When the Bills drafted Josh Allen, comparisons immediately went to Cam Newton — both because of their physical traits and the GM and head coach now tied to each.
But Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott pumping the breaks on that talk.
"It's not fair to either one of them. Cam has been an MVP. He's been in a Super Bowl. He's won an NFC Championship. He's been in this league eight years. Josh has had 11 starts I think,” said Beane.
"Being around Cam for a number of years, what a person, what a player. It was good for my career and I learned a lot having to go against him in practice every day. One of the best players to maybe ever play the game. Josh is just at the start of his career and he's a young quarterback that's continuing to grow and learn and develop,” said McDermott.
Allen himself more open to being a part of that conversation.
"He's a big, mobile, strong-armed quarterback that puts the ball where he wants to put the ball so I'm not mad at the comparisons at all. I think he's been playing this game at a high level for a very long time,” said Allen.
Nine picks after Allen the Bills selected Tremaine Edmunds and that immediately kicked-off comparisons to Luke Kuechly, the Panthers’ five-time First-Team All-Pro linebacker who manned the middle of McDermott's defense for five seasons. Kuechly himself already impressed by the 21-year-old.
"He's big. He's long. He's athletic. He did a really good job last year. I think this defense is set up great for him. And the biggest thing about a guy like him is he wants to learn and I think, as a young guy, to come in with that attitude is the best you could be. He's got a great coach in Coach Babich. So a guy like him the sky's the limit. So I'm excited to see what he does this year,” said Edmunds.
But unlike Allen, Edmunds trying to steer clear of linking himself to anyone else.
"I studied him, but at the end of the day I'm trying to be my own player. Pick things from him. See how he played when Coach McDermott was his coach. But at the end of the day I'm trying to be my own player. But also he's a great player. Everybody knows that, so take stuff from his game. Take stuff from other people’s game and apply it to my game and be the best that I can be,” said Edmunds.
And if Allen and Edmunds can become the players Newton and Kuechly are for the Panthers, the Bills too may be looking at a Super Bowl once again sometime soon.