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Buffalo Bills select RB Xavier Omon with sixth-round pick

By Dan Goldman | April 27th, 2008

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With the No. 179 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills take running back Xavier Omon out of Division II Northwest Missouri State.

This is by far the most baffling of Buffalo’s picks in the draft. I thought they would go center here, but the team elected to go with a non-need position.

The Bills drafted two running backs last year in Marshawn Lynch in the first round and Dwayne Wright in the fourth. Additionally, Freddie Jackson emerged as a solid No. 2. The team did release Anthony Thomas, but was another really needed?

Omon is 5-10, 228 pounds, runs a 4.52 40-time and has a 38 1/2-inch vertical. Since he lacks elite speed, he does a lot of physical running. Last year, Omon was the top among DII backs with 2,337 yards (6.3 avg.) and 37 touchdowns. He has run for over 1,500 yards in four different years. No player has ever done that in any division. In his four-year career, Omon compiled 7,073 rushing yards (5.6 avg.) and 92 touchdowns.

The production and durability make him a candidate to be a No. 2 back at the NFL level.

Here is what NFLDraftcountdown.com says:

Strengths:
Has excellent size and bulk…Strong and powerful…Tough inside runner…Does not go down easily and will pick up yards after contact…Nice vision and instincts…Has pretty good hands…Physical and punishes defenders…Offers some versatility…Is a very good blocker…Proven workhorse with a lot of experience…Real productive.

Weaknesses:
Does not have great timed speed…Not very quick or explosive…Isn’t very elusive and doesn’t have much wiggle…Not a big play threat…Won’t get outside and turn the corner at the next level…Ball security is an issue…Really has a ton of mileage on his tires and durability may be a concern…Did not play against top competition.

Notes:
Could also potentially project to fullback in the NFL…Division II’s leading rusher in 2007 and led his team to the National Championship game…North / South runner who is a jack-of-all-trades but master of none..Not starting material but can make a roster and contribute in a number of different ways…Was dominant as his level and has emerged as one of the best small school prospects in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Could Buffalo’s plan be to use Omon at fullback?

In his NFL.com profile the 23-year-old says his proudest moment off field is: “Every day is a great moment because of my decision not to drink or smoke, which make me a good role model.” Have to like that answer.

Here is a highlight video:

What do you think of the Oman pick? Post a comment.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 27th, 2008 at 3:07 pm and is filed under Xavier Omon, Running backs, NFL Draft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

10 Responses to “Buffalo Bills select RB Xavier Omon with sixth-round pick”

Bill says:

April 27th, 2008 at 5:15 pm

He reminds me of Thurman Thomas. He reads blocks very well. I think he will be well used by the Bills.
Dan Goldman says:

April 27th, 2008 at 5:17 pm

Thurman wasn’t a big guy either… I wonder where he’ll end up depth chart-wise. Having a competition with Freddie, Omon and Wright can’t be bad. The more that I think about it, a team needs four running backs in case one gets injured.
Bob says:

April 27th, 2008 at 6:36 pm

I watched this guy play for 4 years. He is a fantastic football player and a great person. Buffalo fans should be proud to have him.
Dan Goldman says:

April 27th, 2008 at 7:03 pm

Well you certainly know him better than any of us Bob. Do you go to NW Missouri State?
jacktrip says:

April 27th, 2008 at 8:50 pm

I was hoping we would get Owen Schmit but we did need another back and I hope Omon is a good fit.
Dan Goldman says:

April 27th, 2008 at 9:36 pm

Schmitt is a popular choice for a fullback. But, the team seems content with Darian Barnes
Gary says:

April 27th, 2008 at 9:59 pm

X is a workhorse, and a great guy. He doesn’t have great timed speed, but that’s rarely truly needed. In the highlight video on the 98 yard run, the guy that almost caught him has 4.4 speed and was a 5th round choice of the Chiefs today. Omon is elusive, not just for his size, just plain elusive, and he hits people, rather than just letting them hit him, when he needs to get tough yards.

His weakness is that he was a starter for 4 years, and never really worked with special teams. That could hurt him in trying to land a roster spot as a back-up. Wait ’til you see what you’ve got. He can start in the NFL. He could be a pick that Bills fans look back on in a few years and wonder how your team got so lucky.

You just picked up a new Bills fan.
DanS says:

April 28th, 2008 at 12:39 am

I also watched him play the past four years. He’s faster and far more elusive than the combine or the quoted scouting report suggest (he supposedly was nursing a minor leg injury at the combine). He didn’t get too many chances as a receiver, but he has very good hands. And he’s an outstanding bad weather/bad field runner. And he’s in phenomenal shape; that 228 includes pretty much zero body fat.
Dan Goldman says:

April 28th, 2008 at 7:44 am

Thanks for the info Gary, Timed speed certainly isn’t everything and the guy certainly has something special with those big stats.

DanS, I believe he was the only D2 guy at the combine this year.
John Criswell says:

May 13th, 2008 at 7:29 pm

Xavier looks like a player. He has size and some speed. My question is whether he can make the transition. In the NFL, he will face teams with eleven defensive starters who have more size and speed than he has. The NFL is not Div II. He looks good on the high-light films. He will not face the same defences when he gets to the NFL.