Logo of a Division II college football team that plays in the Mountain East Conference, the West Liberty Hilltoppers. Based in West Virginia, the school joined the conference in 2012 after playing in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference as a founding member since 1924. Despite their small college stature, the school has sent a couple of players on to the NFL – Mark Murphy and Lou Piccone.
1978 Topps football card of former pro football receiver Lou Piccone, who played 9 seasons in the NFL for the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. He was mostly a kick returner and special teams player, and earned his way to the league the hard way, making the jump from semi-pro ball. He did manage exactly 100 receptions and 6 receiving touchdowns in his career. Piccone has a street named after him in his hometown of Vineland, New Jersey.
Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane did some maneuvering during the 2024 NFL draft, trading down twice, to improve the team’s positioning in later rounds. He eventually traded completely out of the first round, but was able to add some intriguing players at needed positions. Here’s the list of players chosen:
Round 2A – Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State – a pair of trades took the Bills out of the first round, but with the first pick of round 2 they landed a 6’4 athletic freak to their receiver room. Reportedly a favorite of QB Josh Allen, he has a basketball background and the potential to grow into the # 1 receiver role previously manned by Stefon Diggs.
Round 2B – Cole Bishop, Safety, Utah – with both 2023 starting safeties gone, Beane picks a physical player who is versatile and plays with an edge. Although some analysts pigeon-holed him as strictly a “box safety”, Bishop has shown coverage ability also. He should be given every chance to crack the starting lineup this season.
Round 3 – DeWayne Carter, DT, Duke – Beane’s maneuvers got Buffalo back into the third round after they had previously traded away their pick, and they added to their defensive line rotation depth with Carter, who figures to be Ed Oliver’s backup on the interior line.
Round 4 – Ray Davis, RB, Kentucky – Buffalo’s running back room being a little thin, adding one in the draft was a necessity, but most figured it would be a big, physical, short yardage power back. Davis isn’t big, but at 5’8 and 211 pounds he is plenty physical enough, and also versatile. He’s a terrific receiver, and even led the Wildcats in receiving touchdowns. He might be a perfect complement to James Cook.
Round 5A – Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, C, Georgia – previous starting center Mitch Morse was released as a salary cap casualty, and although there is a plan in place to shift guard Connor McGovern over to center, this was a wise pick as a young replacement will be needed eventually. He was a three year starter for a national championship college program from the SEC, and even has experience blocking for current Bills’ RB James Cook.
Round 5B – Edefuan Ulofoshio, LB, Washington – linebacker depth is another need for the team, and this prospect has plenty of experience as a 6 year player at a program that reached the national title game last season. He should also help add to the special teams, where some key past contributors have departed.
Round 5C – Javon Solomon, Edge, Troy – an undersized raw prospect, but his production, 16 sacks last season, can’t be denied. He’ll be able to learn under the mentorship of veteran Von Miller as his career winds down, and hopefully develop into a future major pass rush contributor.
Round 6A – Tylan Grable, OT, Central Florida – he started at left tackle for UCF, so he has experience, but this may be a development project for the future, as he faces stiff competition from veterans in the O line group. Grable looks like he might be destined for the practice squad to begin his career.
Round 6B – Daequan Hardy, CB, Penn State – he’s undersized and his future is probably as a slot corner, where the Bills currently have one of the NFL’s best in Taron Johnson, but even as a late round pick he has the ability to stick around the league, similar to previous Bill’s late round draftee Dane Jackson. His punt return ability is why he stands a good chance of making the 53 man roster in 2024.
Round 7 – Travis Clayton, OG, International Pathway Program – much like their previous signing of RB Christian Wade a few years back, the Bills take a flyer on a rugby player from England who is extremely athletic for a man his size. He ran a 4.8 40 yard dash at the combine, the fastest time in a decade for a line prospect. The pathway program allows the Bills an extra (17th) player on their practice squad, and that has to be the eventual landing spot for this guy, who has never played a down of American football.
GM Beane wasted no time in lining up undrafted free agents after the three day extravaganza in Detroit ended. Some interesting players added are RB Frank Gore Jr. , whose father had a short stint with the Bills, a couple receivers in Xavier Johnson of Ohio State and Lawrence Keys of Tulane, and an offensive lineman with an appropriate name, Keaton Bills of Utah. They also signed punter Jack Browning of San Diego State, the same school that former draftee Matt Araiza attended.
