Countdown To Kickoff : 2023 NFL Draft

The 2022 NFL draft is over and the UB Football season is 82 days away. This seems like the proper time to talk about the 2023 NFL draft, right?

As I see it right now, Buffalo has three players who may and up piquing some interest in the later rounds of next year's NFL draft if they have career years.

James Patterson

Patterson is hoping to join his twin brother by playing on Sundays after being Buffalo’s top linebacker and a team leader for several years.

He’s very slightly undersized for an NFL middle linebacker but has shown great instincts and awareness to quickly find the ball and navigate through traffic to put himself in a position to make a play.

He also has a great sense of where he should be in space, which is useful on defenses where the middle linebacker is expected to pick up zone coverage like the Tampa-2.

To really pique some interest he’s going to have to show a bit more of an ability to push around fullbacks, tight ends, and linemen this year.

Quian Williams

Williams may have the best chance of getting drafted coming out of Buffalo this year. The EMU transfer was projected by some to be ranked in the top 25 slot receivers in this past NFL draft, and that was after just one year at a new school with a new coach and system.

Provided Williams has a year as good or better than last he should be getting some looks in the later rounds. If the Bulls' offense can get things together this season he looks to be the main receiving threat and will have a chance to show scouts what he can do.

Elijah Blades

Blades is another transfer to this year's team. The grad student/cornerback comes to Buffalo from Florida where he spent one season as a cornerback, playing three games for the Gators.

Before that he was at Texas A&M where he made six starts for the Aggies, finishing the season with 19 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and three pass breakups.

At one point Blades was the no. 4 ranked JUCO player in the country.

Buffalo has a lot of need in the secondary so Elijah is going to get a heavy dose of work this season. with the time on the field he does have a chance to show NFL scouts he belongs.