Cyrus

Kouandjio

A second-round pick by the Bills back in 2014, Kouandjio spent the last two years bouncing on and off the Broncos’ roster. Tampa Bay is also bringing in OL Josh LeRibeus, WR Malachi Dupre, WR Nehari Crawford, and WR Jamarius Way.

He was also among the slowest offensive linemen in the forty-yard dash, clocking a 5.53. Kouandjio has inconsistent film and his Combine numbers are going to wind up pushing him down draft boards. It is worth noting that Kouandjio has nearly 36-inch arms, which are insanely long and can make it harder to do a lot of bench-press reps. He projects as a day-two draft pick.

Kouandjio has reportedly been diagnosed with an arthritic knee stemming from a “failed” college surgery. RapSheet indicates his medical is “ugly.” It’s been a rough few days for Kouandjio, who also demonstrated limited strength with 21 reps on the bench press, and ran a startlingly slow 5.53 forty-yard dash. Kouandjio may be staring at a draft slide into day three.

He has 10 1/4-inch hands and 35 5/8-inch arms, so Kouandjio actually has superior length to Auburn’s Greg Robinson. Kouandjio is less consistent on tape, however, and is expected to be more of a late first- or early second-round pick, whereas Robinson is a virtual lock to be selected among the top six.

Leaving the door open for longevity concerns, of course. Kouandjio was diagnosed with an arthritic knee stemming from a “failed” college surgery, and several teams failed him on Combine medical exams. Kouandjio tore his ACL and MCL as a freshman and has minor cartilage wear in the knee. Once a projected top-20 pick, the 6-foot-7 tackle ran the slowest forty at the Combine (5.59) and is likely staring at a major draft-day slide.

A 2014 second-round pick, Kouandjio entered his first two offseasons as the favorite to start at right tackle, but he lost out both times to Seantrel Henderson. With Henderson battling Crohn’s disease, Kouandjio should get another shot this year, but he is second-favorite to Jordan Mills for the job. The Buffalo News has called this a “make-or-break” year for Kouandjio’s Bills career.

The 44th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Kouandjio earned just two starts in his second NFL season, though he did grade out positively at Pro Football Focus. In training camp, Kouandjio will be among the contenders for Buffalo’s right tackle vacancy. Jordan Mills is the favorite. Seantrel Henderson projects to be in the mix depending on his recovery from Crohn’s disease.

Kouandjio, a 6-foot-7, 322 pound man in his athletic prime, apparently fell in his home. Headed into the final year of his rookie contract, the 2014 second-rounder started the final three games of the season at left tackle as Cordy Glenn dealt with a back injury. He’s a potential 2017 option at right tackle, though this complicates matters. Kouandjio’s career has been marked by ineffectiveness.

Skipping voluntary workouts, Kouandjio was found “not fully clothed” in a field after “climbing over an electric fence.” When approached by police, Kouandjio yelled “shoot me!” Clearly, he was not in his right mind. He was held for observation then released without incident. Recovering from surgery after a bizarre January accident in his home, Kouandjio is the Bills’ swing tackle/potential right tackle.

It’s not much of an update, but at least Kouandijo seems to be heading in the right direction. He’s still rehabbing from offseason hip surgery but should be close to full strength by training camp. Kouandijo earned PFF’s No. 29 tackle grade out of 76 qualifiers last season.