Ranking the last 10 first round picks in NFL Draft for the Buffalo Bills

#5-Greg Rousseau, 2021, Pick #30

The Bills, after acquiring Stefon Diggs via trade in 2020 and giving up their first round pick that year, decided to take with their first pick in 2020 in the 2nd round A.J. Epenesa. Fast forward to 2021, the Bills decide to take yet another edge rusher at their pick of 30.

Along with Rousseau, they also picked Boogie Basham in the 2nd round, so they had taken 3 edge rushers in the 1st 2 rounds of 2020 and 2021. So far, Greg Rousseau has been the most solid/productive edge rusher out of these 3. His rookie season did not stand out from a stats perspective (50 tackles, 42 solo, 4 sacks, 1 INT) but he did show some pretty big flashes, including that interception in their regular season game against the Chiefs.

Rousseau then followed that up with a pretty productive 2nd season considering he had a foot injury in 2022, which made him miss 4 games. He registered 37 tackles, 27 solo, 8 sacks and 1 forced fumble. In 2023, he also dealt with a foot injury that made him miss time (only 1 game) but his foot hampered his production from a sack perspective (5).

Even though he has yet to hit double digit sacks, his best work comes in run defense. He is one of the most elite run defenders, and although these stats don't usually show up on the stat sheet, you can see it on film. He did more than double his run stuffs from 2022 to 2023, with 11.5 in 2023 and 5.5 in 2022. If he can stay injury-free, I can see his sack total reach the double digits in 2024.

Coming out of Miami, he was a raw project, and having opted out of his 2020 season due to COVID-19, it affected his development. I can see an Ed Oliver-esque breakout season in 2024, so long as he stays healthy. For now, I give this a B- grade, which could potentially be a B+ or even A- when all is said and done in 2024.