PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills rookie offensive tackle Tylan Grable has some lofty goals, but he knows a little something about trusting the process.
“I definitely do want to be one of the greats,” Grable said after a practice at St. John Fisher University during training camp. “You won’t become a Hall of Famer in two days, two years.”
A Bills 6th-round draft pick this year, Grable understands the game from a different perspective than most offensive lineman.
An imposing figure who now stands at 6’5" and weighs more than 300 pounds, Grable lined up as a quarterback for three years at Wilkinson County High School in Georgia, where he was also a state champion in basketball.
“I would say I was more pro-style, but also I liked to run,” Grable said. “I wasn’t a speed option guy, I was more so drop back, throw it deep. And then whenever I liked to run the ball, I preferred power. Like quarterback power, quarterback dive.”
Grable decided his best path to play in college was a switch to tight end, so he walked on at Jacksonville State and made the team. A couple of years later a coach suggested a move to the offensive line, so then it was time to pack on the pounds.
He stepped on campus as a college freshman at 235 pounds and has since added roughly 75 pounds to his frame. Pizza is his favorite food, but he’s learned it’s all about eating smartly.
“I’ve always been a person that loved to eat ever since I was young,” Grable said. “I believe my metabolism is just very high so what I had to teach myself was the times that I need to be eating and when I should be consuming those calories.”
Even with the extra lbs, he’s maintained his athleticism. After finishing college at Central Florida, Grable dominated in the testing at the NFL Combine. Now with the Bills, he’s working offensive line coach Aaron Kromer to hone his skills.
“Coach Kromer — he’s a great coach. I trust him to know just by the guys that he’s coached in his career and the guys that he’s already coached in our room,” he said.
There’s no doubt Grable has used his experience as a quarterback to help him now protect the quarterback.
“Some stuff that I would have to pay attention to when I was a quarterback, I still can see those things on the offensive line and just be able to tell when something is coming up on the defense,” Grable said.
Could he play QB in an emergency? Grable laughed and said that’s best left to Josh Allen, Mitch Trubisky and Shane Buechele.
A player who puts the team first — no matter what position he’s asked to play.
“I’ve been a winner at all levels of my life, and I understand that when you play winning football, when you’re a winning teammate, just being around winners — that elevates your game,” he said.
A winning mindset to reach for those goals.