Getty Shaun Wade celebrates a play in 2019.
The Buffalo Bills are in the middle of a division race, so the last thing they are probably thinking about is who they’ll select in the 2021 NFL Draft, but it never hurts to speculate.
At this point, the Bills are strong all over the place. They obviously have their franchise quarterback in Josh Allen. They have a slew of young receivers and running backs at their disposal and although they could use a little more depth, their offensive line is in decent shape.
So, let’s flip to the defense.
When they are fully healthy, the Bills’ defensive line is solid with Jerry Hughes, Ed Oliver, Harrison Phillips, and a number of veterans. Their linebacking core is good with two young players in Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano along with a veteran in A.J. Klein.
That leaves the secondary.
Although they have the depth, their health has been a different story as the Bills have only had their full secondary play together a few times this season. So, if the Bills stay at the 28th pick in the first round, Pro Football Network believes the Bills will go with Ohio State’s Shaun Wade.
The Bills have a defense filled with stars in the secondary, but they sorely lack a strong CB2 and a strong nickel presence. Shaun Wade gives them the ability to do both. He has struggled on the boundary this season, but he still has film as a high-quality nickel defender.
Wade would combine well with Tre’Davious White, Jordan Poyer, and Micah Hyde. Wade must return to his 2019 form if he is to make the most of this opportunity in Buffalo.
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Shaun Wade Scouting Report
In recent years, the Buckeyes have been known to produce NFL cornerbacks.
In the past four years, they’ve produced six and Wade is going to be the next one. He’s a 6-foot-1, 195-pound redshirt junior who has made a name for himself by being able to play multiple positions.
In three years, he’s picked off five passes, made 69 tackles, deflected 22 passes, and forced two fumbles. Wade returned to Ohio State this past season to get more experience on the outside before deciding to opt-out, given the circumstances in the world.
But, when the Big Ten decided to play, Wade was able to opt back in and has tallied 13 tackles in four games. He also has a 36-yard pick-six, the first of his career.
At the moment, Wade is projected to drop to the Bills in the late first round but PFN’s Dalton Miller believes Wade could be a top-10 pick come April.
The Big Ten deciding to play an all-conference schedule could propel Wade to the CB1 position in the draft, and a top-10 pick come April,” Miller said in his scouting report of Wade. “If he widens out and begins covering the best of the best in the conference on the outside at the level he did from the slot, it’s difficult to see a world where evaluators look at the evidence they have from college and the pedigree of his high school recruitment status and not view him as a blue-chip prospect.”
If the Bills bring in Wade and stay healthy, there’s a chance they could have one of the best secondary’s in the league next season.
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