BY SEAN DONOVAN
Earlier this offseason, the Buffalo Bills announced plans to move Kiko Alonso from inside linebacker to weakside linebacker in first-year defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's 4-3 scheme.
The Bills signed Brandon Spikes to fill the hole created in the middle, but the team used its third round pick to provide depth and hopefully, a long-term solution at the position.
With the No. 73 overall pick, Buffalo selected former Louisville Cardinal inside linebacker Preston Brown.
Brown was a productive three-year starter in college, leading his team in tackling in each of the past two seasons to go along with 21.5 career tackles for loss. He also added seven sacks and one interception during his time at Louisville.
"He was consistent for three years as a starter and fit a lot of things we were looking for," Bills director of player personnel Jim Monos said, via the Buffalo News. "Physically, he's got size right off the bat. He plays hard. You see him all over the field."
The team thinks that adding another linebacker to the mix can only improve the group as a whole.
"Our linebacker depth, I mean I know we addressed it in free agency, but we still want to keep adding depth to that position," Monos said. "That's what we're trying to do -- create competition at the position."
