The Buffalo Bills had seven picks on Day 3 and the first two picks they used on the offensive side of the ball with running back Ray Davis out of Kentucky and center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger out of Georgia.
After a few trades, the Bills have focused on the defensive side of the ball with Edefuan Ulofoshio out of Washington and stayed on that side with the selection of defensive end Javon Solomon out of Troy with their third and final pick in the fifth round.
He was a very productive pass rusher during his time at Troy University as he had double digit sacks in two of the last three seasons, including 16 this past year which led college football in this category. He also was very productive stopping the play before it could get going with 49.5 tackles for a loss.
Instant grade for the Buffalo Bills selection of Javon Solomon: B+
At this point of the draft, the Buffalo Bills are focusing more on traits and skill sets versus complete players. For Solomon, it is clear that he knows how to get to the quarterback with 33 career sacks over five seasons in college.
He is not the biggest pass rusher at 6'1" and 246 pounds but the Bills rotate so much at defensive end that the coaching staff could put him on the field only in passing situations that would allow him to make an impact sooner rather than later.
This is a great pick that gives more depth to the defensive end position and should help improve a pass rush that was actually pretty good last season.