Astro’s A++ Interview Team

After watching hundreds of “Heart-of-the-Process” interviews for the type of player that Brandon Beane would see as a fit for the McProcess culture (okay, I didn’t bother to watch QBs), I have compiled a list of all players in the 2021 NFL Draft who received an “A++” grade from me. Teams in bold received a scout visit this year. With some compensatories still outstanding, the Bills draft at the bold-numbered picks. That wouldn’t be a bad draft. Click on a letter-grade to hear the player speaking the words that McBeane loves to hear.

A++	7	DeVonta Smith	WR/WRS	Alabama	6’1″	175	4.42
A++	14	Gregory Rousseau – DRAFTED	EDGE DT3T	Miami	6’5″	260	4.57
A++	16	Kwity Paye	EDGE DT3T	Michigan	6’4”	277	4.76
A++	23	Wyatt Davis	RG	Ohio State	6’3”	313	5.1
A++	24	Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah	SS/OLB	Notre Dame	6’1″	216	4.67
A++	25	Carlos Basham Jr. – DRAFTED	EDGE DT3T	Wake Forest	6’5″	275	4.74
A++	26	Landon Dickerson	C OG	Alabama	6’6″	325	5.34
A++	30	Teven Jenkins	RT RG	Oklahoma State	6’6″	320	5.16
A++	31	Zaven Collins	OLB	Tulsa	6’4″	260	4.76
A++	32	Trey Smith	LG	Tennessee	6’6″	325	5.24
A++	33	Daviyon Nixon	DT3T	Iowa	6’3″	305	5.16
A++	34	Azeez Ojulari	OLB EDGE	Georgia	6’3″	240	4.76
A++	36	Rashod Bateman	WR	Minnesota	6’1″	210	4.38
A++	37	Rashad Weaver	EDGE	Pittsburgh	6’5″	260	4.74
A++	38	Patrick Jones II *	EDGE	Pittsburgh	6’5″	260	4.73
A++	39	Kadarius Toney	WRS/PR/KR	Florida	5’11”	190	4.28
A++	59	Marvin Wilson	DT1T DT3T EDGE	Florida State	6’4”	311	4.95
A++	60	Paulson Adebo	CB	Stanford	6’1″	190	4.34
A++	61	Anthony Schwartz	WR/WRS	Auburn	6’0″	197	4.22
A++	62	Elijah Moore	WRS/PR/KR	Ole Miss	5’9″	184	4.37
A++	63	Jaelan Phillips	EDGE	Miami	6’5″	255	4.52
A++	65	William Bradley-King	OLB EDGE	Baylor	6’4”	248	4.75
A++	66	Cameron McGrone	OLB	Michigan	6’1″	232	4.67
A++	81	Caden Sterns	SS	Texas	6’0″	210	4.38
A++	93	Jabril Cox	OLB	LSU	6’2″	233	4.47
A++	94	Dyami Brown	WR	North Carolina	6’1″	185	4.36
A++	95	Levi Onwuzurike	DT3T EDGE	Washington	6’3″	293	4.86
A++	100	Kelvin Joseph	CB	Kentucky	6’1″	192	4.42
A++	109	Rayshard Ashby	ILB	Virginia Tech	5’10”	237	4.65
A++	110	Payton Turner	EDGE	Houston	6’6″	270	4.82
A++	111	Darius Stills	DT3T EDGE	West Virginia	6’1″	292	4.85
A++	115	Tre Norwood	CB FS	Oklahoma	6’0″	192	4.44
A++	121	Monty Rice	ILB OLB	Georgia	6’1″	235	4.59
A++	125	Jamar Watson	EDGE	Kentucky	6’3″	250	4.64
A++	135	Osa Odighizuwa	EDGE	UCLA	6’2”	280	4.74
A++	137	Chauncey Golston	EDGE	Iowa	6’5″	255	4.8
A++	139	Paddy Fisher	ILB	Northwestern	6’4″	246	4.54
A++	139	Patrick Johnson	OLB EDGE	Tulane	6’2″	255	4.75
A++	140	JaQuan Bailey	EDGE	Iowa State	6’2″	251	4.83
A++	141	Brennan Eagles	WR	Texas	6’2″	225	4.51
A++	158	Shaka Toney	OLB EDGE	Penn State	6’3″	240	4.62
A++	159	Grant Stuard	SS	Houston	6’1″	210	4.43
A++	161	Marlon Williams	WR/KR	UCF	6’0″	215	4.42
A++	165	Thomas Graham Jr.	CB	Oregon	5’11”	197	4.35
A++	171	Naquan Jones	DT1T	Michigan State	6’4”	338	5.16
A++	172	Max Richardson	ILB	Boston College	6’0″	230	4.62
A++	173	Aubrey Solomon	DT3T EDGE	Tennessee	6’5”	299	4.85
A++	174	K.J. Britt *	OLB ILB	Auburn	6’0″	236	4.5
A++	175	Amen Ogbongbemiga	ILB	Oklahoma State	6’0″	225	4.65
A++	196	Daelin Hayes	EDGE	Notre Dame	6’4”	266	4.77
A++	198	Brett Heggie	C OG	Florida	6’4”	330	5.2
A++	199	Darrick Forrest	SS	Cincinnati	6’0”	198	4.42
A++	206	Coy Cronk	LT	Iowa	6’5″	325	5.14
A++	207	Ihmir Smith-Marsette	WR/KR	Iowa	6’2″	175	4.37
A++	208	Robert Rochell	CB	Central Arkansas	6’1″	195	4.38
A++	209	Tyrone Truesdell	DT1T	Auburn	6’2″	326	5.14
A++	210	Tommy Tremble *	TE	Notre Dame	6’3	233	4.82
A++	211	Jordyn Peters	CB	Auburn	6’0″	195	4.43
A++	219	Dayo Odeyingbo	EDGE DT3T	Vanderbilt	6’6″	280	4.74
A++	220	Larnel Coleman	LT	UMass	6’7″	315	5.14
A++	230	Antjuan Simmons	OLB	Michigan State	6’0″	216	4.76
A++	231	Theo Howard	WRS	Oklahoma	6’0”	182	4.38
A++	232	Janarius Robinson	EDGE	Florida St	6’5″	260	4.78
A++	240	Raymond Johnson	WSDE	Georgia Southern	6’3″	240	4.76
A++	250	Ade Ogundeji	EDGE	Notre Dame	6’4”	268	4.74
A++	257	James Wiggins	FS/KR	Cincinnati	6’0″	202	4.48
A++	PFA	Dan Moore Jr.	RT	Texas A&M	6’5″	325	5.22
A++	PFA	Cole Schneider	RG	UCF	6’4”	312	5.25
A++	PFA	Cade Johnson	WRS/KR	SDSU	5’10”	175	4.43
A++	PFA	Garret Wallow	S (OLB)	TCU	6’2”	212	4.74
A++	PFA	Eli Howard	EDGE	Texas Tech	6’4″	275	4.88
A++	PFA	Kekaula Kaniho	FS/PR	Boise St	5’10”	182	4.46
A++	PFA	Taysir Mack	WR	Pittsburgh	6’2″	205	4.47
A++	PFA	Myles Jones	CB	Texas A&M	6’3″	185	4.44
A++	PFA	C.J. Morgan	FS	Mississippi St	6’0″	200	4.5
A++	PFA	Mike Hampton	CB	South Florida	6’1″	190	4.45
A++	PFA	Myles Wolfolk	FS	North Carolina	6’0”	195	4.53

