Everything is looking pretty rosy, especially from a football standpoint, in upstate New York. A new stadium is on the horizon, financed at about 50% by the taxpayers of New York State. They now have one of the Top 6 NFL QB’s running their Offense, in JOSH ALLEN. And they have quite obviously emerged as the new Beast in the AFC East after years of domination by the Patriots. And they should be an even better team in 2022. GM BRANDON BEANE has put together a exceptional group of players even beyond ALLEN. He has kept the guys he wanted to and added some quality to the locker room, especially in the case of VON MILLER. He now has a full compliment of 8 Draft Picks to work with in the upcoming Draft.
Let’s get to work… work on that Draft, Brandon.
Pick 25 TRENT McDUFFIE CB Washington 5’11/193 I keep looking at their roster and nothing stands out to me as an area of immediate need other than the CB group. They can get by with what they have but it would be an easy mark to upgrade. So here he is, without being splashy, just being solid and consistent in his secondary play. Simply a reliable, solid coverage guy who can tackle and may help out with some Special Teams play. I had him as CB 5, but sliding up to 4 with BOOTH having hernia surgery. He starts soon if not immediately.
Pick 57 CHAD MUMA LB Wyoming 6’2/241 Outstanding player who is more athletic than some give him credit for. More than half of their LB room are better Special Teamers than they are as actual LB’s. His 4.63/40 at the Combine was good, not great. But to my eyes, he plays faster and smarter than many of his workout numbers. On film he is better than LOGAN WILSON, another ex-Wyoming LB, who showed out for the Bengals during their Playoff run last season.
Pick 89 ALEC PIERCE WR Cincinnati 6’3/208 Wideout is not an urgent need, but when you have a star QB you provide him with athletic wideouts that can make plays. PIERCE is still developing but he is certainly a pure athlete, with good size. He ran a 4.33/40 and had a 40 1/2″ Vertical at the Combine. And he plays up to those numbers. He should also contribute on Special Teams with that athleticism and nice size.
Pick 130 LUKE GOEDEKE OT/G Central Michigan 6’5/312 They are a bit long in the tooth along their OL, and GOEDEKE is the kind of steady player who can handle about 3 back-up positions on game day. He played second fiddle to BERNHARD RAIMANN at CMU, but NFL scouts found him and he got invited to the Senior Bowl. Not flashy, but steady and sturdy.
Pick 168 HASSAN HASKINS RB Michigan 6’2/228 The power runner they don’t have right now. He scored 20 TD’s during the Big Ten season. Not fast, but can run through smaller defenders. Perfect fit for a RB-3 as your short yardage/power guy. Hasn’t shown much as a receiver, yet. Ball security is a big plus for HAWKINS. No fumbles in 465 touches from 2019-2021!
Pick 185 LUKE WATTENBURG OC Washington 6’4/299
Pick 203 TARIQ CARPENTER LB/SS Georgia Tech 6’2/233
Pick 231 OTITO OGBONNIA DT UCLA 6’4/326
All the team was really searching for here was an upgrade at one CB slot, an eventual full-time LB candidate, some depth on the OL and some Special Teamers with athleticism. Mission accomplished. This team is still ascending and with another good Draft, combined with their VFA signings, they could add 10 more talented players to an already very talented roster when the season begins. Thanks in large part to some great work by BRANDON BEANE, who has quietly established himself as one of the finest young GMs in the League.
Pigskin
