The linebacker continues to be a position the Buffalo Bills have put some focus on recently and according to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the team had an in-person visit with former Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith.
Smith has been a starter for the Nittany Lions the past two seasons and appeared in 23 games. He would have 116 total tackles, six tackles for a loss, and two interceptions over that stretch.
As Melo noted in his tweet, Brandon Smith is an athletic linebacker at 6’3″ and 250 pounds. The Bills have valued athleticism, especially considering they play primarily a nickel defense. This formation works well with the extra defensive back on the field to try and account for the NFL moving to a passing league.
However, it requires linebackers that can cover more ground and get sideline to sideline. Brandon Smith certainly appears to have that and the scouting report on The Draft Network describes him as:
"This is a potential Isaiah Simmons-type of linebacker who has freakish athletic gifts and tremendous athleticism at his size and stature. With top-shelf speed, length, and explosiveness, Smith has the range to play an impactful role on defense and has the versatility to play flexed out onto the hash and play in the slot, but he’s not quite ready for all of that on his plate just yet."
Buffalo Bills could be looking to add depth with question marks on the depth chart
Unless the team makes a shocking move, the Buffalo Bills are set with Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano as their starters this season. However, the depth chart behind these two will be an interesting training camp battle to watch.
The Bills released veteran A.J. Klein, who had been the primary backup linebacker the past few seasons. They brought back Tyrel Dodson, who expects to be the replacement but could be challenged during camp.
They also have Tyler Matakevich, Andre Smith, and Marquel Lee (who they signed as a free agent this offseason) on the roster that could compete for that role that Klein played.
If the Buffalo Bills add a player like Brandon Smith, he is a player that could become a starter in a few years with his athleticism but could make an impact as a rookie in sub-packages.