Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott is reportedly considering drafting a running back with the No. 9 pick in this year’s NFL draft, which they have owned. The decision to invest so heavily into one position could be seen as an admission that the team didn’t address their main issue last season: Running game woes and rushing yards as a whole.,
The “Buffalo Bills running backs 2021” is a question that has been asked many times in the past. It’s time to answer this question again, but with a twist. The Buffalo Bills have the opportunity to draft one of the top running backs in the upcoming NFL Draft. Would drafting a running back with a top pick make sense for the Buffalo Bills? Read more in detail here: buffalo bills running backs 2021.
6 a.m. ET
-
ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg
NEW YORK — BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills are in an excellent place right now. With a well-rounded roster and fewer needs than others, they can go in a number of ways with their eight draft selections this year.
They might target defensive backs, offensive and defensive line interiors, and wide receivers.
The notion of picking a running back early, on the other hand, has sparked passionate emotions.
It isn’t a brand-new argument. Before the 2021 draft, the Bills’ possibility of picking a running back in the first couple of rounds was also a heated subject, but the position remained unfilled.
Coach Sean McDermott has mentioned a desire to improve the offense’s rushing game. Utilizing a high selection on a running back would provide the Bills with a vital tool to do this, but using an early pick on the position might prove to be a waste of resources.
Last year, the offensive was at its best when the running game was on point. The Bills averaged a league-high 33.4 offensive points per game and 399.4 yards per game during a five-game winning streak from the conclusion of the season through the first game of the playoffs, when running back Devin Singletary was at his finest (third most).
In recent years, taking a running back early in the draft hasn’t always paid off, with numerous players leaving the club where they were drafted after their rookie contract expired.
Many teams have adopted a committee system, and even then, guys picked later in the draft have often taken over as the primary rusher. In 2021, eight of the top ten rushers were selected in the second round or later. Since 2010, just two first-round picks have led the league in rushing: Adrian Peterson (2012) and Ezekiel Elliott (2015). (2016 and 2018).
Willis McGahee (2003), Marshawn Lynch (2007), and C.J. Spiller (2007) are the three running backs the Bills have picked in the first round since 2000. (2010). Lynch went on to enjoy his finest seasons with the Seattle Seahawks after none of the three signed a second deal with Buffalo.
Six running backs picked in the first round since 2010 have re-signed with their original team: Rashaad Penny of Seattle, Christian McCaffrey of Carolina, Elliott of Dallas, Todd Gurley of Los Angeles, Doug Martin of Tampa Bay, and Mark Ingram of New Orleans.
With the exception of Penny, who signed a one-year contract last month, Ingram is the only one of those players who has seen an increase in output after signing a new contract. During the same time period, 26 running backs were picked in the second round, with five of them signing second contracts with the club that drafted them, including Derrick Henry of Tennessee, Nick Chubb of Cleveland, Dalvin Cook of Minnesota, and Joe Mixon of Cincinnati.
What about the Bills, who are now attempting to win?
Kiper » | McShay » | Positions » • Ranks: Kiper » | McShay » Kiper » | McShay » | Reid » Mocks • Stacking the Quarterbacks » | Interesting groups » • Order of the draft » | First Draft podcast » • More information » | Complete ranks »
Brandon Beane, the general manager, isn’t afraid to use a first-round choice on a running back. The Bills used third-round choices on Devin Singletary and Zack Moss in 2019 and 2020. Beane was a member of the Panthers’ executive office when McCaffrey was taken ninth overall in 2017.
In 2021, Beane remarked, “If he’s the best man on our board, we wouldn’t hesitate to pick them.” “How does his skill set stack up against the rest of our roster?”
Singletary is in the last year of his contract after finishing strong in 2021, but he has yet to shown his ability to consistently produce at a high level. In his career, he has two 100-yard running performances, and the Bills’ ability (or lack thereof) to run the ball was a concern throughout the season, with quarterback Josh Allen often leading the club in rushing.
While the Bills rushed for 2,209 yards (sixth), running backs accounted for 1,343 of those yards (25th).
Some of Buffalo’s problems may be traced back to inconsistencies on the offensive line, which has been plagued by injuries and absences due to COVID-19. When a running back is the rusher, the Bills have had a 67.7% run block victory rate (30th) since 2019, although that figure has improved with investment in the offensive line.
No club will choose a running back in the first round this year, according to ESPN draft gurus Jordan Reid, Todd McShay, and Mel Kiper. However, in their most recent mock drafts, they all have the Bills picking a running back with a second-round choice.
Reid has Iowa State running back Breece Hall available at No. 57, but ESPN Sports Analytics believes Hall will only be there 20% of the time. Reid described him as a “young and versatile back who can play three downs for a club that has struggled with consistency in the backfield and in the rushing game.”
Kenneth Walker III of Michigan State is ranked No. 57 by McShay, who praises his “speed, suddenness, and contact balance.” Last year, Walker rushed for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground, and he’ll most likely be available late in the second round (over 50 percent chance).
“[Walker] moves at a different pace,” McShay said. “It’s electrifying from the time the ball is in his hands. He just erupts as a result of the snap…. When you compare him to Breece Hall, who is more of a patient runner who has built up speed and fantastic workout statistics, and I know everyone is talking about him late in the first, he is the more patient runner. In terms of what translates to the NFL, I don’t see it as much as I do with Walker.
“… What most people don’t realize about Walker is that he can catch.” When catching the football, he is fluid and smooth.”
The Bills are cognizant of the position’s importance, as the club is expected to deploy more two-TE sets this season in order to counter two-high defenses. This summer, the front staff attempted to sign running back J.D. McKissic, but it fell through when Washington made a late effort to re-sign him. Instead, the Bills signed veteran Duke Johnson to a one-year contract, but he’ll have to fight for a position on the squad.
“It tends to slow [defenses] down when you can create yourself a two-dimensional threat,” McDermott said of having a secondary attack. “When offenses can accomplish that, that’s when they’re at their finest.”
The “buffalo bills roster” is a question that has been asked in the news. The Buffalo Bills have a lot of talent at running back, but drafting one with their first pick might not be the best decision.
Related Tags
- buffalo bills draft picks 2022
- buffalo bills news
- buffalo bills super bowl
- buffalo bills rumors
- buffalo bills receivers
