Buffalo Bills 2021 NFL Draft Prospect to Know: CB Asante Samuel Jr.

The cornerback position is one that the Buffalo Bills should be paying close attention to. There are not many holes on this roster but cornerback is on that seems to be higher on the list of needs.

One player that they seem to be paying close attention to is Florida State University cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., who the Bills have met with virtually twice this offseason. Let’s take a closer look at Asante Samuel Jr. and how he might with the Buffalo Bills.

Measurables/Stats

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 180 pounds

Arms: 30.125″

Hands: 8.75″

Asante Samuel Jr. played 31 games over three seasons with Florida State University. During that time, he had 97 total tackles, three tackles for a loss, four interceptions, 29 passes defended two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble.

One stat that jumps out from this past season was how many turnovers he was able to force in only eight games as he had three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble.

NFL.com Scouting Report by Lance Zierlein

"Cornerback with NFL bloodlines and disruptive strength to make contested catches a true challenge for wide receivers. Samuel has good feet, but average size and transition burst to shadow breaks. He allowed too many catches in front of his face, especially early in the 2020 season. He plays with good technique in closing out and crowding receivers headed down the field but has a tendency to go overboard when face-guarding, turning his coverage into flags. He has the traits and talent to turn some catches into incompletions with a change in approach. Samuel has nickel talent, but might just be average as a pro."

Highlights

How he fits with the Buffalo Bills

If the Buffalo Bills were to select Asante Samuel Jr. he would likely come in and compete for that starting outside job opposite Tre’Davious White. The Florida State University corner is considered one of the top in this year’s draft class at the position so it would mean the Bills would likely be selecting him in the first two rounds.

If that was the case, he not only would be viewed as competition but have expectations to win the starting job as a rookie. The question though is how does he fit in a zone defense, which is something the Bills tend to run frequently in coverage. He doesn’t have much experience in zone and the scouting report on Pro Football Network lists this as a concern.

However, the Buffalo Bills have met with Asante Samuel Jr. twice now and this likely is not a concern and they would have to believe he could fit nicely in this defense.