Preferred Free Agents for Bills

Everybody writes and pods about the players the Bills should watch in their first two rounds, and they do a great job. You’re likely following Joe Marino, Anthony and Erik at Cover1, The Bills Guys, Ryan Talbot, Matt Parrino, K-Gun Report, and Jim Wickens at Draft Professor; they’re daily visits for me. But over the last couple of years, I’ve found great joy in swimming further out from shore to dive for the treasure found in RD6, 7, and Preferred Free Agency (PFA). To do this, I had to track where the Bills scouts were going, and assign values to the levels of involvement with a player. I call it Scout Score, and scores of 10 or more indicate deeper interest. The last two columns show the Bills scouts’ interest over the 2023 and 2024 season. Here’s how players got points:

1 Game with 1 Scout=1 pt.,
Beane=3 pts extra,
Joe Brady/Bobby Babich=2 pts. extra,
Tropicana=1 pt.,
Shrine=2 pts.,
Senior Bowl 3 pts.,
McDermott/Aranda or Diaz connection= 3 pts.,
Combine meeting/Workout=2 pts.,
Pro Day attendance =2 pts. +2
Virtual Mtg=2
Position Coach=2
30-Visit=5 pts.

I follow about 1800 people, mainly on X, who are media folks covering college football. I also pay for information about scout attendance at Pro Days (Thank you, @alexkatson!), and have sources for Combine and 30-visit interaction. Ryan Talbot at NYUpstate deserves a huge shout-out this year.

GROUP 1: Scout Score of 10 or more
Most of these players were on heavily-scouted teams where the Bills scouts were presumably eyeing another player. However, their size, speed, and A+++ interviews match the archetype that the Bills look for. A RD6 or acquired RD7 wouldn’t surprise me in this group. In a scouted game vs Mizzou with Terrence Gray also present, Eugene Asante led all tacklers with 6 tackles, an assist, and 2 sacks against the likes of Burden, Noel, and Wease –the WRs Gray was likely there to see. Asante was a vocal leader in the Senior Bowl practices, and his 1.52 ten-yard split was tied for 14th in NextGen history. I like Akheem Mesidor‘s productivity for the Hurricanes (16.5 career sacks is top 5 in the IDL class). He joined Miami right after Greg Rousseau left. Clarence Lewis is feisty, especially in press-man against those tight-window throws –exactly what the Bills do poorly (NFL’s worst). Lewis had 5 solo tackles and 2 pass breakups in a scouted game this year against Stanford.

BFB	Name	POS	School	Age	Twit	Psn/Sys	Intvw	Ht	Wt	40Est	2023	2024
341	Marcus Tate	G	Clemson	22.3	#74	LG Air Raid bkp	A+++	6-5	315	5.26	3	16
338	Payton Page	DL	Clemson	23.6	#92	DT3T 4-2-5	A+++	6-4	310	5.01	3	15
320	Justin Barron	LB	Syracuse	23.6	#X	OLB 4-2-5	A+++	6-3	226	4.63	2	14
260	Eugene Asante	LB	Auburn	0	#9	OLB Multiple	A+++	6-0	223	4.43	4	13
446	Clarence Lewis	CB	Syracuse	0	#3	CB 4-2-5	A+++	5-11	205	4.49	5	13
451	Akheem Mesidor	DL	Miami		#90	DT3T 4-2-5	A+++	6-2	280	4.78	4	11
247	James Burnip	P	Alabama		#86	P	A+++	6-5	236	4.87	7	11
428	Kneeland Hibbett	LS	Alabama		#48	LS	A+++	6-2	245	4.93	7	11
339	Rivaldo Fairweather	TE	Auburn		#13	TE Multiple	A++	6-3	246	4.72	4	10
355	Marcus Harris	CB	California		#5	CB KR 2-4-5	A+++	5-10	189	4.45	0	10
409	Jeremy Crawshaw	P	Florida		#26	P	A+++	6-4	200	4.78	3	10

