Buffalo Bills free agents who could be replaced in 2023 NFL Draft: Rodger Saffold, G
One of the most pressing needs, this offseason, was for Buffalo to find another starting guard and not re-sign Rodger Saffold.
The Bills did sign Connor McGovern to come in and take the place of Saffold, but there is a strong possibility the team also drafts a guard to start at the other spot, giving Ryan Bates some competition. Whether McGovern starts on the left or right side might depend on who takes the other starting spot.
A popular mock pick to the Bills at no. 27 is the best guard in the draft, O’Cyrus Torrence out of Florida. Torrence stands 6-foot-5, weighing 330 pounds and is a true mauler. He is one of the stronger linemen in the class and showed no sign of slowing down after transferring to the SEC last year. He held his own within the thick of college football’s best competition after playing three years at Louisiana.
If the Bills wanted to go with a second or third-round type of guy, they could look at TCU’s Steve Avila or even USC’s Andrew Vorhees if they wanted to go third or fourth-round caliber. Both of those prospects could give Bates a real problem and challenge for the starting spot.