Buffalo Bills draft Sedrick Van Pran in fifth round of 2024 NFL Draft

The Buffalo Bills have drafted former Georgia center Sedrick Van Pran in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Van Pran began his career at Georgia in 2020, appearing in four games that season to preserve a redshirt year. He went on to become a starter at center for the Bulldogs over the next three seasons, playing 43 games in that span. He was a critical part of their two national titles in 2021 and 2022.

He helped anchor a Bulldog squad that finished ranked No. 1 nationally in sacks allowed (0.93), which helped lead Georgia to becoming one of the most potent offenses in the country this past season, averaging 496.5 yards per game.

This past season, the 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive lineman was named a first team All-American according to Sports Illustrated and a second team All-American by several other outlets. He also won the Jacob Blocking Trophy given annually to the SEC’s top offensive lineman.

Van Pran’s college career might not have ended the way he liked, as the Bulldogs lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship to miss the College Football Playoff this season. But he can now move on to the next chapter in his career in the NFL.

What experts are saying about Sedrick Van Pran

NFL analyst Lance Zierlein took a deep dive on Van Pran, revealing his expectation for former All-American Bulldog.

“Since 2021, Van Pran-Granger has played in the middle of feisty offensive lines. He has short arms, strong hands and good size by NFL standards. He has the hand quickness, placement and play strength to scrap against the nose, while his innate sense of positioning allows him to beat defenders to the spot moving laterally.

“He’ll have some ugly losses as both a run blocker and in pass protection when he starts to play too far forward or his footwork gets sloppy in space. It doesn’t always look controlled or clean, but he’s a fighter who usually finds ways to get his guy blocked. He should become an early NFL starter as a Day 2 selection.”

Zierlein listed Van Pran’s strengths as being gritty, determined and experienced. He takes precise slide steps, utilizes hand rests to overtake defenders, powerful grip strength, has above-average feel for run block positioning and more.

For Van Pran’s weaknesses, Zierlein includes him being too straight-kneed at the point of attack, one-on-one losses stemming from inconsistent body control, he sometimes has sloppy footwork, has shorter arms, among others.