If C.J. Spiller’s right about last year’s results making the Bills close to being a Super Bowl team, two rookies will be in position to help them take the final steps.
In a look at the team’s 2012 draft choices heading into training camp, the Bills’ website mentions cornerback Stephon Gilmore and left tackle Cordy Glenn, the team’s first and second-round draft choices, both spent the spring working as starters. That’s not much of a surprise with Gilmore. The Bills cut Drayton Florence and had a huge hole opposite Aaron Williams in the starting lineup that the 10th overall pick was expected to fill the moment Roger Goodell announced his name.
Glenn’s rapid rise was a bit less expected. He only made 18 starts at left tackle during his days at Georgia and there was a lot of debate heading into the draft about what position best suited Glenn in the NFL. Glenn’s upside is definitely higher than Chris Hairston’s, though, and he took all the starting reps during OTAs and minicamp. Hairston should still put up a fight during training camp, but this seems like a battle the Bills want Glenn to win and one the website thinks he will with a “strong” camp.
Cornerback and left tackle are two of the more important positions on the field, so there’s definitely a risk involved with handing the jobs to rookies from day one. Gilmore and Glenn wouldn’t be in Buffalo if the team already had great options at those spots, though, and their ability to hit the ground running will go a long way toward determining if the Bills wind up making Spiller look like one of the characters from Minority Report.