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.
1955 Topps All American football card of former college and pro halfback Tom Harmon, who played 2 seasons in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams. After a stellar college career, he was the first overall pick of the NFL draft by the Chicago Bears, but never played for them. He entered the military and became a World War II hero, as a pilot in the Army Air Corps. After his short Rams’ career, he dabbled in acting and had a long career as a sports broadcaster. Harmon died of a heart attack at the age of 70 in 1990. His son Mark is a well known Hollywood actor.
Part 4 of our annual Bills’ season review is always my favorite. It’s where I get to play pretend general manager, and give my thoughts on how the team can improve going into the following season. I’ll take into account that Brandon Beane can’t afford any high-priced free agents and will have to work some salary cap magic again, but try to best fill the team’s needs using both free agency and the draft. The positions listed are where I think they need help.
Let’s get on with this yearly exercise:
James Cook is established as the Bills’ top back, and they would be wise to re-sign Ty Johnson to back him up, but there is still a need for another runner, preferably a bigger, hard-running short yardage back. The running back market has been undervalued recently, but even so, the prize runner in this year’s class is Derrick Henry. He is not in Buffalo’s price range, and there aren’t any bigger backs in the free agent bargain bin, so the draft, probably in the later rounds, is where the team will have to find the type they want. Braelon Allen of Wisconsin is a mid-round prospect who fits the bill. at 6’2 and 235 lbs. he has the size, and his draft profile describes him as a “violent” runner. He played safety in high school so he isn’t afraid of contact for sure. Another power back slated to be drafted late day 2 or early day 3 is Ohio State’s Miyan Williams. He’s tough to bring down, but his draft profile also claims he has “subtle shiftiness”.
This is the biggest offensive area of need for GM Beane to address this offseason. He brought in a couple of bargain FAs last year in Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty, but they’ll need to upgrade from them going into next season. There are some big name free agents hitting the market – Tee Higgins, Mike Evans, Tyler Boyd – I don’t see any of them signing here. A couple of lower cost possibilities are Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Darnell Mooney, but in my opinion they would be better off trying to re-sign one of their own, Gabe Davis. He has been inconsistent but at least he’s a known commodity that Josh Allen has familiarity and has had success with. The Bills pick 28th in the first round of the college draft and most observers see them using that pick, and probably another on day 2, on adding to the receiver corps. Two intriguing names fall into that range on various “mock drafts”. Brian Thomas Jr. from LSU is a big wideout at 6’4 and 205 lbs. who is a mismatch for smaller cornerbacks. He has tremendous speed, a great catch radius and is a big play threat on long throws. The other name is Oregon’s Troy Franklin. He has good size at 6’2 and may be the fastest player in this draft. He excels on double moves and is definitely a deep threat, who also possesses great hands. Looking at day 2 of the draft, where the Bills have pick 60 and a compensatory pick that figures to be 99 or 100, there are some other receivers who project to be solid pros. Texas’ Xavier Worthy is a natural playmaker who also has elite speed, and a knack for setting up defenders, and can play both outside and in the slot. Johnny Wilson from Florida State is an interesting player. He is massive for a wideout at 6’7 and 240 lbs., which is basically tight end size. Of course that gives him a wide wingspan and great catch radius who high-points the ball exceptionally well. His long strides make him a deep threat also, with running back yards after the catch ability. There are other names to watch in this range, including Jalen McMillan of Washington, Louisville’s Jamari Thrash, Malachi Corley of Western Kentucky, Michigan’s Roman Wilson and Luke McCaffrey from Rice, who has great NFL bloodlines.
With Ed Oliver being the only interior defensive lineman signed for 2024, Buffalo will have to add players at that spot. Again, one of their own – DaQuan Jones – should be a top priority to get re-signed. After big-ticket players like Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins, the free agent pickings are slim. With glaring needs at other positions it’s unlikely the Bills would use a high draft choice on the D-line, but if a prospect like Texas nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat fell to them in the second round, they would have to consider it. At 6’4 and 346 lbs. he is a massive space eater who would immediately upgrade the run defense. They will more than likely target later round players like Tyler Davis of Clemson, Jordan Jefferson from LSU and North Carolina’s Myles Murphy.
With both Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer starting to age out (Hyde is also a free agent) and Taylor Rapp hitting free agency, safety is another hot spot for Buffalo. Like running back, the safety position was undervalued in last year’s free agency period. If that happens again, Beane should look at 3 top players on the market. They are Antoine Winfield Jr., whose father played for the Bills, Jeremy Chinn of the Panthers and New England’s Kyle Dugger. All 3 figure to be coveted but if their asking price is within the Bills’ cap range they should be aggressive. In the draft, the Bills could easily use a high day 2 pick on a safety, maybe even their first rounder if the receiver group dries up. Players worth picking in the second round are USC’s Calen Bullock and Utah’s Cole Bishop. Bullock has good size and leaping ability, and is perfectly capable of covering speedy wide receivers. Like Bullock, Bishop has good size, is athletic and has the ball skills to create turnovers. He’s also a willing tackler in run support.
There aren’t any corners worth paying on the free agent market, so the Bills may look to add depth here in the later rounds of the draft. They’re not totally lacking in talent at CB but Tre White’s injury uncertainty and the fact that Dane Jackson is a free agent means some bodies will need to be added to the training camp roster. In the third day rounds, some possibilities include Cam Hart of Notre Dame, Auburn’s Nehemiah Pritchett, Elijah Jones of Boston College, and an interesting name, Louisville’s Storm Duck.
I lumped this all into a single category since I think the Bills should add competition at punter, placekicker and kickoff/punt returner. There’s always the possibility they bring back former draft choice Matt Araiza to compete for the punting job, now that he is clear of any criminal charges. Any other punter or kicker brought into camp will be an unknown undrafted guy so we won’t bother naming players. As for return specialists, Texas WR Worthy adds punt return ability to his resume, as does Texas A&M’s Ainias Smith. Penn State cornerback Daequan Hardy returned 17 punts for an almost 15 yard average, with 2 touchdowns.
Logo of an FCS level college football team that plays in the Big South Conference, the Kennesaw State University Owls. A fairly new program that came into existence in 2015, the school has won 3 conference titles and made 4 playoff appearances. The first game they ever played in the fall of 2015 was a rousing success, as they hammered East Tennessee State 56-16. In 2023, defensive lineman Travis Bell became the first Owl to be drafted by the NFL when the Chicago Bears took him in the seventh round.