Used from 1974 until 1992, this is the logo of a college football team that plays in the Sun Belt Conference, the Troy State University Trojans. The program began play in 1909 and has won 3 small college national championships, 23 conference titles and 6 bowl games. Former Trojans who have enjoyed pro careers include Demarcus Ware, Osi Umenyiora, Mario Addison, Lawrence Tynes, Willie Tullis, Steve McClendon, Leodis McKelvin, Sherrod Martin and Elbert Mack.
2006 Bowman football card of former pro wide receiver Lee Evans, who played 12 seasons in the NFL, all but 1 with the Buffalo Bills. He ranks in the top 5 of Bills’ franchise receiving records, yet never was selected to play in the Pro Bowl. His only playoff experience came in his last season with the Baltimore Ravens, and he had a key drop in a playoff game against New England. Evans has spent a lot of his retirement years coaching and mentoring his sons in various sports.
It’s time once again for the NFL draft, and with our 4 man analyst team already having predicted how the first round will go, we turn our attention to the draft roster building predictions of the local heroes, the Buffalo Bills. GM Brandon Beane is faced with the difficult task of replenishing the team after suffering significant losses due to salary cap constraints. Adding to the difficulty is the fact that despite having 10 picks in the draft, 8 of them are day 3 picks in rounds 4-7. An expected compensatory third rounder was inexplicably lowered to the fourth round also. Here are the Rayonsports team’s predictions:
Connor Pohlman – Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas – the Bills decide that speed is the most important quality they need in their new receiver and pick the player who set the new 40 yard standard at the combine.
Bobby Salami III – Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas – Bills fill their glaring need for wide receiver help with a clutch performer known for big plays in big moments.
Scott Prelewicz – Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU – probably the best WR prospect after the “big 3” (Harrison Jr., Odunze and Nabers), he is a favorite of the team’s fan base and would be a great weapon for Josh Allen.
Ray Prelewicz – Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas – see above.
Connor Pohlman – Tyler Nubin, Safety, Minnesota – the best safety available in a weak class, but Nubin is a future starter, and a potential impact player where the Bills need depth.
Bobby Salami III – Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington – BS III has the Bills doubling up on their receiver additions by taking the Huskies’ second best pass catcher, behind top prospect Rome Odunze.
Scott Prelewicz – Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina – like BS III, Scott likes the option of doubling up on receiver help with this high ceiling player.
Ray Prelewicz – Tyler Nubin, Safety, Minnesota – see above.
Connor Pohlman – Audric Estime, RB, Notre Dame – the Bills fill a glaring need for a bigger, short yardage power back.
Bobby Salami III – T’Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas – Bills’ run stuffers on the current roster are aging veterans, so an infusion of youth (and massive size) is a good option.
Scott Prelewicz – Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Safety, Texas Tech – durable safety who led his team in interceptions the last 3 seasons.
Ray Prelewicz – Gabriel Murphy, Edge, UCLA – a polished, versatile and athletic pass rusher who analysts have wildly different ratings about.
Connor Pohlman – Jalyx Hunt, Edge, Houston Baptist – a diamond-in-the-rough pass rusher from a small school is the pick here. GM Brandon Beane does like his dark horse unknown players.
Bobby Salami III – Malik Mustapha, Safety, Wake Forest – safety is a position of need for the Bills and a mid-round player with experience against ACC competition is a solid choice.
Scott Prelewicz – Mohamed Kamara, Edge, Colorado State – another pass rush prospect with a high ceiling that is a solid pick in round 4.
Ray Prelewicz – Mekhi Wingo, DT, LSU – an undersized interior defensive lineman who will be a bit of a project but should be an adequate depth piece.
Connor Pohlman – Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida State – a huge receiver built more like a tight end, he is a big target in the red zone and on 50/50 balls who should help Allen.
Bobby Salami III – Jonah Elliss, Edge, Utah – a high motor edge rusher with a big upside who will need some development at the next level.
Scott Prelewicz – Jarvis Brownlee Jr., CB, Louisville – a bit of an undersized cornerback, he will likely transition to a strictly slot corner at the next level. Good player to develop behind Taron Johnson.
Ray Prelewicz – Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida State – see above.
Connor Pohlman – Kalen King, CB, Penn State – another CB prospect. He lacks big time speed but has excellent instincts and excels in both man and zone coverage.
Bobby Salami III – Isaac Guerendo, RB, Louisville – another power back option for Beane to consider. He has moved up draft boards recently.
