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When the Buffalo Bills take the field next season, general manager Brandon Beane has stated that their 2021 NFL Draft Class will be one of the most important aspects of their offseason.
“We’ll have to be very sharp on each move we make this offseason, and every dime we spend we will have to spend wisely,” Beane said via an interview with WGR 550 last week. “We also can’t fail at the NFL Draft this year.”
Next year’s rookie class will be important, but Beane’s 2020 rookie class was one of the best in the league and Pro Football Focus’ ESPN Insider recently ranked the Bills rookie class as the ninth-best class in the league, even though they didn’t even have a first-round draft pick.
via ESPN
Why they’re ranked here: The Bills were without a 2020 first-round pick, and defensive end A.J. Epenesa — the team’s top selection in the draft — generated PFF WAR below expectation. And yet, Buffalo claims a top-10 spot. That’s due in large part to running back Zack Moss (No. 86 overall), wide receiver Gabriel Davis (No. 128 overall) and cornerback Dane Jackson (No. 239 overall) producing well above expectation relative to their respective draft slots.
How their top pick fared: Epenesa struggled in run defense, posting a poor 50.4 grade across 130 such snaps. His pass-rushing output also left a lot to be desired. He recorded a 67.1 pass-rushing grade in 2020, with half of his 20 pressures being charted as unblocked or cleanup.
Best value pick: While Davis produced inconsistently from game to game, there were a handful of times this season where the fourth-rounder looked like anything but a Day 3 selection. He had three single-game grades above 84.0, joining Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson as the only first-year receivers to accomplish that feat. Davis also ranked in the top three among rookies in 20-plus yard receptions (11).
Outside of fifth-round pick Jake Fromm (QB, Georgia) and sixth-round pick Isaiah Hodgins (WR, Oregon State) who didn’t participate this season for various reasons, Buffalo’s entire rookie class produced this season.
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Tyler Bass Played a Big Role for Buffalo
Most teams might’ve questioned Beane and Co. when they took the Georgia Southern kicker in the sixth-round last year, but the 23-year-old paid off big dividends this season.
After beating out veteran kicker Stephen Hauschka in training camp, Bass went on to lead the Bills in total points this season and he even set single-season franchise records. He broke Pete Gogolak’s previous rookie mark of 102 points. Then, he went on to break Steve Christie’s single-season points record of 140 by tallying 141 points with 57 extra points and 28 field goals.
Although Bass missed two extra points, he never missed a field goal from 29 yards or closer and half of his missed field goal attempts, including a 61-yard attempt against the Seattle Seahawks, came from 40 yards or further. Bass also hit two 51 yard field goals against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship and hit a season-long field goal of 58 yards against the Arizona Cardinals in their Week 10 matchup.
Due to a risk in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Bills may have their kicker for the forseeable future.
Late Picks Paid Off for Buffalo
With their fourth-round pick n the 2020 NFL Draft, the Bills picked up UCF receiver Gabe Davis and although he might’ve been inconsistent at times throughout the year, Davis was another top target for quarterback Josh Allen this season, even as a rookie.
He tallied 35 receptions for 599 yards and seven touchdowns this season, while averaging a team-high 17.1 yards per catch. His lone 100-plus yard game came in Buffalo’s regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins and he only needed two catches to do so. Davis caught a 56 yard touchdown pass and also hauled in a 51-yard catch as well.
Beane doesn’t believe that Davis is even close to his ceiling yet either.
“I don’t want to put that on him but I don’t think Gabe is near his ceiling,” Beane said during his end of the season video conference call. “Thought he wasn’t a rookie by end of year because of how much he played.”
With his seventh-round pick, Beane also picked up Pittsburgh cornerback Dane Jackson and the rookie stepped up on multiple occassions this season. Beane even said Jackson could compete for the starting No. 2 cornerback positon next season.
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