1. Garafolo: Decision made on Shaq Lawson's fifth-year option
The Bills have made a decision on Shaq Lawson. Lawson, a 2016 first-round pick, will not have his fifth-year team option picked up for 2020, according to Mike Garafolo.
Lawson has played in 35 games during his three seasons in Buffalo being a starter in 17. Lawson has contributed 76 tackles and 10 sacks to the Bills defense.
General manager Brandon Beane addressed Lawson's option at the conclusion of the 2019 NFL draft.
"I told Sean McDermott that we're just going to get through the draft. We'll sit down this week. I talked to (Lawson's) agent. He understands our timeline. Very good communication with them. We'll see where we're at and we'll make a decision," Beane said.
On Monday, Beane spoke about the option again on WGR-550 radio.
"That's what you do, you talk about, what is the number for the option number? What is the franchise [tag] number roughly look like it's going to be next year based off what's been signed this year? And then, what else is going to be a free agent out there?," Beane said. "We maybe even take a look… we won't have a great look, but we'll take a quick a look on what's coming out in the draft potentially next year."
2. Ed Oliver will be a match-up nightmare
Bleacher Report identified 10 rookies who will be primed to be immediate match-up nightmares for other teams. Based on his individual talent and who is surrounding him, Ed Oliver was named one of the 10.
Few top-10 picks can be labeled as a steal, but the Buffalo Bills were able to land a game-changing interior pass-rusher in Ed Oliver at No. 9 overall. Oliver was only stopped by Houston's baffling insistence on playing him at nose tackle and opposing offenses opting to triple-team him. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott will surely not allow that to happen considering his past experience with Kawann Short.
Oliver is an elite athlete who has earned comparisons to Geno Atkins of the Cincinnati Bengals. Bleacher Report writes that Oliver is at his best when he can get into the backfield using his "incredible first step" and it's too much for almost every guard in the NFL to control throughout a game.
Oliver had 53 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks in his collegiate career and Bleacher Report believes he can be viewed as one of the top four players of the draft class in one year.
His fit with the Bills is clear now that Kyle Williams is gone. He and Star Lotulelei complement each other well as the traditional penetrator and gap-eater. It'll be up to Harrison Phillips and Jordan Phillips to develop into quality rotational pieces behind the two.
3. Who won the 2019 NFL draft?
NFL.com asked its analysts the simple question of which team won the draft?
With 32 teams to choose from and 254 players to analyze, Terrell Davis chose Buffalo.
Buffalo addresses crucial needs with early-, mid-round picks
I really like what the Buffalo Bills did in the 2019 NFL Draft. With defensive tackle Kyle Williams retiring this offseason, Buffalo landed one of the highest-graded DTs in this class in Ed Oliver. Guard Cody Ford should help keep second-year quarterback Josh Allen from routinely running for his life, and fourth-round tight end Dawson Knox addresses a need the Bills have tried to fill for years. But the pick I'm most excited about is running back Devin Singletary. He's in the perfect position to learn and succeed behind two veterans ( LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore) and should earn some playing time.
Singletary will be behind that backfield duo of McCoy and Gore. The two veterans have rushed for 25,354 total yards and 146 touchdowns. In his three years at Florida Atlantic, Singletary ran for 4,299 yards and 66 touchdowns. His 2017 season saw Singletary run for 1,920 yards and score 32 times.
