The Bills added two more college free agents to their roster, signing Florida wide receiver David Nelson and Utah inside linebacker Mike Wright on Friday.
Nelson was a big target for Tim Tebow in the Gators offense, literally. At 6'5" and 217 pounds Nelson was a rotational receiver for Florida seeing action in 44 games making 14 career starts. Nine of those starts came in 2009. His best performance was against Alabama in the SEC Championship game when he had four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown.
Playing in Florida's unique spread attack, Nelson and most of the other Florida receivers are tough to evaluate, but the Bills see a ton of potential in the tall, rangy wideout.
"We think he has a lot of upside with his size, athletic ability and his speed," said Bills scout Shawn Heinlen. "He's just going to need some work with his route running and progressions because it's not something they do there. They run to a spot more than anything as opposed to running a route at Florida, but he's got a chance to develop and be a good player."
With the hands and speed (4.49 – 40 time) most NFL teams are looking for Nelson just needs to master the NFL route tree and adjust to NFL coverages to succeed.
"He should be able to stretch the field and be a possession guy on the short routes where he can use his size to his advantage," Heinlen said. "He'll be able to stretch the field vertically with his speed."
Utah's Mike Wright was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference Honorable Mention and was the leader of the Utes' defensive unit.
"A very intelligent player and a great kid all around," said Bills scout Brad Forsyth. "Extremely tough and competitive. He gives you everything he has."
Wright led the team in tackles as a junior with 81 and finished second in 2009 with 79 behind Pittsburgh draft choice Stevenson Sylvester. Wright also had three forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries last season. Considered more of a between the tackles hitter, Wright projects to inside linebacker.
"He has a lot of playing experience," said Bills scout Rashaan Curry. "He was an instinctive and cerebral player. He was successful because of what he knows about the game more so than his ability. He should be able to play both inside linebacker positions for us, but is probably more of a 'mike' linebacker. He has all the intangibles and should give us a good look in camp."
With Nelson and Wright signing on Friday, Buffalo has now signed 10 undrafted rookie free agents.
