3rd Round
CB Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska
Measurables: 6-0, 197lbs
If you have been following my mock drafts and draft-related articles, you already know how much I love Cam Taylor-Britt for the Bills. He is probably the best cornerback fit for Leslie Frazier’s defense in this season’s draft. He has all the traits that a defensive-minded head coach in Sean McDermott would love.
Taylor-Britt is a big hitter and never afraid to help make tackles; he has a nose for the football as a tackler and breaks up passes in zone-heavy schemes. This showed through his four careers forced fumbles and 22 pass breakups. Additionally, Taylor-Britt was an excellent special teams player throughout his career for Nebraska. Those are two traits the Buffalo Bills seem to love in their secondary players.
All that, and we have not even talked about the coverage that Taylor-Britt brings to the table. Taylor-Britt does a fantastic job of having a presence in zone defenses, rarely making mental mistakes. When dropped into deep zones, his ability to make plays on the ball and ball carriers is arguably some of the best in this draft class.
He falls to the third round because he is scheme limited, meaning that teams that primarily run man coverage would not consider him at all. Additionally, he is not strong or physically enough to press most NFL receivers leaving him a little one-dimensional in coverage.
Taylor-Britt could start day one in Buffalo; while the rookie may have some growing pains, he will excel in the Bills’ zone-heavy scheme. And while he may have to adjust to covering NFL receivers, his enforcer mentality when defending the run will earn him playing time.
Also Available in the Third Round
S Kerby Joseph, Illinois
It is time for the Buffalo Bills to start thinking about the future at safety. Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer cannot play forever. By the time they are done, Buffalo will likely not be in the position to pay for a player of their caliber. Kerby Joseph is a ball-hawk, and although he stands at 6’1″, his 6’8″ wingspan is NBA-like. With less than 20 career games, Joseph would be the perfect type of player to learn from Hyde and Poyer until it is time to take over.
RB James Cook, Georgia
Brother of Minnesota Vikings RB Dalvin Cook, James Cook, comes to the draft with little tread on his tires. Coming from Georgia, he was a part of a running back committee his whole career. He runs very similarly to Dalvin and is a very smooth runner. If the Buffalo Bills do not go running back in Round 1 or 2, Cook would be the perfect player to add in Round 3.