One could argue that it takes a special type of player to embody what it means to be a Buffalo Bill, and for most, that is a tough, gritty, physical football player.
With Joe Brady's "everybody eats" mantra fueling Buffalo's surge last season, there is also a strong "team above everything" mentality, and everyone on offense, defense, and special teams does all the dirty work.
But in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, the Bills got one player who loves getting his hands on opponents and enforcing his will on them more than most. Georgia Tech's Jackson Hawes is Josh Allen's latest weapon, but he's not an offensive weapon in the conventional sense.
He's a bruising blocker who loves nothing more than putting defenders in the dirt.
"I think you just got to be comfortable sticking your face in there," Hawes said on his blocking prowess. "You can't blink, my mentality is my eyes are like the lasers, man, and I'm just staring down my target, and then I'm not satisfied until I'm moving them."
Labeled as the best blocking tight end in college and the draft class, Hawes is an extension of the offensive line and takes pride in moving defenders off their mark and putting them on their backside.
Yes, he's a receiver, too. In his only college season with Georgia Tech, he totaled 195 yards from 16 receptions.
"A lot of stuff in the quick game, a lot of stuff out in the perimeter, anything that the coach wants me to do," Hawes added on what else he brings to the offense.
The Bills are getting a proper blue-collar player. One who takes pride in his duties, both in the run and pass game, with his blocking chops second-to-none.
Dalton Kincaid is the clear No. 1 tight end, and with Dawson Knox having an out in his contract after 2025, Hawes' "laser mentality" might see Knox pushed down the depth chart, with the rookie set to bring a new level of physicality to the AFC East bullies.
