12 things to know about Bills first-round pick Greg Rousseau
The Bills’ pass rush just got interesting.
First-round NFL talent can be valuable and of great intrigue, and 21-year-old Gregory Rousseau, whom the Bills have selected with their first pick in this year’s NFL draft, offers just that.
Being in that spotlight and high visibility for one’s abilities is unique and can make them of great interest off the field as well when teams look at drafting them. As he’s poised to become a key part of the team’s defensive rotation in the coming years, fans may want to familiarize themselves with who Rousseau is.
With that, here are 12 things to know about the Bills’ new defensive end:
Opted out of 2020 season to help mom with COVID
Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Gregory Rousseau (15). Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
During last year's shortened football season, Rousseau's mother, Anne, was having an impact on the pandemic itself. She was working 12-hour shifts as a neuro/ICU nurse treating COVID-19 patients at a Florida Medical Center in Broward County. His father, Oskar, worked repairing fire trucks and emergency vehicles in Miami-Dade County, and his younger brother has asthma. With at-risk family members, Rousseau spoke with Draft Wire's Justin Melo about the decision to opt-out and to help his mother. "Opting out gave me the opportunity to help her retire. We didn’t want her around all that. I had to take the opportunity in front of me," Rousseau said.
2nd in sacks behind former top pick
Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Gregory Rousseau. Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Rousseau had a big final year with Miami, leading the ACC with 15.5 sacks in 2019 which tied the Hurricane's single-season record, no small feat considering the number of great players who've passed through the program at "The U." In regard to the entire college football landscape, his sack total was only a close second to the No. 2 overall pick in last year's NFL draft, Chase Young. Young led the nation with 16.5 at Ohio State. Young showed more consistency off the snap with better bend and speed while Rousseau relies more on length, though the Bills' new edge does project to develop on those fronts as well.
Early injury setback
Gregory Rousseau #15 of the Miami Hurricanes. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Early in his first season at Miami, Rousseau suffered a broken ankle only a couple of games in and was a medical redshirt. That's another reason why he only has one year of experience on the field.
Projected to Bills by NFL Draft expert
Gregory Rousseau #15 of the Miami Hurricanes. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images_
One of the draft’s top insiders each year, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, picked the 6-foot-7 defender to slide in the draft and as a fit for the Bills. He believes the defensive end’s best football is ahead of him. Jeremiah last had the “long and rangy defender” with 11-inch hands and an 83-inch wingspan as the 18th player in his top-150 prospects, just ahead of Clemson rusher Travis Etienne. He describes Rousseau as comfortable and effective rushing inside with the ability to convert speed to power, with a combination of quick hands, length, and instincts that leads to sacks and pressures in bunches.
Why he slid in the draft
Gregory Rousseau (Miami) poses with a jersey. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
During the season he sat out, Rousseau worked out on his own and prepped for 2021, posting a 4.68 40-yard dash, 30-inch vertical jump, and a 21 rep bench press at his Pro Day. Those are decent numbers, but not for a guy who was previously considered a potential top-10 pick before opting out. While the reason for him not playing was admirable, NFL teams do make huge investments with top picks so it makes sense why he slid. In addition, his teammate, Jaelan Phillips, did play last year in Miami and his stardom took off without Rousseau in the lineup. Took a bit of the spotlight off Rousseau. Rousseau will need some training to get back to playing condition and development with the coaching staff to tap his true ability level. However, he has shown what he is capable of and will look to bring those abilities to Buffalo.
Multi-position background
Gregory Rousseau (Miami) walks on stage. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Before he was pressuring quarterbacks, the Coconut Creek, Florida native played a number of positions at Champagnat Catholic. Those include wide receiver and defensive back. In his 2016 senior season with Champagnat Catholic School, Rousseau had 10 sacks with 80 tackles on one side of the ball and 28 catches for 467 yards and nine touchdowns on offense.
Check out this TD
Gregory Rousseau #15 of the Miami Hurricanes. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
Need proof Rousseau has hands? Check it out: https://twitter.com/Greg_R5/status/788212361979105280
Early graduate
Miami edge rusher Gregory Rousseau. Credit: David Dermer/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports
Rousseau was an overachiever as a student in his academics, becoming the first and only student in Champagnat Catholic School's history to graduate early, according to The Athletic. "I gave him the biggest challenge I thought I could ever give a kid," Champagnat School Director Isabel Alonso said. "There's not supposed to be enough time in the day to practice and train and do a full year's worth of school in one semester. But Greg didn't sleep."
Still time for some Madden, too
Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Gregory Rousseau (15). Credit: Glenn Beil-USA TODAY Sports
Rousseau began playing football around the time he was seven or eight years old. But even before that, he had a crash course courtesy of the 2005 Madden NFL football video game. "My brother bought that game when I was a little kid," Rousseau told InsideTheU. "Pretty much before I started playing in pads I already knew what a post route was, a Cover-2, a running back counter, all from playing the game all day long and learning the different coverages," Rousseau shared. "Ever since then, I've been a football junkie."
Buffalo family ties
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces Gregory Roussea. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Rousseau's parents lived in Buffalo from the mid to late 1990s and his older brother Marvyn was born there. So his family already knows the city and surrounding region well. As such, he is very familiar with Bills history, fan base, and a certain NFL Hall of Famer and fellow Hurricane. “I know all about it, Jim Kelly, the whole nine yards, and they got the Miami connection for sure,” Rousseau said while addressing the media via Zoom, noting he will also be fine with the cold weather.
Very coveted out of high school
Gregory Rousseau stands onstage. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
As a multi-positioned, massively framed high school football player that graduated early... Rousseau was extremely coveted heading into college. Rousseau, like many, took to Twitter to announce what schools offered him scholarships back in the day. That list:
NC State
Syracuse
Indiana
Iowa State
USC
Miami (Fla.)
Penn State
LSU
West Virginia
Oregon State
Georgia
Rutgers
Oregon
FAU
UCF
South Carolina
Tennessee
Shoutout from Calais
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell. Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Rousseau has at least one fan in the NFL already: Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell. He made this response to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport previously on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalaisCampbell/status/1384665927120130052 Probably helps that like Rousseau, Campbell played for Miami.
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