Bills Take Smart Gamble on Former NFL Draft Bust

Entering the 2017 NFL Draft, Western Kentucky guard Forrest Lamp was pretty much viewed as a sure thing. He absolutely dominated weaker competition with the Hilltoppers, and most draft analysts believed he'd step into the NFL and do the same right away. While he was picked near the top of the second round by the Los Angeles Chargers, Lamp never found much success with the team.

He missed his entire rookie season and was limited to just seven appearances as a sophomore in 2019. Though he finally played a 16-game campaign in 2020, the results were not encouraging, and Lamp was eventually released. He's since found a new home with the Buffalo Bills, though.

This is yet another fantastic low-risk, high-reward gamble from general manager Brandon Beane.

Lamp received some pretty atrocious grades from ProFootballFocus in 2020. He had an overall grade of 49.4 and a run-blocking grade of 42.8. Among qualified guards, Lamp was the second-worst overall player at the position and the worst run blocker.

But those grades can be subjective. And Lamp was only charged with one penalty and two sacks allowed in 1,174 snaps. Obviously, that's a lot better than his grades would lead you to believe.

Taking a gamble on a 27-year-old former second-round pick is a smart move. And Bills fans don't need to look back too far to see a similar gamble that paid off in a big way.

Last offseason, Beane signed Darryl Williams, a very talented lineman who was coming off a few down years. Williams responded with a stellar campaign in 2020, earning 79.4 PFF grade and a three-year deal worth $24 million.

Perhaps Lamp could be in for a similar renaissance with Buffalo in 2021.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk free for up to $1,000!

Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.