Clemson came up a bit short in the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday night, with only one player selected.
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“I’m glad I got Buffalo picking me”. “And when I got that call from NY, I knew I was coming to Buffalo and it’s just been a great city”.
The comfort level was also apparent when he met with Ryan and team officials at the scouting combine at Indianapolis in February. “I’m sure there are some things I can clean up, but I’m just ready to work”. “They were talking to me about football”.
With Bills GM Doug Whaley announcing that Lawson steps in as a starter opposite Jerry Hughes on the defensive line, it sure seems like this draft pick is a flawless fit. Prior to the draft, the team saw veteran defensive end Mario Williams depart, the hiring of Rex’s brother, Rob, and a growing number of questions regarding the roster moving forward.
Here’s what Kiper said about Lawson going to the Bears. “So I knew what I had to do”.
At Clemson, Lawson wasn’t a full-time starter in his first two seasons. “(Rex’s) mind is going insane on different ways he can use him”.
Lawson paced the entire NCAA last season in tackles for a loss (25.5), which helped fuel Clemson leading the nation in the same statistic for the third straight season. The consensus All-American was among the top in the country when it comes to tackles for loss and sacks. Most people think Lynch was the most raw prospect of the top quarterbacks, but he should fit in well to Gary Kubiak’s system and don’t count out the chance of him starting on opening night. So the Bills taking Lawson with their first pick shouldn’t come as a surprise.
So, what are the Bills exactly getting in Lawson, and what type of player can fans expect to see? If you’re looking for a comparison for Lawson, players like James Harrison, Adalius Thomas, Calvin Pace or even Terrell Suggs.
The Tennessee Titans has selected Clemson Tigers outside linebacker (OLB) Kevin Dodd in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft with the 33rd Overall pick.
Dodd is the third Clemson player selected by the Titans in the past six years, following 2011 fourth-round pick Jamie Harper and 2012 fourth-round pick Coty Sensabaugh.
The Bills are coming off an 8-8 finish in which they extended the NFL’s longest active playoff drought to 16 seasons. He committed to Clemson as a four-star recruit, but his freshman grades brought down his GPA too much, so he headed to Hargrave Military academy for a year of prep school. The Titans ranked 12th in yards allowed but just 27th in points given up. They did a great job solidifying the linebacking corps in free agency and Lawson helps them on the edge.
Ryan has accepted some of the blame by saying he made the mistake of attempting to meld his system with the one the Bills used under former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz in 2014. This season is a prove-it year for Ryan.
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Lawson was a popular choice in the Buffalo draft room for a number of reasons. He would play as a defensive end for Buffalo, and make his occasional short drops into coverage, but he’s not going to be as good as Jerry Hughes in this role, let alone as good as a true linebacker.
