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Defensive Ends the Bills Can Draft to Replace Shaq Lawson

By Max Staley

NFL Draft targets for the Bills if they're looking to replace Shaq Lawson, including Alabama's Terrell Lewis.
NFL Draft targets for the Bills if they're looking to replace Shaq Lawson, including Alabama's Terrell Lewis. / Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
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The Buffalo Bills were the league's second-best scoring defense last season, surrendering just 259 total points. That unit took a bit of a hit this offseason, though, as Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson both left in free agency.

With Ed Oliver developing on the interior, the Bills should be able to replace Jordan Phillips without too much trouble, but Lawson could be a slightly different story as Buffalo is without its first-round pick. So let's take a look at three edge rushers the Bills could target in the second round to replace Lawson.

3. Julian Okwara, Notre Dame

Julian Okwara could be a nice addition to the Bills' defensive line.
Julian Okwara could be a nice addition to the Bills' defensive line. / Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Julian Okwara is a real physical specimen, and he's shown some flashes of dominance at the collegiate level. He racked up 8.0 sacks as a junior in 2018, but that number fell to just 5.0 (in nine games) in 2019. He's more of a second-round prospect due to injury issues and a lack of consistency, but if he can put it all together in Buffalo, he'd be a steal for the Bills.

2. Marlon Davidson, Auburn

Marlon Davidson could be a great fit for the Bills.
Marlon Davidson could be a great fit for the Bills. / Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Marlon Davidson doesn't have the highest ceiling, but he's a four-year starter for the Auburn Tigers. Coming off a career-high 6.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss, he could be a nice fit on the Bills' D-Line. While it's fair to downgrade him because he played alongside an elite interior disrupter in Derrick Brown, if drafted by Buffalo, he'd be playing with a similarly talented DT in Ed Oliver.

1. Terrell Lewis, Alabama

Terrell Lewis would be great for Buffalo in the second round.
Terrell Lewis would be great for Buffalo in the second round. / Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Terrell Lewis has had trouble staying on the field, which could hurt his draft stock. Since 2017, he's only played in a combined 14 games. He's been pretty productive when he's out there, though, with 7.0 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss in that time. If he's available at No. 54, Lewis could be an excellent high-risk, high-reward gamble for Buffalo.

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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.