Grading the double-vision 2021 NFL Draft of the Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills draft grade: A

I love this pick for the Buffalo Bills. While they already have a very impressive wide receiver group with Stefon Diggs, Emmanuel Sanders, Cole Beasley, Gabe Davis and Isaiah McKenzie, Marquez Stevenson brings an extra gear.

The Buffalo Bills lost speedster John Brown in free agency this offseason, and while they brought in Emmanuel Sanders, he isn’t the deep threat that Marquez Stevenson is. Gabe Davis is another effective deep-ball receiver, but Stevenson just has an x-factor. That’s his speed.

Along with Anthony Schwartz that I wrote about as a Cleveland Browns draft pick here, Stevenson is right up there as the fastest target in the draft. Once he gets the ball in his hands, he can really turn on the jets and break away from the defense.

As a deep threat, Stevenson tracks the ball pretty well. He doesn’t just have straight-line speed, he can still make effective adjustments with the ball in the air. Even if the ball was underthrown, Stevenson can adjust, stop, make the catch and then still break away from the defender.

On shorter throws, Stevenson seems to be even more dangerous. Though he needs polish as a route runner, he is a threat to take any play to the house. He can truly make a quick slant a 75-yard play instead of a 5-10 yard play. Add in his effectiveness as a return man and you get a playmaker that should find a role early in his career, even in a crowded receiver room.

Buffalo Bills draft grade: B-

Now I may be biased because Damar Hamlin’s teammate was probably my favorite player in the draft and one of my favorite late-round targets for the Buffalo Bills, but I’m not in love with this selection.

Again, I would have preferred the other Pittsburgh safety, Paris Ford. But Damar Hamlin is a solid player in his own right, giving this selection a modest B- grade.

Damar Hamlin can do a little bit of everything in the secondary. Primarily as a free safety, Hamlin is effective and instinctual in zone coverage. He has decent speed and athleticism to get to the catch point and is very disruptive once he gets there.

Also from his free safety spot, Hamlin excels at playing downhill in the run game. Like Paris Ford, Hamlin loves to lay the wood on the ball carrier and is a very physical player. He uses that physicality when he comes up to face a receiver in man coverage, which he does fairly well, too.

Being a captain at Pittsburgh, Damar Hamlin should bring a level of leadership to the Buffalo Bills. Even if it’s just on special teams to begin his career, his versatility should allow him to find a role down the line.

Buffalo Bills draft grade: B

In the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills finally address the cornerback position. They go with Rachad Wildgoose out of Wisconsin.

Rachad Wildgoose is a very physical corner who helped his draft stock late in the process with an impressive 40-yard dash. Despite playing only two full seasons, opting out of the 2020 season after just two games, Wildgoose is battle-tested against some of the best receivers in the nation playing in the Big Ten.

As a physical corner, Wildgoose thrives in man coverage, staying glued to his man throughout the route. He’s great in press coverage and is very effective at the catch point. He’s also not afraid to come up and bang around the line of scrimmage.

I feel that the Buffalo Bills should have grabbed a corner earlier in the 2021 NFL Draft in hopes of getting a future running mate for young star, Tre’Davious White, but Wildgoose could provide solid value at this point in the draft. If he can prove that he is an NFL-caliber athlete, he could earn a role as an NFL corner.

Buffalo Bills draft grade: B

Another offensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills. This time it’s a guard from Texas Tech, Jack Anderson.

Anderson is a very good mover, especially for being 6-foot-5 and 314 pounds. He often pulled as part of the Red Raider offense, even in pass protection with some of their interesting schemes. His blend of size and athleticism is exactly what a team like the Buffalo Bills should be looking for late in the draft.

Although he looks a little lost at times once he does get out in space, Anderson has shown enough ability and promise to warrant a selection. Get him with some NFL coaching and he should provide some valuable offensive line depth for a team like the Buffalo Bills who clearly made that a priority in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Buffalo Bills overall draft grade: B

Overall, I think Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills did a decent job in the 2021 NFL Draft. They seemed to focus a little more on the future than the now than I expected, but they did bring in a lot of talented players. I may have had a bit of a different mindset going into the draft, but the prospects they were able to add are solid across the board.

It was strange to see their first four picks be at just two different positions, but at least those positions were ones that I felt were spots of need. I think they could have done a little better job of spreading the love and addressing other spots on their roster at different points in the draft, but overall they drafted some solid prospects that should help their franchise down the road.