Will the Bills make it a three-peat in the third round of the NFL Draft in 2021 by selecting another running back?
It seems unlikely but, at minimum, they’ve gone back-to-back in doing so over the last two years. After plucking Devin Singletary off the board in 2019, the recent draft saw Zack Moss fall into the team’s lap.
On paper, it looks like a perfect 1-2 combo. Singletary, the shifty, quick back… Moss, the bruising force out of Buffalo’s backfield. But throughout the early stages of his career, albeit just training camp practice, Moss has shown he’s much of what we thought he was… and then some.
Moss certainly has shown an ability to get between the tackles and follow blocks up the middle, the tape shows that. The rookie has started to show that this week with the Bills as well as The Athletic noted a few runs Moss ripped off in practice over 10-plus yards, one of which went to the house for a score during live, full hitting, 11-on-11 drills. Moss, chatting via video conference on Thursday, further cemented what we thought about him and have seen from him during practice, too.
Following that session, Moss revealed exactly what helps his prowess in between the tackles. There’s about 600 reasons why Moss is hard guy to bring down, because he said he can squat 600 pounds “a few times” in the gym. Wowza.
“I try to come out and I try to set the tone from the jump and things like that. I try to make it a hard tackle,” Moss said.
Again, that’s what the scouting reports told us already. Throughout the course of training camp thus far, we’ve seen a familiar story unfold in Buffalo’s backfield, one that’s good news. At 2019’s training camp, Singletary showed he’s more than just an agile guy but he’s quick enough to make it up the middle. In addition, Singletary turned into a valuable pass-catching target out of the backfield.
That’s the similarity right there.
Not only is Moss displaying he can churn out a few tough yards, his hands have been awfully impressive. During one of the earlier days of camp practices this week, Moss had an excellent grab down the sideline on a wheel route:
Josh Allen drops a dime to Zack Moss
@WKBW pic.twitter.com/Q0Mo7jKJu3
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) August 18, 2020
During his final season at Utah in 2019, Moss had 28 receptions for 388 yards. So while it might come as a surprise to Buffalo that Moss has some strong hands, it’s not one for him.
“I was able to do a lot of good things in college when it came to catching the ball out of the backfield and things like that. I’m definitely trying to continue to grow in that aspect of my game to be another weapon in the offense over the years and things like that. I think I do a pretty good job on catching the ball, but I want to continue to get better at that for sure,” Moss said.
Moss followed up his thoughts on his pass-catching ability by saying he’s not worried about those pre-draft scouting reports or anyone who says he’s just a one-trick pony in the NFL. Moss is just ready to contribute to the Bills offense.
“Everyone has their opinions,” Moss said. “Just trying to go out there and be the best I can be.”
Pointing out Moss and his other skills isn’t just an effort at a fluffy, nice kind of article about him. This is an important aspect for both of Buffalo’s backs. Singletary thrived as a rookie because he showed a versatile skill set. If the Bills have two guys like that? It could spell trouble for opposing defenses. Just compare that to last year’s Singletary-Frank Gore tandem. One of the NFL’s greats, Gore’s skills in Buffalo’s playbook became limited down the stretch. Opponents sat on his carries, knowing he couldn’t get to the outside like he was earlier in the season. It made him ineffective.
If both Singletary and Moss stay healthy, won’t be the case for the Bills in 2020.
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