The Buffalo Bills have continuously added to their defense through the NFL Draft and they did it again at No. 220 in the 7th round as they have drafted Missouri cornerback, Toriano Pride Jr. Buffalo drafted their first cornerback in the second round with Davison Igbinosun, and now they are adding another one in Pride.
Throughout his college career, Pride started out with Clemson before transferring to Missouri for his final two seasons. Pride will be bringing 82 career total tackles to go along with 16 pass deflections, and 5 interceptions where he had four the past two seasons.
Pride ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at the combine and is not afraid to fight to the ball when it’s up in the air. There is no question that he can attack the ball before a receiver can go up and grab it. However, there is one thing that is concerning about Pride’s game.
Bills draft selection of Toriano Pride Jr. has one major flaw
The theme of the defensive picks that the Bills have made throughout the draft is about pure toughness. T.J. Parker, Davison Igbinosun, Kaleb Elarms-Orr, and Zane Durant all bring some kind of physicality when it comes to defending the run. With Pride listed at 5-foot-11 and 188lbs, his run-stopping ability is a bit of a concern because he just simply doesn’t have the size to stand his ground when a ball carrier is coming at him.
When you think about this factor, it reminds fans of Maxwell Hairston, whom the Bills drafted in the first round in last year’s draft. Hairston had a ton of speed and the ability to stick with receivers, but due to his smaller size, his ability to stop the run can be a liability. Buffalo now has that with pride.
The good news is that the Bills won’t need Pride to step in as a starter. He might be just a special teams contributor for the future, but we all know that injuries happen so if Pride gets his shot to play meaningful snaps, then the Bills have to hope that he won’t be a liability.
There is no question that Pride is a great coverage corner who doesn’t lose receivers as the route develops. It’s just the run-stopping factor that should have fans concerned. Buffalo is looking to become a very physical defense, but Pride doesn’t exactly have the run-stuffing physicality that Buffalo is looking for.
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