Scott Prelewicz – Christian Jones, OT, Texas – very experienced offensive lineman who has desirable measurables. GM Beane likes to dabble in late round offensive line prospects.
Ray Prelewicz – Isaac Guerendo, RB, Louisville – see above.
Connor Pohlman – James Williams, Safety, Miami (Fl) – a high end prospect who has dropped into the later rounds, mostly because he’s built like a linebacker.
Bobby Salami III – M.J. Devonshire, CB, Pittsburgh – led the Panthers in interceptions, and is a similar prospect to former Bill Dane Jackson.
Scott Prelewicz – Will Shipley, RB, Clemson – not the power back type most analysts see the Bills going after, but an intriguing option as a receiving threat out of the backfield. Could even be an option as a slot receiver.
Ray Prelewicz – Josh Newton, CB, TCU – a tough competitor who lacks speed but makes up for it with football intelligence.
Connor Pohlman – Hunter Nourzad, IOL, Penn State – a versatile offensive lineman who can play all spots, he would be considered firstly as a candidate to play center, where the Bills can use some depth.
Bobby Salami III – Caeden Wallace, OT, Penn State – as a fifth year senior he is an experienced player who played almost exclusively at right tackle for the Nittany Lions.
Scott Prelewicz – Justin Eboigbe, DT, Alabama – strong interior defensive lineman with a high motor who is technically sound and has a good chance to thrive at the next level.
Ray Prelewicz – Khristian Boyd, DT, Northern Iowa – another of GM Beane’s favorites – a late round small school prospect with lots of upside.
Connor Pohlman – M.J. Devonshire, CB, Pittsburgh – see above.
Bobby Salami III – Erick All, TE, Iowa – tight end is not a position of need for Buffalo but with a late round pick a tight end from Iowa is a really good gamble.
Scott Prelewicz – James Williams, Safety, Miami (Fl) – see above.
Ray Prelewicz – Kitan Oladapo, Safety, Oregon State – his strength is position versatility, which the Bills covet. He can play safety or any of the cornerback spots.
Connor Pohlman – Fabien Lovett, DT, Florida State – a strong run stuffer with the ability to fight off one on one blocks. Another high motor prospect.
Bobby Salami III – Gabriel Murphy, Edge, UCLA – see above.
Scott Prelewicz – Ryan Flournoy, WR, Southeast Missouri State – a late blooming prospect who shined at the Senior Bowl and the combine who is an interesting player from a small school.
Ray Prelewicz – Dylan McMahon, IOL, North Carolina State -a college center who is somewhat on the small side, he had great numbers at the combine, and could be an NFL caliber player if he bulks up.
Logo of a pro football team that played in the old World Football League, the Portland Thunder. The team began play in 1974 as the Portland Storm, but changed their name in ’75, their only year with that name. The league only made it through half a season in ’75 before folding. Hall of Fame tackle Ron Mix was the club’s general manager, and they were coached by Dick Coury, a former Denver Bronco assistant. One standout player for the team was running back Rufus “Roadrunner” Ferguson, while the short-lived franchise also had a couple of aging former AFL veterans on the roster – QB Pete Beathard and DE Ben Davidson.
1989 Topps football card of former pro wide receiver Chris Burkett, who played 9 years in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. He totaled 292 receptions and 19 touchdowns in his career. Burkett is currently the Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi, and also is the founder and CEO of chrisburkettsports.
The NFL’s annual college player draft is right around the corner, and once again our team of crack analysts at Rayonsports.com, Connor Pohlman, Robert Salami III, Scott Prelewicz and Ray Prelewicz are here to predict the entire 32 pick first round, scheduled for Thursday, April 25th. No trades are allowed, other than the ones already consummated. Here are the Rayonsports team’s choices:
Alabama is the leading school for first rounders in our mock draft with 4, followed by Washington, Texas and LSU with 3 each. There are 3 “Juniors” in the draft, and I don’t mean underclassmen.
Coming soon, our expert panel drops their predictions on a seven round mock draft for the local club, the Buffalo Bills.
Logo of a football team that plays in the new spring league, the United Football League, the Michigan Panthers. The team comes over from the newest version of the USFL, which merged into Duane “The Rock” Johnson’s new version. The logo is a slight modernization of the Panthers’ logo from the original USFL of the 1980s. Some current Panther players are QBs E.J. Perry and Danny Etling, WR Marcus Simms and RB Wes Hills.