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It’s no secret that the Buffalo Bills need defensive line help, and Bills general manager Brandon Beane was asked about it in Indianapolis during his media availability at the NFL Scouting Combine.
What followed was a lengthy response, but the point is clear — Beane knows there are a variety of ways to build a defensive line, but diversity is key.
“You start with, you know, what are their measurables? What does this guy look like? What are his features? Arm length, size, what does he do best? Is he best as a rusher?” Beane said when explaining his process. “Is this a guy you want to line up in a three tech role and get a get a one-on-one against a guard? Is he just a power straight up ass kicker? He’s going to walk his guy back into the pocket. Maybe he’s not going to flip his hips, but he’s going to condense the pocket and push the guard or the center into the quarterback’s lap.”
“There’s so many variables that that these guys have. And again, we started this process last night. The defense is here first, so those are the guys we talked to,” Beane continued. “And we definitely talked some huge guys, you know, and some guys who are a little more undersized, but they’re excellent rushers. So you want different pieces for different games. You don’t want to always just be able to have run stuffers and nobody can get to the quarterback, but you can’t just have a slew of guys that can’t stop the run when it’s December, it’s cold, it’s snowing, and guys are just going to line up in the backfield.”
Beane’s answer is illuminating. First, his approach to defensive tackle is clear — he wants variety in his group. Looking at his draft picks in his tenure with the Buffalo Bills, here are the players and the measurements of the defensive tackles that he has selected:
Harrison Philips – 6032, 307 lbs
Ed Oliver – 6017, 287 lbs
Boogie Basham – 6032, 274 lbs
DeWayne Carter – 6023, 303 lbs
What Beane has not selected so far in his time in Buffalo is a very large human that eats up double teams, can shed, can stuff the run, and singlehandedly stop what opposing offenses are trying to do. When he mentions that they talked to some huge guys, he’s not kidding — this year’s draft class has a ton of defensive tackles, and some of them are in the 330 lbs range, like Kenneth Grant, Alfred Collins, and Jamaree Caldwell.
If he thinks his defensive tackle group needs variety, then a big fella might be what this group is after. No matter what they’re looking for, this draft has it, and the Bills will likely we welcome at least one new name into the defensive tackle group.
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