2021 NFL Draft needs for well-rounded Buffalo Bills roster
1. Defensive Line
Any position on the defensive line should be the first priority for the Buffalo Bills in the 2021 NFL Draft. Don’t get me wrong, the Bills have a solid blend of veterans and promising young players to build a solid defensive line, but I still think this the biggest area of opportunity for the team in 2021.
With seasoned veterans in Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison as the team’s starting edge rushers, I think it is very likely that the Buffalo Bills look to bring in some youth at the position very early in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Bills did draft defensive end, A.J. Epenesa, in the second round a year ago, but he failed to make an immediate impact, and giving him a running mate to develop alongside long term could be the best thing for both players. There are a handful of very talented edge defenders that should be available in the first or second round of the 2021 NFL Draft when the Bills are on the clock that they could bring in and have contribute not only right away, but take on a much larger role in the near future.
Bouncing inside on the defensive line, the Buffalo Bills have much less experience. Ed Oliver, Vernon Butler and Harrison Phillips are set to take the majority of the snaps at defensive tackle in 2021. While each of these players has shown some promise and bring something to the table, bringing in another interior defensive lineman in the early-to-mid rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft would definitely be beneficial.
As a whole, the Buffalo Bills did not get the play that they needed to out of their defensive front in 2021, especially down the stretch. When you watched the Super Bowl and saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers absolutely tear apart a depleted Kansas City Chiefs offensive line, you could see just how much the Bills were lacking in that department in the AFC Championship Game.
Of the players I mentioned above that will be seeing the majority of the snaps for the Buffalo Bills in 2021, only Jerry Hughes ranked in the top 50 at his position according to PFF last season (11th defensive end). There is clear talent across the line, but they need an elevated level of play if they want to take the next step this season.