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Group 2: Scout Score of 8-9
Bringing in a second EDGE as a RD6-7 or PFA pick even after drafting one in RD3-4 is a great idea, especially if they have upside. I offer you EDGE Johnny Walker Jr. –just don’t drink the whole bottle. “Sacks PLUS Career TFLs Per Game” has always seemed important for the Bills in selecting their EDGEs (Darryl Johnson=1.17, Greg Rousseau=1.03) because it tells them which players are “getting home” –sacking the QB or the ballcarrier , and of the draft class’s five-highest in this metric, Johnny Walker Jr. (1.69) has had the most scout visits. WR Elijhah Badger is a sure-handed and stretches catches. He’s 9th in the FBS in YAC per reception (8.4 yds). He caught 68.8% of his targets in 2023 with a drop rate of only 5%, tying for fifth in the Power 5 with Washington, Leggette, and Pearsall. Known for his versatility, Badger excelled in kick returns, amassing 578 yards, ranking him fifth in the CFB Power 5. WR Justus Ross-Simmons is a Rochester NY native who played at East High School, located 10 minutes from the Bills’ training camp. Ross-Simmons impressed a Bills scout (and Syracuse coaches) with a 4-catch, 88-yard, 2-TD performance in an overtime home win against VaTech after not previously having a target. DL Zeek Biggers could impress as a third or fourth 3-tech; the Bills have shown interest there.

247	Xavier Truss	OT	Georgia		#73	RT Pro Spread	A+++	6-7	309	5.24	5	9
271	Myles Hinton	OT	Michigan		#78	RT Spread Option	A++	6-6	323	5.24	13	9
279	Johnny Walker Jr.	EDGE	Missouri		#75	EDGE Multiple	A+++	6-2	246	4.76	3	9
288	Elijhah Badger	WR	Florida	23.8	#2	WR ‘Y’ KR Pro Style	A++	6-0	200	4.43	2	9
289	Francisco Mauigoa	LB	Miami		#51	ILB 4-2-5	A+++	6-1	233	4.55	4	9
317	Jacolby George	WR	Miami		#3	WRS Pro Spread	A+++	5-10	172	4.34	4	9
358	Justus Ross-Simmons	WR	Syracuse		#2	WR ‘X’ Pro Spread	A+++	6-3	200	4.53	2	9
389	Dominic Lovett	WR	Georgia	22.4	#6	WR ‘Y’ Pro Spread	A+++	5-9	185	4.35	5	9
259	Cody Lindenberg	LB	Minnesota		#45	ILB 4-3	A+++	6-2	236	4.5	2	8
286	Omari Thomas	DL	Tennessee		#21	DT1T 4-2-5	A+++	6-4	320	5.09	2	8
359	Jordan Moore	WR	Duke		#8	WR ‘X’ Pro Spread	A+++	6-0	188	4.54	5	8
401	Kam Alexander	CB	Oregon		#18	CB 4-2-5	A+++	5-10	183	4.45	2	8
412	Beaux Collins	WR	Notre Dame		#80	WR ‘X’ Pro Spread	A+++	6-2	201	4.4	5	8
421	Micah Bernard	RB	Utah	23.4	#2	RB Pro Spread	A+++	5-10	206	4.38	2	8
269	Zeek Biggers	DL	Georgia Tech	0	#88	DT3T 4-2-5	A+++	6-5	321	5.08	2	7

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Group 3: Scout Score of 7 or under:
Some connections here are worth keeping an eye on after the draft. LB Shaun Dolac is a given, having played his college ball right here. Our SW scout, A.J. Highsmith, a graduate of Miami, played S, and undoubtedly saw SS Malik Verdon (“ver-DONN”) while watching Iowa State’s CyHawk game, in which Verdon led all tacklers with 9, with 5 of them solo, to help with a 1-point victory over Iowa. He’s an active, low hole defender that does a nice job in run support. Watch him flying downhill to deliver hard hits. Made a couple of nice plays in coverage too, working against tight ends and taking away seam routes. Like I said, the Bills gave up too many of these kinds of throws in 2024. You have the Baylor connection with EDGE Garmon Randolph, playing in HC Dave Aranda’s 4-2-5 Baylor defense. You can’t miss him, with his towering 6-7 height and presence on the field. He had the second-quickest 3-cone drill (7.16 sec) and tied for the second-longest broad jump (10 ft, 1 in). at the Big 12 Pro Day. Big Boards are WAY too low on this guy. Remember, Bills scout Alonzo Dotson played the same position at Baylor, and Baylor positions him well for adapting to systems similar to McDermott’s, akin to how Baylor’s Terrel Bernard adapted seamlessly and rapidly from Aranda’s system. Then you have the deep LSU connections to SS Major Burns, a standout strong safety coached by current Bills DB Coach Jahmile Addae. He’s most effective playing as a big corner, aligned outside. Known for his physicality and excellence in press-man coverage, he brings swagger and confidence to the field. Other LSU connections include Joe Brady (Offensive Coordinator at LSU), DJ Mangas (almost always his assistant in Brady’s travels), and previous Bills (Reid Ferguson, Fournette, Tre White). Strong Safety Donovan McMillon at Pitt ranked fifth in solo tackles and third in total tackles within the ACC. In one scouted game vs Syracuse, McMillon notched 6 tackles, while against Clemson, he made 7 tackles and a PBU. McMillon has a 3.2 GPA and McDermott will adore his background in high school wrestling. As you remember, Pitt is Damar Hamlin / Dane Jackson country. Beane’s Bills have drafted 11 ACC players, 9 of whom were on defense.

