That was on display at the Senior Bowl earlier this year as evidence of this clip from Marcus Mosher:

The concern, and one of the reasons he is likely a Day 3 target, is that he is going to have to win more contested catches without that high-end speed, and catch ability is one of the concerns for Darby.

How might he fit with the Buffalo Bills?

If the Buffalo Bills were to draft Frank Darby he would likely fit as an outside wide receiver behind Emmanuel Sanders and Gabriel Davis. The depth the Bills have at the position would make it tough for him to see much playing time on offense and may need to contribute first on special teams, which his physicality at the line of scrimmage would be a positive.

However, past this season he could carve out a role as a fourth wide receiver in this offense and be another weapon for Josh Allen.