Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft is in the books and the Buffalo Bills came away with two very strong picks. The Bills had needs coming into this draft. Nothing overly glaring, but they had multiple areas in which they could add depth, youth, and versatility. Without a first-round pick, the Bills had to wait and see what players fell in the draft and offered the best value on Day 2. General manager Brandon Beane and his staff are all about value. And that philosophy was on display once again on Day 2 in the 2020 NFL Draft for the Buffalo Bills.
Day 2 NFL Draft Recap for the Buffalo Bills
We knew that edge rusher and running back were two areas the Bills would look to address in the 2020 NFL Draft. We also knew that Brandon Beane likes to operate with a “best player available” approach when it comes to making draft picks. The Bills needed youth and versatility on the edge, and a complement at running back to Devin Singletary. They took care of both of those needs on day 2. Drafting Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa at pick 54 was a tremendous value pick to go along with the need. Epenesa graded out as a first-round prospect on many boards and should see significant playing time in 2020. At pick 86, the Bills took Utah running back Zack Moss. He is a physical, downhill, punishing runner that adds a needed dynamic to the Bills running game.
A.J. Epenesa
The defensive end from Iowa lands in Buffalo after three productive years in the Big Ten. He comes off a 2019 season where he was a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, and received multiple first team and second team All-American honors. Epenesa totaled 49 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles in 2019.
In A.J. Epenesa, the Bills have a player with scheme fitting size and technique. At 6’5″ and 275 lbs, Epenesa has the size necessary to set the edge against the run and not be bullied by NFL linemen. Although he’s not overly explosive or fast, he can win in pass rush with the variety of moves he has in his arsenal. He can win inside, he can win outside, and he’s produced in college against top talent. Strength, size, technique, and relentless effort is what the Bills got with this pick.
How does he fit the Buffalo Bills? The Bills play a 4-3 defense. A defense that is predicated on the front four generating pass pressure while also being staunch against the run. In order to do this successfully and consistently, you need multiple things. First, you need depth along the front four. Second, you need versatility. Lastly, you need players that are able to execute in that scheme and be productive. A.J. Epenesa checks all of those boxes for the Buffalo Bills. His addition allows the Bills to rotate their defensive ends in-game as needed in order to keep everyone fresh. And because he can line up at multiple positions along the line, the Bills can use sub-package groupings that can create mismatches for opposing offenses. This pick reinforces the Bills defense and is worthy of a high grade.
Zack Moss
When Brandon Beane spoke earlier this off-season, he spoke about the decision to dress Frank Gore last year instead of T.J. Yeldon. The decision came down to the “downhill presence” that Gore offered the Bills offense. Something the Bills didn’t have in Yeldon or rookie running back Devin Singletary. When Beane made that comment it became clear what the Bills were looking for in an RB2 complement to Singletary. They wanted a back that gave them physicality and force going forward. A back like Zack Moss.
At 5’9″ and 223 pounds, Zack Moss is a bowling ball of downhill presence. His draft profile contains phrases like “controlled violence on just about every carry”. He is a one-cut runner that looks to get square to the line of scrimmage and punish any tackler that gets in his way. What he lacks in long speed, he makes up for with his acceleration in short distances that lead to runs with burst and explosion. And that style pairs very well with Singletary.
While Singletary has some power and can break tackles, his strengths lie with his elusiveness and ability to make defenders miss in the hole and in open space. Pairing him with a bruiser like Moss adds another element to the Bills offense. An element that the Bills can use to keep defenses off balance and keep drives alive. Moss was also very productive in 2019. He rushed for 1,416 yards and 15 touchdowns. And he added 28 receptions for 388 yards and two touchdowns. All in all, he was named the 2019 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. And the Bills added him as a complementary piece and weapon. Great value.
What It All Means For The Buffalo Bills
All in all, the Buffalo Bills had a great Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft. Both of their picks simultaneously filled areas of need and also stuck to their best player available, value approach. A.J. Epenesa and Zack Moss are both players that will help the Bills in the future, and also help the Bills win now. Buffalo came into this draft with an already thorough roster and because of that, they were able to watch the draft play out and come to them. And while it would have been nice to see them add some stability to the cornerback position, it’s hard to complain with their Day 2 picks. This was a very good start to the draft and par for the course in an already very good Bills off-season.
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