Bills add Devin Singletary to crowded backfield
The Buffalo Bills selected running back Devin Singletary out of Florida Atlantic in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 74th overall.
Singletary will join an overflowing backfield that already includes LeSean McCoy, Frank Gore, T.J. Yeldon, and Marcus Murphy.
Although Singletary produced gaudy numbers at Florida Atlantic, concerns surrounding his number of touches did his draft stock no favors.
As a junior in 2018, Singletary ran for 1,348 yards and 22 touchdowns, but didn't add much value in the passing game throughout his career with the Owls.
Prospect profile
School: Florida Atlantic
Height: 5-8
Weight: 203 lbs
Strengths
- Elite elusiveness with ability to constantly make defenders miss
- Can turn sure losses into gains by creating yards for himself
- Impressive balance through contact
- Good vision to set up blocks and find cutback lanes
- Aggressive runner who has some physicality to his game
- Receiving skills give him upside in the passing game despite a lack of production
- Willing pass-protector who delivered some big hits on blitz pickups
Weaknesses
- Undersized at the NFL level
- Lacks breakaway speed
- Underwhelming athletic testing raises questions about style translating
Bottom line
Singletary is an exhilarating playmaker. He's smaller than the prototypical running back, but he certainly doesn't play like it. And while he doesn't have the long-distance speed some may have expected, that's not necessarily what leads to his big plays anyway. The Florida Atlantic star is constantly making defenders miss, both in the open field and in confined spaces, possessing the kind of elusiveness that allows him to create extra yards for himself. Singletary has a three-down skill set that should earn him a feature role early in his NFL career.