Buffalo Bills

Getting to Know the 2023 Bills Draft Class (Part 1)

Published

11 months ago

May 30, 2023

At last, the 2023 NFL Draft has come to a close, and the off-season is in full swing. After all of the grandiose speculation from the NFL community and Bills Mafia, we now know who will be carrying all of the veteran Bills’ equipment from the practice field to the field house — a classic rookie tradition. The Draft yielded six new faces: TE Dalton Kincaid, OG O’Cyrus Torrence, LB Dorian Williams, WR Justin Shorter, OG Nick Broeker, and CB Alex Austin. Enough has been said about what they bring to the football field, so I think it would be appropriate to instead illustrate what they bring to the locker room. In this two-part series, I will introduce you all to your 2023 Buffalo Bills rookies!

TE Dalton Kincaid

*Dalton Kincaid’s first visit to the facility as a Buffalo Bill (buffalobills.com)*

General Manager Brandon Beane made history, in his own right, by drafting an offensive player in the first round for the first time since 2018, when the Bills selected QB Josh Allen. Many in Bills Mafia were expecting a wide receiver in the first round, but when the board fell out of their favor, the Bills opted for an even better option: drafting the best pass catcher on the board. Dalton Kincaid is more than a tight end; he is a 6’4” glorified slot receiver. Much of what he can do is something that the Bills have been looking for in their offense this past year.

Dalton Mosser Kincaid — that’s right, his middle name is Mosser — is the youngest son of Vicki and Clark Kincaid. Raised him in the heart of Nevada, Dalton spent a majority of his high school career playing basketball. He was dead-set on the sport until he made the switch to play football in his senior year. He went on to become one of the top tight ends in his draft class. How did he transition so quickly? Surely, it took him some time to adjust to the pace of the game… Nope!

Dalton posted stellar stats for his first season, according to Utah Athletics; he caught 37 passes for 745 yards and 8 scores in 2017. Despite this, it was an uphill climb to join a greater collegiate football team. He started out at the University of San Diego, and was impressive enough to join the University of Utah football team.

Dalton’s grit and tenacity is a product of his willingness to get better. Coming out of the draft, he was known for his great hands. Turns out, his special skill is due to a game he played with his dad. Utah Athletics details a memory that he has of making acrobatic catches to improve his catching skills. In the article, it quotes him saying the following:

“We had a trampoline in my backyard so I would dive and catch the balls he threw to me. Three drops and we were done, but the better I got at catching, that became two drops, then one drop.”
Kincaid on improving his catching

It’s no wonder he has such reliable hands. His hard work certainly mirrors that of his future teammates, such as Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, and Dawson Knox. The Buffalo Bills seem to be keen on players who address their deficiencies with determination, and that is why I believe Dalton will fit in just fine! It has also been said that he is quite the golfer. I think we can expect Josh and Dalton to be golfing buddies for the foreseeable future!

OG O’Cyrus Torrence

*O’Cyrus Torrence’s first visit to the facility as a Buffalo Bill (buffalobills.com)*

The offense-party did not stop at Dalton Kincaid. Brandon Beane made a magnificent selection at pick 59, drafting guard O’Cyrus Torrence out of Florida. It has been a long time since the Bills have had dependable guard play. It is thought that Torrence could solve the many issues that has plagued the offensive line, from pass-blocking to straight up out-aggressing the opposite side of the trenches. Torrence could immediately start for the Buffalo Bills on the interior.

O'Cyrus Torrence is the first offensive guard in @GatorsFB history to be named a Consensus All-American 💪 pic.twitter.com/K52lRaquG1
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 30, 2023

O’Cyrus “Cybo” Torrence — the son of Demetrice Torrence and Fred Porter — grew up in the town of Greensburg at the boot-tip of Louisiana. Why is his nickname Cybo? Well, he was always a big kid. Even when he was in high school, he measured out at 6’5”, 330 lbs, according to 247sports.com. His mother, Demetrice, knew this too, so she would call him “Cyborg” in reference to the Teen Titans show, said Torrence in an interview with The Buffalo News. As the years went on, and with the help of his two brothers, his nickname shortened to Cybo!

On Sundays, we can certainly anticipate Cybo to be mauling grown men and mowing a path of green grass for James Cook. But did you know that Torrence has a soft spot for fuzzy felines? Cee-cee, his beloved cat, was featured on the inner-lining of the suit jacket that he wore when he was introduced at the Bills team facility! Torrence is excited to spend his first pro-football paycheck on a gift for her! In his post-draft press conference, he mentioned that he will likely be buying a self-cleaning litter box not just for her, but also for himself:

“Someone got to clean it. So, I just might do that. I’m gonna do something for her, though.”
Torrence on buying a self-cleaning litter box for his cat

An NFL cat-dad? There’s nothing better than that! Surely he will have to balance it out by bringing his inner “dawg” out on game days. O’Cyrus is especially excited to be blocking for Josh Allen. He’s had plenty of practice guarding a mobile quarterback in Anthony Richardson in his time at the University of Florida, so it makes sense that the Bills would find him to be the perfect lineman to protect their franchise quarterback. With all the inconsistency that Buffalo has had in the offensive trenches, fans are hoping that Cybo will be the answer!

LB Dorian Williams

*Dorian Williams’ first visit to the facility as a Buffalo Bill (buffalobills.com)*

After the departure of Tremaine Edmunds, Bills Mafia was in search of a larger-than-life replacement for the 25-year-old middle linebacker. Many were under the impression that the Bills would look to free agency to fill the pterodactyl-sized hole he left, while others gathered that his heir would come in the form of a rookie. The Bills had a linebacker mystery on their hands. Perhaps they still do, but it became slightly clearer after the NFL draft.

Enter Dorian Williams: a 6’1”, 228 lb linebacker out of Tulane University. He certainly isn’t the same size as Tremaine Edmunds, but that doesn’t mean he cannot be an efficient middle linebacker in this league. While we still don’t know what exactly Sean McDermott has planned for him, that conversation is for another day. We are here to talk about what he brings outside of football!

Dorian Williams was born and raised in Indian Land, South Carolina. He is the younger brother of three siblings (two sisters and one brother), according to the Buffalo Bills website. His coaches at the University of Tulane praise him for being a passionate player and person. One of his coaches, Michael Mutz, raved about him to Sports Illustrated:

“Dorian has never not had a smile on his face. He always makes me smile because he’s having a good time out there. You love to coach guys that love to play the game because they are playing for the right reason and not anything external…”
Tulane Coach Michael Mutz on Dorian Williams

Dorian’s energy is not only recognized by his peers, but also fans who may not even know him that well. Dorian recalled a time when he was at a restaurant down in New Orleans, Louisiana and ran into a few enthusiasts of a certain NFL team that may or may not have the best fans in the world. You guessed it — Bills Mafia! This interaction was actually a few years ago. (It makes me wonder if this was when the Bills played the Saints at the Superdome on Thanksgiving?) According to Dorian’s press conference, those fans predicted that the Bills would draft Williams in the near future, and they even bought his dinner! It was clearly meant to be, as he is now a part of Bills Mafia himself!

Williams will be joining a linebacker core full of competition. We already know that Matt Milano is a solidified starter, and he’ll have to compete with Tyrel Dodson, Terrel Bernard, AJ Klein, Tyler Matakevich, and Baylon Spector for a spot on the final 53. Whatever happens, Dorian will certainly bring a lot of energy and charisma to his position group!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this series later this week.