* Even the Senior Bowl interaction shows respect for The Process. Here are the Bills’ interactions so far:

Senior Bowl Talks:
K.J. Britt LB—A++
Patrick Jones DE–A++
Tommy Tremble TE–A++

Joshuah Bledsoe S–A+
D’Ante Smith OT–A+
Jacoby Stevens S–A+
Javian Hawkins RB–A+
Jaret Patterson RB–A+

Iffy Melifonwu CB–A

Shane Simpson RB–A-
Jack Anderson OG–A- – DRAFTED

A++ Interviews By Position
DL—6 players, and 2 are that team’s best player: Marvin Wilson and Naquan Jones.
LB—5 players, and 2 are that team’s best player (Micah Parsons #14 – gone; Zaven Collins)
WR—5 players, and 3 are that team’s best player (Waddle-gone, Schwartz, Bateman, E Moore)
WRS–3 players, and 2 are that team’s best player (Anthony Schwartz #91, E. Moore)
RB—3 players, and all 3 are that team’s best player (Jaret Patterson #106, Kylin Hill, Gainwell). Etienne got a A+, Najee an A-
OT—6 players, and 1 is that team’s best: OT OG Teven Jenkins #61. I like Tommy Doyle as a RD5#175; there are 4 other Day-3 OTs, too.
OG—2 players, and both are that team’s best player (Wyatt Davis #16 – gone, Trey Smith #39)
QB—1 player other than Mac Jones, and that was Zach Smith of Tulsa. Bills likely looking closer at Zaven Collins, though. A trio of A+ players: Feleipe Franks, K.J. Costello, and Peyton Ramsey.
P—1 players, and he is that team’s best player (Pressley Harvin III #190)
OC—–0 A++ players but both had A+ (Creed Humphrey #41, Josh Myers #76)
KR—-1 player —Elijah Moore— is that team’s best player. Additionally, Smith-Marsette had Zoom interview.
CB—4 players, and 2 are that team’s best player (Melifonwu #73, Robert Rochell #201)
S—-0 scouted in 2020, unless you see Tre Norwood playing a FS CB hybrid. FS C.J. Morgan in RD7 or UDFA is a great guess. A+ interview went to a Sr. Bowl interviewee, Joshuah Bledsoe FS NCB.
EDGE— 1–Kwity Paye is that team’s best player. Also A++ were Shaka Toney, Chauncey Golston (AJ’s bookend). Janarius Robinson of Florida State, a RD6-7 EDGE, also was an A++ interview.

Editor’s babble: Many thanks to Dean Kindig for his comprehensive review of players entering the 2021 NFL Draft and who fits ‘The Process’. You can find Dean on Twitter @TCBILLS_Astro. Have a great weekend!