By Anthony Licciardi
Can we talk about the disaster that is ESPN’s positional rankings? Jeremy Fowler and company did an excellent job of aggregating and contextualizing data, but nothing has dampened my confidence in NFL decision makers quite like reading their takes on current players.
For the top 10 off-ball linebackers, size and speed reigned supreme. Skill did not.
Former first-rounders Devin White and Tremaine Edmunds ranked fourth and seventh, respectively. Both are widely known as bastions of potential, the prototype for the next generation of linebackers. Yet both have failed to live up to the expectations the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills set for them on draft night.
There’s just something about overrating players that rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it’s the idea of being misled or some superiority complex, thinking I know better than league executives. Perhaps I just feel bad about those that get underrated while others get false praise.
As Edmunds gets his flowers, his partner in crime, Matt Milano, flies under the radar.
Don’t get it twisted. Matt Milano is the X-Factor for the Bills and the cog to the machine that is Sean McDermott’s defense.
Milano’s skill set in coverage is as well-documented as it is important. Last year, he allowed a 71.9 passer rating when targeted and a 55.2% completion percentage.
Edmunds? He scuffled to a 106.1 passer rating against and a 78% completion percentage.
Furthermore, Pro Football Focus ranked Milano as the 19th best linebacker in football last year. Edmunds ranked 61st among 87 qualifiers.
Of course, neither PFF or coverage statistics should be taken as gospel, but they help tell the story of what’s really going on up in Buffalo.
Bills Mafia deserves better than to be gaslit by league employees looking up the 2018 draft class on Wikipedia.
Milano’s versatility and processing skills have allowed him to take on critical coverage assignments year after year, even with more athletic defenders alongside him. He’s the brain of the front seven and a pest for opposing quarterbacks.
The Bills are FanDuel’s favorite to go to (+350) and win (+650) the Super Bowl. The hype is driven by the offense, but it takes more than a quarterback to take down Patrick Mahomes and the gauntlet of AFC quarterbacks.
It’s possible Buffalo moves on from Milano after the year due to cap constraints, but while he’s there, he allows them to remain flexible in their coverage calls and strong up front. Him and Edmunds are one of the best linebacking duos in football. Just make sure you know which one is driving the bus.