Bills DE Von Miller praises Olympic gold medalist: ‘He’s got it all’

Gable Steveon’s path to an extended career in professional football is objectively difficult, as it would be for any 24-year-old who never laced up a pair of cleats until the month he signed his first contract.

That said, the rookie’s current situation seems tailor-made for his success. Steveson, a former freestyle wrestler who won a gold medal in the event at the Tokyo 2020 Games, signed a three-year rookie contract with the Buffalo Bills last week, along with a head coach who expresses frankly his passion for the world in which the perspective comes. Since. Sean McDermott was a back-to-back national champion in high school prep wrestling and has often spoken about his love for the sport, feeling like the traits and psyche that wrestlers operate with translate well to the field.

Steveson, a remarkable athlete who built a dominant 85-2 wrestling record during his four years at the University of Minnesota, will be guided by a coach who understands his profile and the sport he came from as he transitions towards football, more particularly football. defensive tackle position. Buffalo’s coaching staff understands that it starts from scratch with the rookie, but given the presence of McDermott and several other pieces on the team’s defensive line, Steveson really couldn’t ask for a better situation for succeed.

Related: Buffalo Bills’ Von Miller Reveals ‘Why I Came Here’

One of those is Von Miller, a 35-year-old defensive end who currently ranks as the NFL’s all-time active sack leader (123.5). Miller’s path to NFL superstardom was a bit more traditional than Steveson’s plans; The second overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the passer has long been one of the best players on any field he steps on.

That said, Miller — at one point in his development — was just a collection of traits and athleticism, a ball of clay that needed to be molded into a vaunted passer. The veteran is eager to help Steveson as he embarks on a similar path; Miller spoke to Buffalo media about the prospect after a recent OTA session at One Bills Drive, praising his locker room neighbor’s athleticism.

“His locker is right next to mine, and right as we signed it, he texted me like, ‘I’m going to be on your hip, my locker is right next to yours.'” Miller said, according to Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk. “I said, ‘Okay, that’s cool,’ but it didn’t really hit me until we were talking to him and he’s just been playing football, learning some of the things we did when we were kids.

Related: NFL Analyst Thinks ‘Sky’s the Limit’ for Underrated Bills WR

“He must follow an accelerated learning path, which he is capable of doing. From an athletic, physical point of view, he has everything. When he arrived yesterday, I had to try him a little bit, try to grab him a little bit, and he was quick, and he grabbed me, and I see it, I feel it. So he definitely has all the athletic ability in the world.

McDermott and Miller provide the foundation of what should be a strong support system for Steveson in Buffalo. Listed at 5 feet 11 inches, 266 pounds on the Bills Press Release, Steveson may be a little undersized to play a defensive tackle role in the NFL. He’ll soon have the opportunity to pick the brain of Ed Oliver, a 6-foot-1, 287-pound tackle who overcame the “undersized” label to become one of the NFL’s most prolific interior passers these last years.

Encouraging environment aside, Steveson is still a long way from making Buffalo’s 53-man roster. He projects instead as an immediate practice squad member and potential contributor for 2025.