2020 NFL Draft: Five teams that should target RB D’Andre Swift
By John Newman
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills made it back to the postseason after a solid 2019 season. And while it was only a wild-card berth, the eventual descent of the New England Patriots in the AFC East is on the horizon. That means there will be plenty of opportunities in the upcoming years for the Bills to claim the AFC East as their own. Head coach Sean McDermott has done an excellent job re-building the Bills culture and has led the team to two playoffs in three years of coaching.
Before the 2019 season started, the Bills released long time running back LeSean McCoy. They are currently riding with veteran Frank Gore and Senorise Perry at running back, both of whom are free agents after this season. Getting young quarterback Josh Allen a great running back like Swift would help this young team going into the future.
For starters, Allen is a good quarterback, but this is his second season in a row with a completion percentage hovering around 50 percent (NFL.com). In 2019 Allen took off running 109 times, and unless your quarterback’s name is Lamar Jackson, that is never a good sign. The offense still needs solid receivers to throw to, but just in case Allen’s completion percentage doesn’t improve, it might behoove Bills management to invest in a known playmaker in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Swift would be able to step in as the lead back for the Bills and offer a solid check-down option if Allen isn’t confident in the deep throws. Allen’s average reception depth this season was 6.7 yards and he has failed to improve his accuracy throwing deep downfield. Having Swift as a lead back/intermediate-depth target that can make plays after the catch could help this team improve immensely.
One thing that may help the Bills pull the trigger on Swift during the 2020 NFL Draft is the amount of receiver depth that will be entering the league during the draft. There is a solid number of wide receivers declaring for the draft this year, meaning that if the Bills wanted to focus on bringing Swift into the organization, they can still count on solid wide receivers being available in later rounds.
The Bills have had a bad stretch of luck over the last few decades. But as the Patriots seem to be lessening their death grip upon the AFC East in the next few years, a smart, talented and stocked AFC East team could make a run at controlling the division after the Brady/Belichick era is over.
The Bills held the Patriots to one touchdown game in both matches this year, so they have improved this season. But if they hope to claim the AFC East crown for themselves, they will need to find help for Allen at the intermediate level.
Drafting a running back like Swift, with a strong track record of making big, game-defining plays could be the difference in those one-score games. The Bills may end up being the team that needs Swift the most out of this entire list.