The Buffalo Bills continued adding talent to their roster following the conclusion of the 2022 NFL Draft, and on April 30, signed undrafted free agent Alec Anderson, an offensive lineman out of UCLA, as first reported by Draft Diamonds.
Anderson, who started 17 games with the Bruins over the past two seasons, will have a familiar face when he heads to Buffalo, as his uncle is the team’s assistant special teams coach, Cory Harkey.
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Harkey was hired by the Bills in February 2022 to fill the vacant role left by Matthew Smiley, who was promoted to special teams coordinator, per The Buffalo News. Like his nephew, Harkey played football for four seasons at UCLA and entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent. In 2012, the former tight end signed with the Rams, where he played until he was released on September 2, 2017.
GettyTight end Cory Harkey #46 of the St. Louis Rams celebrates after scoring a two point conversion in the third quarter of a game against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on December 7, 2014.
During his time with the Rams, Harkey appeared in 64 games, catching 27 passes and recording three touchdowns. Before joining the Bills coaching staff, Harkey, 31, served as the tight ends coach at Azusa Pacific University for two years before taking on the same position at Tennessee State in 2021.
Sycacuse.com’s Ryan Talbot noted that it was more just his familial relations that went into Harkey’s nephew signing with Buffalo. Talbot tweeted, “Anderson was a priority free agent for many teams so I wonder how much having family in Buffalo helped with his decision.”
Anderson Celebrated Signing With the Bills By Throwing His Brother Into a Table
Anderson, who’s 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds, celebrated his new contract by performing a quintessential Bills Mafia tradition, breaking tables. However, Anderson didn’t break a table himself, instead, he slammed his brother down on it. The offensive tackle shared the video on Twitter, where it quickly went viral.
The newly-signed Bills tackle kept the fun social media posts coming this past weekend, sharing a photo of himself holding a food baby under his Bruins jersey and tweeting, “Let’s get some wingssss.”
While Anderson still had two years left of collegiate eligibility, he was the first Bruins player to declare for the draft in December 2021. With Anderson at right tackle, “UCLA had the top offense and the No. 1 running game in the Pac-12 since 2019,” per Sports Illustrated‘s San Connon.
Cannon called‘s Anderson, “one of the most physical blockers upfront while also boasting plus athleticism” while playing under Bruins offensive line coach Justin Frye’s system.
The Bills Signed Numerous Other UDFAs Following the Conclusion of the Draft
In addition to Anderson, the Bills went on to sign a slew of undrafted free agents following the conclusion of the 2022 NFL Draft. While Buffalo’s deep roster might scare numerous undrafted rookies away, as the likelihood they get elevated to the active roster this season remains slim to none, the Bills added the following players:
BYU wide receiver Neil Pau’u
Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Derek Kerstetter
Derek Kerstetter is Buffalo bound! 🤘 @derekk40 ✍️ @BuffaloBills
Syracuse defensive lineman Kingsley Jonathan
The Bills also signed Appalachian State wide receiver Malik Williams, per Draft Diamonds, and Penn defensive tackle Prince Emili, as reported by The Atletic’s Joe Buscaglia.
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Bills Sign Coach’s Nephew: UCLA OL Breaks Table to Celebrate