The 2021 NFL Draft wrapped up on Saturday evening with the Buffalo Bills adding eight new players to the group via the three-day event in Cleveland, Ohio.
Buffalo got its draft started by adding a potential steal with the 30th overall pick in edge rusher Greg Rousseau out of the University of Miami. The 21-year-old managed to have a monster season in 2019 with 15.5 sacks in 13 games, which was second in the nation behind Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young, who went second overall to the Washington Football Team in the 2020 NFL Draft. However, he sat out the 2020 college football season due to COVID-19 concerns and to prepare himself for the 2021 draft.
Day 2 saw the Bills add another pass rusher in Carlos "Boogie" Basham Jr. with the 61st overall pick in the second round out of Wake Forest University. Then in Round 3, the Bills added size to the offensive line with the selection of offensive tackle Spencer Brown with the 93rd overall pick.
Then on Saturday, Buffalo added a total of five more players between Rounds 5-7, including two more offensive linemen, a wide receiver, and two additions to the Buffalo secondary.
However, the work was not done for Bills general manager Brandon Beane, as the team officially exercised the fifth-year options for both quarterback Josh Allen and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds on Monday.
With the draft and the fifth-year option deadline in the rearview mirror, the Bills now set their focus on offseason workouts, as preparations continue for the upcoming 2021 season in Orchard Park.
Beane took some time on Tuesday to join the "Howard and Jeremy Show" on WGR to recap the 2021 NFL Draft that was for his team, plus the fifth-year options for both Allen and Edmunds, and more.
Here is some of what he had to say:
Beane on trying to predict how the first round of the NFL Draft will pan out:
"It's much harder to predict [in the top-10] than, say, the year we picked Ed [Oliver] at [No. 9 overall]. You get into the late 20s and definitely into the 30s, there's just so many things that can happen, especially in that Round 1, because there's just runs on positions. The quarterbacks go, the tackles go, the [elite] corners like [Jaycee] Horn and [Patrick Surtain II]. You run different scenarios, we did mocks, and they came up different every time. It's hard to predict, but we do have an idea of how many guys it takes for us to have first round grades to get a guy."
Beane on extending fifth-year options for both Josh Allen and Tremaine Edmunds:
"The math has been very hard here. This new [collective bargaining agreement]; when we took those guys back in '18, the projected rate [for Allen] was around $18 million and Tremaine around $9 million. Now you're talking $27 [million], and if we don't have the pandemic, the cap was supposed to be well into the $200 [million range], probably $215-$220 [million]. You add the CBA change to where that '18 draft class became the class that it's based on Pro Bowl and various recognitions that you can increase your numbers. So Tremaine's number went from $9-something [million] to $12.8 [million], and Josh went from $18 [million] to $23 [million]. That's a big difference anyway, and then you add the fact that the cap went the other way has made it a tighter constraint."
Beane on the possibility of contract extensions for Allen and Edmunds before the 2021 season:
"I think there's ways to do it. I can't tell you it would definitely happen. It's not easy to get both of them under the cap. We may have to convert some signing bonus for one of our other players to get it in; There's some ways we can get creative if we feel like there's a possibility to sign one or both of them. We'll see how that plays out later into the summer."
Beane on the addition of Rousseau and Basham with the first two picks in the 2021 NFL Draft:
"I was not anticipating us drafting two pass rushers or two defensive ends in the top-two or three rounds. I had hoped that it would work out to get one to add to the group. We obviously drafted A.J. [Epenesa] last year and believe he's on pace. He's here training and looks really good. We're excited with where he's at, but we [stuck to] our board and took both of these guys. We're excited to have them and it's going to be great competition when we get to training camp. The best ones will survive, and we'll make those decisions once we get down to the 53 in September."
Beane on adding to the offensive line at the draft:
"A critical piece [to the offensive line] is having that backup swing tackle. We added Ty Nsekhe a couple of years ago, played here and there for us, more of a backup than a pure starter, but obviously Ty left. ... We needed to come out of this draft with a tackle somewhere that we felt that whatever round it was, first round, fourth round or wherever, that if something happens to Dion Dawkins or Daryl Williams that we have someone here we can plug and play."
Beane on adding more size in the trenches on offense and defense:
"We believe in size. We believe getting guys with length, especially on the edges. Whether it's defensive end or offensive tackle, it worked out for our first four picks that we got prototype-size guys."
Beane on the addition of Marquez Stevenson and more speed to the roster:
"There were some guys in this draft that had some explosive speed that just when we were on the board, they weren't there. They had either already been picked, or we had their value down. Marquez Stevenson is a guy, though, that is explosive. His 40-time was in the 4.4s, but he plays in the 4.3s. He even told me that he's been clocked in the 4.3s, but when you see him run and whether he's returning or catching a quick screen, nobody's catches him. He's got very good play speed."
Beane on the confidence he has in the cornerbacks on the roster:
"I'm very confident in those guys. If I wasn't, we would have moved around and made sure we didn't leave [the draft] without a corner.
"Levi [Wallace has] been here and done everything we've asked. I thought Dane [Jackson] and the opportunities he had; it wasn't too big for him. He's got a natural feel out there, he fits our defense, great communicator, has got ball skills. I'm confident in those guys, but I'm always looking. It's not just corner. There's other positions I'm still going to be looking."
You can listen to the entire interview below: