Bills C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger named one of the ‘top picks’ of the 2024 NFL Draft

The Buffalo Bills may have discovered a hidden gem.

ESPN’s Matt Miller recently compiled a ranking of what he believes are the top 100 selections of the 2024 NFL Draft, including a handful of Buffalo draft picks on his list. The writer didn’t just list the top 100 selections and call it a day. Instead, he took into account his preliminary ranking of the prospect, the pick they were selected with, the situation they find themselves in, and other contextual elements that can make or break a draft pick.

Miller included two of the Bills’ ten selections in his rankings; wide receiver Keon Coleman, who Buffalo selected with the 33rd overall pick in the draft, did expectedly well, landing at 31st on the list. The writer then praised one of the team’s more under-the-radar selections: fifth-round selection of Georgia center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, who Miller said could challenge for a starting job right away. He ranked the Bills selection of the Bulldog as the 55th best pick of the draft.

“The Bills lost longtime center Mitch Morse in free agency and will give Van Pran-Granger every opportunity to take his place,” Miller wrote. “He is a powerful, easy-moving center with a wealth of SEC experience (44 starts).”

Van Pran-Granger, a three-year starter for Georgia, played a lot of meaningful football for a team that lost just two games during his starting stint. No, we’re not creating a “center wins” statistic, but he was expected to anchor a Bulldog offensive line long considered one of the best in the country — and he delivered.

He’s a tenacious competitor who may have fallen in this year’s draft due to his lack of positional versatility; he projects exclusively as a center on paper and likely lacks the versatility to play guard. However, this isn’t necessarily a negative when it comes to his professional landing spot; Buffalo moved on from longtime starting center Mitch Morse this offseason and also traded depth swing lineman Ryan Bates, who has seen time at center in Buffalo, to the Chicago Bears.

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Buffalo’s current plan is to move Connor McGovern, who flashed for the team at left guard last season, to fill the hole at center, with the recently re-signed David Edwards looking to take over McGovern’s spot on his left side . If the Bills ultimately opt to simply make one change to the offensive line instead of two and keep McGovern at left guard, it could be Van Pran-Granger who takes over center duties; journeyman Will Clapp is the only other center currently on Buffalo’s roster.

Even though Van Pran-Granger does not take over the center duties in his rookie year, he still seems to be the center of the future at One Bills Drive. Getting a potential future starter with two National Championship rings and more than 40 SEC starts under his belt in the fifth round isn’t a bad thing. That’s why ESPN has labeled the Bills’ selection of Van Pran-Granger as one of the best. in this year’s draft.