1. Dion Dawkins heaps praise on Bills front office
In an appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio recently, Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins was asked about the team's strong collective work ethic and growth mindset. While head coach Sean McDermott and his coaching staff deserve a good deal of credit for building that, Dawkins also gave credit to GM Brandon Beane and the personnel department.
"I honestly think that the upstairs guys, which is what I call Brandon Beane and his guys, they did a great job of drafting character," Dawkins said. "Guys who aren't full of themselves and are people persons. Guys who have histories that aren't perfect, or were underdogs. We were taught to get it the hard way and because they drafted guys like me and Tre'Davious and Milano, who are still here, it was a great blend of character, which was contagious in the locker room. And that helped the next guy and the next guy and it became a giant room of character men.
"That's what I applaud them on. Those guys aren't easy to find. They did a great job of doing their homework and getting the right guys here. I'm fully married to Buffalo and the Bills. I can say the same thing for Tre' and Milano. We're blessed to be here and continue to make this something special."
2. Isaiah Hodgins with a best man's speech to prepare
Bills second-year wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins missed all of last season after having to undergo shoulder surgery. But this week he shed the red non-contact jersey and turned in some encouraging plays in the team's minicamp this week.
But with minicamp wrapping up, Hodgins has an even bigger responsibility to take care of. His younger brother Isaac is getting married this weekend and Isaiah as the best man has to put the finishing touches on his best man speech.
"Yeah, I'm the best man," said Hodgins. "I'm still kind of working on the speech. I've got to do the toast at dinner and then the speech. So I've got a bunch of different responsibilities. I'm still working on it, but I'm excited for my brother. It's a big step in his life."
Hodgins game is also coming along on the field as QB Josh Allen has been impressed with the Oregon State product.
"He's surprisingly quick and I'm not talking long speed, he's got that too, but just a short game quickness and getting off of jam and make it a good release," said Allen of Hodgins. "He can do a lot of different things and I think they've been kind of switching him around. He's got the ability to play multiple positions. You see him high point a pretty nice thrown ball today and go up and get it. With those, not everybody has that ability to do that. His body control has been fantastic."
3. Rousseau pegged as early contributor from rookie class
Sharp Football Analysis recently conducted a review of the potential rookie class impact in the AFC East. For the Bills, they're not anticipating any of Buffalo's top four picks to win starting roles, but they do see top choice Greg Rousseau getting on the field sooner rather than later.
Buffalo probably didn't land an immediate starter in its draft class, but Gregory Rousseau (first round) should have a role in the defensive line rotation. Rousseau is an effective edge rusher, but in 2019 he actually lined up at defensive tackle on 34% of his pass-rush snaps—and generated a 19.3 percent pressure rate in that role.
With Rousseau's versatile skill set, it should be easy for HC Sean McDermott and DC Leslie Frazier to move him around in various sub-packages, creating opportunities for him to get after the quarterback.
They're also high on Bills sixth-round pick S Damar Hamlin. While they expect he'll hold down a special teams role as a rookie, they project Hamlin stepping into a starting role in the future.
