Buffalo Bills select O'Cyrus Torrence in 2nd round of 2023 NFL Draft

Florida Gators offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence has been taken with the No. 59 overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.

O’Cyrus Torrence was a dominant force for Florida during the 2022 season. He was an All-SEC and All-American talent as an interior offensive lineman. Prior to that, he was a star for Billy Napier at Louisiana, where he was an All-Sun Belt player.

As a recruit, O’Cyrus Torrence was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2019. That’s according to the On3 Industry Recruiting Ratings. Torrence was the 146th ranked offensive tackle coming out of high school and the 1,535th ranked player overall. Notably, Torrence is no longer playing tackle and has moved to the guard position primarily.

At the NFL level, Torrence will likely be playing on the interior of the offensive line.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about O’Cyrus Torrence

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein took a deep dive into what O’Cyrus Torrence brings to the table. That breakdown began by comparing him to Tyre Phillips. Out of Mississippi State, Phillips was taken in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. He now plays for the New York Giants. In his second season, he tore his ACL and was put on injured reserve.

From there, Zierlein pointed out that O’Cyrus Torrence has a broad base and a wide build that helps him against the pass rush. On top of that, he doesn’t commit penalties, plays smart, and was solid against Jalen Carter. On the other hand, Torrence can be indecisive at times. This, along with some issues relating to his athleticism, can give him problems at times.

“Broad guard prospect whose physical limitations are balanced by his feel for the job and ability to use his size in his favor,” Zierlein wrote.

“Torrence is not a natural bender. He is forced to engulf and push rather than leverage and drive as a run blocker, but he’s solid at neutralizing the man across from him. He uses his hands well to jab and maintain feel for the rush, but quick interior rushers with well-developed counters could be too much for his limited foot quickness to handle without help. He projects as a future starter for downhill offenses who covet size over athleticism.”