The Bills have taken running backs in the third round of the last two drafts and they signed Matt Breida in free agency, but General Manager Brandon Beane isn’t taking the position off the table at the top of this year’s draft.
Beane was asked about using the No. 30 pick on a running back during a press conference on Tuesday. Beane said he’s not going into the draft with the thought that the team has “to find some back here in the top few rounds,” but that he’s open to one if they bring a different set of skills than Devin Singletary and Zack Moss.
“What does his skill set have in comparison to what we have on the roster?” Beane said, via Matt Parrino of NewYorkUpstate.com. “Is this player going to do something . . . I don’t think either one of our backs are home run hitters, so is there an elite trait that this guy has and says, ‘Man, he’s got something we don’t have.’ That’s probably the conversation, versus, ‘OK, are we going to take the same type of back as Devin, are we gonna take the same type of back as Zack? Because even those two guys have different skill sets.”
Travis Etienne averaged more than seven yards a carry and scored 78 touchdowns while at Clemson, which may make him the best fit as a home run threat if he’s around when the Bills make their first selection.