It isn’t every day multiple offensive linemen are on the same commercial flight, but that’s what happened when three Buffalo Bills rookies were on their way to minicamp this weekend.
Third round offensive tackle Spencer Brown, who stands at 6-foot-8 and weighs 315 pounds, recounted the story when speaking with the Buffalo media on a Zoom conference call Thursday. At the terminal, he couldn’t help but notice a “big, tatted-up dude walking through the crowd.”
That “big, tatted-up dude” was offensive guard Jack Anderson, who was taken in the seventh round out of Texas Tech. He stands in at 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, by the way.
When the two connected, they then spotted offensive tackle Tommy Doyle, the 6-foot-8, 326-pound lineman out of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. The Bills drafted him in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Unsurprisingly, Brown says it wasn’t easy for them to get comfortable on the flight.
“We got on the smallest plane I’ve ever been on,” Brown said. “I was next to an old, nice lady. It was a small plane, so I was taking up 80% of the aisle. Jack had the same thing going on, and Tommy had the exit row right away, but it was like musical chairs there for a bit."
Fortunately, they were able to last from Chicago to Buffalo, and as a result, Doyle was able to take a legendary rookie photo. Notice, he’s wearing his full uniform.
Talk about being excited for the first day of school.
In addition to meeting each other, the three relatively nondescript rookies also encountered "Bills Mafia" — and were floored. Brown, the 93rd overall pick out of Northern Iowa, is probably the most well-known player of the group, which is to say, not very known at all.
Still, they were recognized by a small continent of Bills fans during their layover at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Brown can only imagine what it will be like in September.
“It’s awesome,” Brown said. “The Buffalo fan base is super genuine and one of the best fan bases out there and that’s what I’m seeing right now and it’s the beginning phase.”
All three of Brown, Doyle and Anderson were announced as part of the 24-man roster that will take part in this weekend's rookie minicamp.