290	Malik Verdon	S	Iowa State	0	#7	SS Multiple	A+++	6-3	218	4.34	1	7
389	Garmon Randolph	EDGE	Baylor		#5	EDGE 4-2-5	A+++	6-6	266	4.74	4	7
390	Kai Kroeger	P	South Carolina		#39	P	A+++	6-3	212	4.73	2	7
391	J.J. Weaver	EDGE	Kentucky		#13	EDGE Multiple	A+++	6-4	251	4.84	2	7
408	Jonah Monheim	C	USC	22.9	#79	OC <-> LG Multiple	A+++	6-4	307	5.21	1	7
420	Taylor Elgersma	QB	Wilfrid Laurier		#18	QB Up-tempo Spread	A+++	6-4	216	5.1	0	7
262	Andrew Armstrong	WR	Arkansas		#2	WR ‘X’ Veer and Shoot	A++	6-4	202	4.45	3	6
385	Major Burns	S	LSU		#8	SS 4-3	A+++	6-1	204	4.47	5	6
403	Danny Striggow	EDGE	Minnesota		#X	EDGE 4-3	A+++	6-4	255	4.79	2	6
405	Gaethan Bernadel	LB	Stanford		#0	ILB 2-4-5	A+++	6-1	227	4.73	1	6
410	Debo Williams	LB	South Carolina		#0	OLB 4-2-5	A+++	6-0	225	4.77	2	6
411	Donovan McMillon	S	Pittsburgh		#3	SS 4-3	A+++	6-1	208	4.52	4	6
416	Dalevon Campbell	WR	South Carolina		#15	WR ‘X’ Multiple	A+++	6-3	220	4.59	2	6
451	Kendy Charles	DL	Duke		#9	DL-3 Multiple	A+++	6-0	287	4.98		6
329	Jordan Watkins	WR	Ole Miss		#11	WRS Pro Spread	A+++	5-11	196	4.32	4	5
345	Ryan Fitzgerald	K	Florida State		#88	K	A+++	6-0	190	4.95	4	5
368	Kyonte Hamilton	DL	Rutgers		#48	Weak-Side EDGE 4-2-5	A+++	6-3	300	5.08	7	5
418	Isas Waxter	CB	Villanova		#0	CB 4-2-5	A+++	6-1	209	4.56	2	5
425	Jared Penning	OT	Northern Iowa		#75	LT Air Raid	A+++	6-4	326	5.32	0	5
322	Carson Bruener	LB	Washington		#42	ILB 4-2-5	A+++	6-0	227	4.53	2	4
233	Shaun Dolac	LB	Buffalo		#52	ILB 4-2-5	A+++	6-0	225	4.55	5	3
263	Nash Hutmacher	DL	Nebraska		#0	DT1T 3-3-5	A+++	6-2	314	5.24	3	3
417	Luke Grimm	WR	Kansas		#11	WRS Multiple	A+++	5-10	190	4.46	1	3
455	Tristian Vandenburg	P	Memphis		#X	P	A+++	6-4	227	5.04	3	3

Editor’s babble: Golden, and I’m not referring to Matthew the WR. Dean Kindig puts an enormous amount of effort into his draft analysis and we are grateful to publish some of it for him. You can also find Dean on Xwitter @TCBILLS_Astro.