Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has a strong track record when it comes to selecting quality players in the first round of the annual NFL Draft, with one of his more under-the-radar hits coming at the tail-end of 2021’s premier round. The team selected Miami defensive end Greg Rousseau—then viewed as a trait-sy ‘boom or bust’ prospect—with the 30th overall pick, taking a swing on the 6-foot-7 pass-rusher who flashed on his limited collegiate tape. The selection has paid dividends thus far; Rousseau hasn’t necessarily been a worldbeater, but he’s been stout, immediately establishing himself as one of the team’s best run defenders while providing occasional production as a pass-rusher to the tune of 17 career sacks.
What made Buffalo’s selection of Rousseau so interesting at the time was the fact that he was available; the pass-rusher had been highly touted after a redshirt freshman season in which he notched 15.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. He opted out of the COVID-impacted 2020 season, however, giving prognosticators a year to pick through his tape with a fine-tooth comb and hyperanalyze flaws that, in hindsight, were likely not as detrimental as they initially seemed. He likely should’ve been selected significantly earlier than the 30th overall pick, and if the draft were held today, he would almost certainly be a top-20 pick.
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The sentiment has been reflected in The 33rd Team’s recent 2021 NFL Re-Draft, as Rousseau goes to the Miami Dolphins at pick No. 18. Buffalo ultimately selects then-South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn at pick No. 30 in the Marcus Mosher-penned re-draft; the defensive back was initially selected by the Carolina Panthers at pick No. 8.
“The Buffalo Bills hoped Kaiir Elam would develop into a No. 1 cornerback, but that never happened,” Mosher wrote. “Jaycee Horn has shown that type of ability but needs to stay on the field. He’s appeared in just 22 games in three seasons but has all the talent in the world to be an elite player.”
Horn, as Mosher notes, has shown flashes of being an elite cornerback, but various injuries have plagued him throughout his three professional seasons (he’s been limited to just 22 games). He’s tallied 13 pass deflections and four interceptions in those contests; per PFF, he’s allowed just 0.83 yards per coverage snap over the past two seasons, good for eighth among cornerbacks.
Adding a potentially elite defender like Horn to a Buffalo cornerback group that also includes Rasul Douglas, Christian Benford, and Kaiir Elam would be nice, but not at the expense of Rousseau. Buffalo got this selection right on the first go-around—thankfully, re-drafts are simply a fun offseason exercise and not reality.
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