The 2016 NFL Draft has now come and gone. With that in mind, it’s time to evaluate how well teams have done to upgrade their rosters. Here, we’ll be focusing on the Buffalo Bills 2016 NFL Draft class.
The following players were selected by the Bills in this year’s draft:
1st Round (19th overall): defensive end Shaq Lawson (Clemson)
2nd Round (41st overall, from Bears): inside linebacker Reggie Ragland (Alabama)
3rd Round (80th overall): defensive tackle Adolphus Washington (Ohio State)
4th Round (139th overall, compensatory selection): quarterback Cardale Jones (Ohio State)
5th Round (156th overall): running back Jonathan Williams (Arkansas)
6th Round (192nd overall): wide receiver Kolby Listenbee (TCU)
6th Round (218th overall, compensatory selection): cornerback Kevon Seymour (USC)
The Bills precarious salary cap situation necessitated they hit this draft out of the park. And from a defensive standpoint, they certainly did so. The team also brought in a developmental project at quarterback with the potential to contribute in the future.
Lawson, Ragland and Washington all feel like immediate contributors on defense. The one thing I thought was missing out of this draft was adding another body on the offensive line. It’s the primary reason why I’m not giving this class an A grade. But on paper, it’s an impressive group of talent that should make the Bills front seven formidable once more.
2016 Draft Grade: 8.8/10 (B+)
Buffalo Bills 2016 NFL Draft Review
The Best Player: A lot of evaluators saw Shaq Lawson as a potential top ten pick. So when he fell to 19, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see the Bills pull the trigger. Lawson addresses a huge need at defensive end since the departure of Mario Williams.
But Bills general manager Doug Whaley doesn’t necessarily pick based on need. There is kind of a “best player available” discipline that he adheres to. That said, it doesn’t get much better when you can get the best of both worlds. And that’s what they did by taking Lawson.
“Doug doesn’t say, ‘Well, we’re just gonna take this because we have a need.’ We’ll take the best player,” head coach Rex Ryan told reporters in discussing the Bills draft class. “But it fit in so perfect for what our perceived needs (were) and (who) the best player (was).”
In Lawson, the Bills are getting a scheme versatile defensive lineman that should fit well in Ryan’s 3-4 base set. The former Clemson Tiger possesses immense speed around the edge. He can line up in a three or five technique on the ground but could also play more upright as an outside linebacker.
This is a defensive front that regressed in 2015 and it showed in the sack department. What they’re looking for in Lawson is a player that can return them to being among the most feared units in the league when it comes to getting after the quarterback.
Head-scratcher: Running back wasn’t necessarily a need for the Bills. LeSean McCoy will be heading into his second season in Orchard Park in search of his fifth career 1,000+ rushing yard season. And over the course of the last year, both rookie Karlos Williams and third-year pro Mike Gillislee demonstrated the team has quite a bit of depth at the position.
So it was a bit surprising when the Bills took Jonathan Williams in the fifth round. Williams didn’t play a single down for Arkansas in 2015 due to a foot injury. But the previous season, he did finish fourth in the SEC with 1,190 rushing yards. This appears to be one of those late-round flier picks that’s more risk-reward than anything.
The Surprise: Count this one in the “pleasant surprise” department. Whaley didn’t hide the fact he intended to draft a quarterback this year. The questions were who and where in the draft. Both of those would end up getting answered at the end of the fourth round.
It was there that the Bills took Cardale Jones. The former Ohio State signal caller is well-known for leading the Buckeyes to the national title in 2014 despite not having started a game before the Big Ten title game that year. He came way back down to earth in 2015 though. This was evidenced by the fact that he would lose the OSU starting quarterback job midway through the season.
But there’s no doubting Jones’ potential at the next level. He showed NFL-level arm strength in college and has a durable frame that should withstand the pounding he’ll most certainly take at the next level. Nevertheless, he remains a raw prospect the Bills will need to develop if he’s to become a franchise quarterback.
Whaley talked about the pros and cons of drafting Jones during the post draft press conference.
“We like his skill set,” Whaley told reporters. “He’s got the talent to possibly be the franchise guy. Is he there yet? Absolutely not. He’s got a lot of work and a lot of ways to go. But this guy’s driven. This guy’s a proven winner.”
The Steal: In many respects, Reggie Ragland is similar to Shaq Lawson in that he was expected to go a lot earlier in the draft than he did. For Ragland to be available in the middle of the second round was a real shock. Part of it was due to reports about him being diagnosed with an enlarged aorta ahead of the draft. That obviously affected his draft stock since he was projected to be middle first round pick beforehand.
But make no mistake about it. Ragland is a game-changing middle linebacker. He’s an old-school, physical thumper who wraps guys up and rarely misses tackles. And he has instant impact potential on a Bills linebacking corps that, similar to the defensive front as a whole, was less than impressive last season.
Most likely to turn hands in training camp: Both Lawson and Ragland should figure into competing for a starting spot during training camp. But pay attention to the Bills third round selection Adolphus Washington. Jones’ teammate at Ohio State, Washington has a great deal of athleticism and agility for an interior defensive lineman. His skill set should complement those of incumbent defensive tackle Marcell Dareus quite well.
The rest: The Bills took TCU wide receiver Kolby Listenbee with the first of two picks they had in the sixth round. Not only was he fairly productive as a pass-catcher for the Horned Frogs, he excelled as a track athlete. Listenbee was a four-time All-American at TCU in track and field. He participated in the-100 meter dash as well as the 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams. That speediness was on display at the Combine when he ran a 4.39 second 40, the second fastest among wideouts.
Buffalo’s final pick in the draft was cornerback Kevon Seymour out of USC. The 5’11”, 186 pound defensive back is similar to Nickell Robey in that both are former Trojans and weren’t particularly coveted in the draft. Robey himself was undrafted. And he’s turned into a capable role player in the Bills secondary. He played in all 16 games last year, registering 38 tackles, a sack and four pass breakups. The addition of Seymore is, for the most part, a move aimed at adding depth to this unit.
Bottom line: Whaley did as good a job as you could’ve asked in addressing Buffalo’s defensive needs. The Bills arguably nabbed the best players on the board when they picked in the first three rounds. Having said that, there remains a bit of a hole on the offensive line. Though re-signing guard Richie Incognito in free agency, players such as Seantrel Henderson and Cyrus Kouandjio don’t seem like the answer at right tackle. Overall, though, this was a solid draft class. The Bills defense should be on its way to becoming a force in the NFL like it was two seasons ago.
