Bills could have traded 7th Round Pick, Drafted Clemson’s Baylon Spector Instead

Former Tigers’ versatility is why Buffalo selected him at 231st overall

CLEMSON, S.C. — During the final day of the 2022 Draft on Saturday, several teams called Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane to see if he had any interest in trading away his bottom round picks.

Luckily for former Clemson linebacker Baylon Spector, Beane turned down those offers and drafted Spector with the 231st pick in the seventh round of the draft.

“We had some good grades on him,” Beane said. “He is a versatile player. Can play inside. Can play out. Can play special teams. He is hardnosed. He had a really good career at Clemson, where there has been some high-level football.

“This year, they were down, but he has been around championship level football. We think he is going to add to the mix.”

Beane says Spector reminds him a lot of their current linebacker Tyrel Dodson, a third-year player who can play inside and outside linebacker, as well as make plays on special teams. He likes the depth Spector brings to the linebacking corps, which consist of All-Pro linebacker Von Miller, who they signed in free agency last month, and Tremaine Edmunds, one of the Bills’ best defensive players the last four years.

Because Spector played at Clemson and on a defense that has been ranked among the best in the country for more than a decade, Beane feels Spector is a guy that can come in and compete for a roster spot right away.

“He is smart…kind of a tough kid. He is fun to watch fly around. He had some good years at Clemson,” the Bills’ general manager said. “They had a couple of good linebackers. They had another one, in [James] Skalski there. If you guys have followed Clemson, those two guys made a lot of plays.

“If the D-Line was not making it, usually one of those two linebackers were making it. He is going to bring a little edge to us.”

Spector used that edge to record 210 career tackles and nine sacks in 53 games, 21 of which were starts. He was a mainstay at weakside linebacker the past two seasons. He finished with 22 tackles for loss, nine sacks, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and an interception.

“As you saw at the Combine, he can really run," head coach Dabo Swinney said in a statement. "You don’t see many guys his size that can run like that. Very athletic. Baylon is a true WILL [linebacker] that can really cover and play on the edge but also can move in and play MIKE.

“I think that he’s got outstanding Day 1 potential with his size, with his speed, with his experience, with his knowledge of the game, but also his ability to be a Day 1 starter on special teams on all core teams. Another graduate, a fifth-year player, that has a ton of championship experience that he’ll bring with him.”