One of the toughest jobs that the general manager and the front office have in the NFL is drafting young talent to build up into potential franchise players. Brandon Beane has obviously had his misses on players, but he has a good sample size of drafting solid players that have helped the Buffalo Bills become who they are today. The obvious best pick that this regime has drafted is Josh Allen, but there are plenty of other draft picks that have made some sort of impact for the Bills. Players like Ed Oliver, Taron Johnson, Spencer Brown, James Cook, O’Cyrus Torrence, and Greg Rousseau.
Focusing on Rousseau, he was drafted 30th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Miami. The Bills were coming off a season where despite a conference championship appearance, they lacked a pass rush. Drafting Rousseau was a no-brainer and up to this point, Rousseau has grown in his game the last three seasons. It also helps that he has the chance to learn from Von Miller in 2022 and Leonard Floyd in 2023 while Miller was rehabbing from a torn ACL the prior season.
Rousseau has been impressive for the Bills defense to where the front office picked up his fifth-year option on his rookie deal. With Rousseau under contract for atleast the next two seasons, he has the chance to make a big statement to earn his first massive contract.
Rousseau is a big part of the future of the Bills
David Kenyon from Bleacher Report released an article about every NFL team’s most “promising building block” as the season approaches. Kenyon broke down each team in all divisions and when it came to the Bills, Rousseau was listed.
"Tight end Dalton Kincaid deserves a mention, but Greg Rousseau is a rising player at a premium position. The edge-rusher has collected 17 sacks with 67 pressures through three seasons on the Bills. Buffalo recently picked up Rousseau's fifth-year option, tying him to the organization into the 2025 season. Based on his current trajectory, Rousseau will deserve an extension in the near future."David Kenyon, Bleacher Report
Rousseau is the perfect player to represent the Bills on this list. He plays a crucial position on the field and has proven that he can keep developing into a franchise player in Buffalo. Bills fans will need to keep a close eye on Rousseau this season as he will be looking to get a big contract in the near-future.