“There’s no way 257 people are better than me.”

Although he didn’t do it in a Power Five conference, Gore pieced together a more prolific college career in four years at South Mississippi than a number of drafted RBs.

His stats were comparable to those of Kentucky’s Ray Davis, whom the Bills selected in the fourth round. Davis left school with 4,388 yards from scrimmage, 41 total touchdowns and an average of 4.9 yards per carry in 44 games.

Gore, meanwhile, played in 47 games and produced 4,714 yards from scrimmage, 30 total touchdowns and averaged 5.3 yards per carry.

The knocks against Gore, at 5-foot-8, were his lack of size and lack of flash given he has a smaller back. These weaknesses partly led teams to bypass him in the draft.

His downfall also took him to Buffalo, exactly where he and his father, Frank Gore, hoped he would end up. The elder Gore spent his penultimate season with the Bills in 2019 at age 36, which gave his son a taste of the environment before heading off to college.

Having seen what could happen, Gore said he was “praying and hoping” that through it all, he would return to Buffalo.

“It was relieving,” he said of the call to sign. “Knowing my dad wanted me here, I wanted to be here. When me and the (running backs) coach (Kelly Skipper) met through the process, I just felt like he was the type of coach I needed to get better and the type of coach I want to become the best player I can be.”

Now that he’s arrived, he’ll look to carve out a role in a RB room that already has depth and a budding workhorse. Along with the other rookie, Davis, Buffalo is currently employing Ty Johnson and Darrynton Evans for depth behind James Cook, who eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards last season and has gotten stronger as the year has gone on, averaging of 19.5 touches per game over the team’s last 10 contests (including playoffs).

The odds are stacked against an undersized, undrafted free agent. Regardless, Gore knows he still has a chance despite the few hundred players drafted in his place.

“I’m here now and I’m here to prove people wrong,” he said.