The Buffalo Bills took advantage of their time at the Senior Bowl this year as five of their 10 draft picks participated. One of those picks was defensive end Javon Solomon out of Troy, who was a productive pass rusher at Troy and finished with 33 sacks, almost half of them happening this past season.
Shortly after the NFL Draft, Executive Director of the Senior Bowl Jim Nagy shared his thoughts on all five players drafted by the Bills. He was complimentary of all the Bills' picks but made a notable comparison for Solomon that if true would be a huge boost for the defense.
Is Javon Solomon the Buffalo Bills' version of Bryce Huff?
Solomon is a smaller defensive end but utilizes his speed to make up for the lack of size and is able to get after the quarterback. This is very similar to Bryce Huff, who played four seasons for the Jets before being traded this offseason to the Eagles. This past season was by far his most productive with 10 sacks and 21 QB hits.
This offseason the Buffalo Bills have added more speed to the position and not necessarily looking for that ideal size for a defensive end. In addition to Solomon, the Bills signed free agent Casey Toohill who had a career year with five sacks this past season with the Commanders.
The one thing that is worth mentioning with Toohill, and Huff, is that it takes a few seasons for them to have that pass rush impact. The Bills may need to be patient with Solomon but he should be able to get on the field as a rookie with how much the coaching staff rotates at the position.
One thing that could speed up that process though is having a player like Von Miller, that can give Solomon tips and coach him up which might make the learning curve not as steep for the rookie. In the end, this looks like it could be a sneaky good pick for the Bills and one that could help their defense.