Height: 5100 Weight: 200
PFWR Rank: #20 Position Rank: 2
#BillsMafia You need to find impact game-changers in the draft. Especially in the early rounds. Regardless of position. With the Bills Drafting at #27, that means, the best, most impactful player may not be at the most obvious need, or a positional value pick.
In a perfect world, need and impact meet at your pick, or close enough to maneuver to get one, but the way this draft is shaping up, odds are, O-Line and WR may not be the best option.
It is very likely in this draft, picking 27th, the best player, who can be the type of player teams need to account for every time they step on the field, which will open up the field for everyone else, is either a TE or RB. Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson and Dalton Kincaid are all the type of game-changers the Bills should be targeting this year with their top pick, and the most likely of the three to be there is Alabama's RB, Jahmyr Gibbs.
Gibbs is an explosive dual threat who has a ludicrous speed level. Polished route runner from the slot or out wide with reliable hands. In fact, he may be the most talented slot receiver in this draft. Gibbs is a threat to take it to the house with every touch. He is best suited for a spread offense that will take advantage of his versatility and speed. While Gibbs lacks the bulk to move the pile between the tackles and may not be able to rely as much on his speed around the edge as he did in college but he does effectively slice through lanes and consistently falls forward upon contact for additional yardage. Bottom line is he is an electric game changer capable of stringing together multiple ankle breaking cuts with out losing speed. Gibbs is worth the risk of a first round pick despite not being a 30 carry a game guy, given his big play potential. Locking him up for 5 years on a rookie deal may prove critical. Despite being a speed back, he has been mostly durable since suffering a leg injury his Freshman season at Georgia Tech. His other career injuries included a hamstring and a twisted ankle, neither of which caused him to miss significant time.
Adding another back doesn't mean giving up on the potential of James Cook, but having two backs with either different skill sets, like adding a bruising back like Zach Charbonnet as a compliment is one way to go or getting that true game changer in a player like Bijan Robinson, who is likely to be off the board by pick 27. However, if the Bills were to add another dual threat like Jahmyr Gibbs , the possibilities are endless what Dorsey could do designing plays for both Cook and Gibbs. A fast pace attack, where you can swing one or both out wide or in the slot would add the diversity to attack in different ways with the same lineup on the field in the same way the K-Gun attacked defenses with Thurman Thomas in the 90's. Having a back who can break it to the house on any given carry, will be something the Bills staff couldn't ignore when implementing the the game plan. Dorsey is still learning on the job, but a back who can be relied on to threaten the entire field and force teams to commit extra defenders, will open everything up for Josh and Diggs and the rest of the passing offense, easily.
It is true that the shelf life if a RB is short in the NFL, all the more reason to lock them up for that extra year on a rookie contract by taking one in the 1st Round. Bills could save $5 million in cap space by releasing Nyheim Hines. Additionally, Gibbs is a bargain because you not only get a game breaker in the backfield, but he is also one of the better slot receivers in this draft.
Drafting at the bottom of the 1st round, while being close enough to see the top of the hill as a franchise means you have to be flexible in your approach to get over that hump. One dynamic offensive weapon could be the ticket.
Video courtesy: Just Bombs Production
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