Buffalo Bills: Predicting which Day 3 pick has best chance to start in 2021

The Buffalo Bills over the years have found great success finding players on Day 3 of the NFL Draft that come in and make an immediate impact. This past season it was Tyler Bass, who was the team’s starting placekicker, wide receiver Gabriel Davis, who had seven receiving touchdowns, and cornerback Dane Jackson, who started two games last year.

This year, the Buffalo Bills selected five players on Day 3 of the 2021 NFL Draft and while most of this group is considered players who could help long-term, there is a path for some of these players to start as early as this year.

I rank the five players selected on Day 3 based on who I believe has the best chance to start as a rookie.

5. Tommy Doyle

The player who is probably the least likely to start this year is actually the player first selected on Day 3, offensive tackle Tommy Doyle. He is a player that is similar to the team’s third round pick, Spencer Brown, in that he is a big, athletic offensive lineman. However, he is a player that will likely need more time to develop as he makes the transition from the MAC to NFL.

One thing that could help him is that general manager Brandon Beane did say after the 2021 NFL Draft is that they viewed Doyle at either tackle or guard. While he would need to learn the position as he hasn’t played guard, that depth chart is a little bit more uncertain than tackle. If he impresses during camp, he could end up in a starting role as a rookie. Although among the five players selected, he is certainly the least likely.