Sedrick Van Pran goes to Buffalo with possibility of starting on the table

Sedrick Van Pran has suited up as a starter at Georgia in each of his last 44 games. Next time he takes the field, it’ll be in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, but he’s got a shot to still hold onto that starting streak.

Mitch Morse, at one point the highest paid center in the NFL, is gone after five seasons with the Bills including one in which he was voted to the Pro Bowl. A starter of 126 career contests, he played set the tone for Buffalo as the man in the middle of the offensive line.

Given Morse’s departure, the Bills are planning on moving Connor McGovern from guard to center, a spot he’s got a little bit of experience playing. They also signed Will Clapp from the Chargers. All the being said, Van Pran has a chance to potentially step in and play immediately.

“Honestly, I have no idea,” Van Pran said when asked about the potential to start as a rookie. “We’ll see what the cards have, but my biggest thing is I want to be able to help my teammates out the best way I can.”

“My goal for myself is to come in and work out,” he added. “I think it starts off by earning the respect of your teammates and letting those guys know that you want to be a part of this organization and that you want to work as hard as you possibly can. Kind of working your way up. Ultimately, I plan on putting in as much work as possible and allowing God to do the rest.”

The Bills also believe Van Pran is somebody capable of playing guard. Offensive line coach Aaron Kromer made a trip down to Athens to work him out. He came back liking what he saw.

“We like Van Pran, really like where his value was. Sent Kromer down, spent some time with him, worked him out and came back feeling like this guy’s got what we want,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said on draft day. “He’s mainly played center – some guys they’re guard position 1, center 2, we do think he’s center 1 but can give us some reps at guard. It’s added competition. A young guy that maybe in the future could start or be a functional starter.”

As for Van Pran, his focus is on finding any way to help the organization out. He’s watched the Bills from afar and knows the kind of success they’ve had with playoff appearances each of the last five seasons. Josh Allen and company have won the AFC East and made trips to the AFC Championship. He’s hopeful he can help get them over the top.

“I know it’s a great organization with really good football players that have been through this organization. I look forward to working as hard as I can to hopefully be able to contribute,” Van Pran said.

“The one thing I can say that I learned at Georgia that’ll help me is the ability to work,” he added. “The ability to have grit, the ability to overcome things when they don’t go your way. That’s kind of what I hope to be able to bring to this team and organization.”

Van Pran was one of eight Georgia players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft along with Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raider – 1st Round), Amarius Mims (Cincinnati Bengals – 1st Round), Ladd McConkey (Los Angeles Chargers – 2nd Round), Kamari Lassiter (Houston Texans – 2nd Round), Javon Bullard (Green Bay Packers – 2nd Round), Tykee Smith (Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 3rd Round) and Zion Logue (Atlanta Falcons – 6th Round). Kendall Milton (Philadelphia Eagles), Daijun Edwards (Pittsburgh Steelers), Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (Washington Commanders) and Tramel Walthour (Baltimore Ravens) have all signed deals as undrafted free agents.

Draft Analysts on Van Pran

Daniel Jeremiah (NFL Network): “I love this pick. He’s played a lot of ball as a center. Had a chance to talk to his offensive line coach Stacy Searels there at Georgia and he loves this dude. Big time upper torque, plays with a firm base, one of the reasons I think he’s available now is teams didn’t view him as a guard. They viewed him more as a center only player, but he can create movement. In Buffalo, apparently there’s a little bit of a change there. Stefon Diggs is gone. We talk about some of the additions they’ve made in that receiver room, but there’s been a little bit of a commitment to run the football with some of the additions they’ve made today.”

Field Yates (ESPN): “I think he’s probably a center only. He’s an outstanding shotgun snapper. a terrific player in that regard, which is an underrated quality. How many times have you seen a quarterback lean down and grab a football that was snapped at their ankles. That can totally disrupt the flow of a play. The character is off the charts. Ask anybody at Georgia what he meant to this UGA program, which has had all kinds of success over the past three seasons, no body will be able to say anything but great things about Sedrick Van Pran-Granger.”

Charles Davis (NFL Network): “Joe Brady started making a commitment to running the football last year. James Cook got the carries down the stretch, and you could make the point they should’ve run it even more against Kansas City, might’ve gotten out of that ball game. This man Van Pran-Granger, he’s got a chance to move right in as a starting center. Mitch Morse no longer there. He’s been the center for a long time. Connor McGovern is in the spot now, but a natural center and a natural leader, three year starter at Georgia. Got bypassed (in the draft) a little bit by some other talented people in terms of public knowledge, but he can flat out play.”

Matt Miller (ESPN): “Pretty good offensive lineman, he allowed one sack in his entire career. Over 1,300 pass blocking plays, one sack. That’s what the Buffalo Bills need. Mitch Morse is gone at the center position. If you look at their offensive line, that’s the big hole for them. Especially in the playoffs. you saw Buffalo, under Joe Brady offensive coordinator, want to run the ball a little bit more. Sedrick Van Pran-Granger has experience blocking for James Cook, their running back. So you have a lot of familiarity there. He’s a powerful people mover. I thought at times a little bit straight-kneed, played a little bit too up and down. But if you want experience, if you want toughness, if you want power in the middle of the offensive line, this is your dude.”