1. Why the Bills should draft this offensive tackle
NFL Network's Cynthia Frelund appeared on One Bills Live on Monday to discuss her latest mock draft. Frelund's analytics based mock draft model factored in many different things, which all lead to what player would help each team get as many wins as possible in 2021. By factoring in things like current roster, potential free agents, team needs and more, Frelund's model revealed the Bills drafting offensive tackle Tevin Jenkins from Oklahoma State with the 30th overall pick.
"For me it came down to are you going to add to the defense or the o-line, and Tevin Jenkins came up," Frelund told One Bills Live. "The interesting thing about him is with Oklahoma State when I read all my notes on him, I measure all the tackles and guards for how they get pushed back. You have to remember with a guy like Josh Allen who's really good at throwing off-platform throws, it's not quite as important to have a tackle that can set the edge for a true pocket passer. What really is important is to be able to disguise in running situations and on those play-action passes that are disguised as runs and that's actually where Tevin Jenkins is nasty."
Frelund likes Jenkins for the Bills due to his ability to allow the run game to take on life.
"He was nasty when he was stopping people from running against his quarterback and running back," Frelund explained. "He was nasty at that. He would level people. When you look to see what he can do specifically helping run and pass, he has a high blend of both. PFF says he has allowed four total pressures on 211 pass blocking snaps in college. That's great. But for me it was more about holding his blocks on runs, pushing the potential defenders out of the way so that the run game had a chance to really develop."
Jenkins is listed as 6-6 and 310 pounds on Oklahoma State’s website.
2. Kim Pegula: The 2020 team really set the floor for us
Bills owner and president Kim Pegula joined Good Morning Football on Monday to share her support for diversity in football during Women's History Month and her excitement for the upcoming season. Pegula was asked about what she is expecting from the team as they head into free agency and the draft. She explained that expectations have risen due to the team's success in 2020.
"This year the 2020 team really set the floor for us," Pegula told Good Morning Football. "That's not the bar, what happened this year. The bar is much higher. The floor was set with the success that this team had. So kind of really having to dig deep especially not knowing where the salary cap is going to fall.
"It's going to be a big job for these guys because the bar has been raised from maybe previous years. It's going to be a lot of tweaking, a lot of impact in understanding where we're going to be with our team, our salary. But those are things I leave up to other people. I know the expectation is pretty high right now as the standard in which we're going to be moving forward."
3. B/R's one player the Bills should sign
Bleacher Report selected a player that each team should sign in the offseason based on potential needs. With the future of linebacker Matt Milano uncertain as free agency begins in about a week, B/R thinks if Milano goes to a new team then the Bills should sign linebacker Reuben Foster.
Buffalo Bills: LB Reuben Foster
The Buffalo Bills are in a tough spot in free agency. They are tight against the salary cap, with just under $2 million in wiggle room. Buffalo also has some key players about to hit the open market, including the team's starters at right tackle (Daryl Williams) and weak-side linebacker (Matt Milano).
For argument's sake, we'll assume here that the Bills prioritize keeping Josh Allen's protection intact and re-up Williams. That likely means Milano will move on, leaving Buffalo with a hole at linebacker and not much cash to spend on it.
However, if the Bills are willing to gamble a bit, they might be able to procure a quality starter at a deep discount.
It's been a while since Reuben Foster looked the part of a Butkus Award winner and first-round pick. He played in just six games for the San Francisco 49ers in 2018 before being released for a series of off-field incidents and missed the last two seasons with a serious knee injury.
The upside for that long layoff is that Foster will all but certainly be forced to sign a "prove it" deal this spring, which would fit in Buffalo's limited budget.
