The Buffalo Bills made two draft selections in the second round after not making a selection in the first round on Thursday. Their first pick was edge rusher T.J. Parker out of Clemson, who brings great physicality coming off the edge. The Bills then traded into the back end of the second round to select Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun, which came as a bit of a surprise.
It was a surprise because the Bills didn’t exactly need a starting cornerback since they have Christian Benford and Maxwell Hairston. They also signed Dee Alford in free agency. However, Brandon Beane did explain that Igbinosun brought a different skillset to the secondary, and discussed how the cornerback position was a premium position.
There are mixed feelings about the Igbinosun pick because there are different ways to view it. However, Brent Sobleski from Bleacher Report graded the Igbinosun pick as a C+ which isn’t the worst, but it isn’t the best because the pick happened in the second round and the Bills traded up for him.
"Igbinsosun had been a difficult evaluation throughout his collegiate career. He was a four-year starter between his time at Ole Miss and Ohio State. At the same time, he clearly struggled at times, then showed excellent play. He walked away from the Buckeyes as a first-team All-Big Ten performer during his final year on campus. Yet he shouldn't be viewed as a possible CB1 who can consistently match up against top targets. Instead, his skill set is quite specific to where he can succeed at the next level." said Sobleski.
Davison Igbinosun selection may be viewed as reach by Bills
Players that are drafted in Rounds 1-3 are typically your immediate starters, or they will have the chance to start very soon. Since the Bills have Benford and Hairston for the foreseeable future as their 1-2 punch at cornerback, drafting Igbinosun when they did doesn’t add up completely.
Igbinosun definitely has the talent to be a solid defensive back in the league. Heck, the fact that he will have Jim Leonhard as his defensive coordinator gives him a good shot at growing as a player sooner than expected. At the same time, this pick is going to be hard to justify until Igbinosun gets the chance to show why he was worth being drafted in the second round.
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