In their effort to free up salary cap space, the Buffalo Bills decided to let go of Mitch Morse and promote Connor McGovern to their starting center position. Yet, they also picked Sedrick Van Pran-Granger in the draft, who could challenge for the starting spot during training camp and preseason. The choice of who should start as the team’s center in Week 1 is up for debate. Ideally, Van Pran-Granger should take on the center role while McGovern returns to his previous guard position, and here’s why.
Even though McGovern has primarily played as a guard in the NFL, he does have past experience at center from his college days. The offensive line excelled with McGovern at guard last season, and moving him to center might disrupt the progress they made. The Bills witnessed a solid performance from Spencer Brown, along with the promising play of McGovern and O’Cyrus Torrence. Breaking up their chemistry from last year may not be in the team’s best interest, as indicated by their drafting of a center.
Van Pran-Granger was a consistent starter in his college games and was a key component of his team’s offensive line. He was considered a Day 2 prospect by many leading up to the draft, making his selection in the fifth round a great steal for the Bills. While he will need to impress the coaches to beat out McGovern or Will Clapp for the starting position due to the team’s offseason offensive line additions, there’s a strong possibility he could outperform them and earn the starting role by showcasing his abilities early on in training. This would also require building good chemistry with Josh Allen, as the quarterback’s trust in the center is crucial. Selecting the rookie center as the starter offers several advantages, including maintaining guard continuity with Connor McGovern. Van Pran-Granger seems up to the challenge of starting immediately and has the potential to impress his coaches. If he lives up to expectations in his rookie season, the Bills could boast one of the league’s top offensive lines for the second consecutive year.
