ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Bills second round pick Carlos "Boogie" Basham is familiar with the territory: a stacked depth chart he's eager to climb.
"I've been in situations like this before just coming in. ... Just looking at the depth chart I was like, 'Dang, this is a great group of guys,' and I love the competition, so for me, this is another day," the Bills' 61st overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft said after a training camp practice.
Basham and Gregory Rousseau, the 30th overall pick out of the University of Miami, were the Bills' top two selections in the most recent NFL Draft, with Buffalo's general manager, Brandon Beane, feeling the need to stack up the team's defensive line.
"I think there's till a long way to go. ... Like, there's a lot of things I can still get better at, but it's been great to just get back into things, be able to learn from an older dude," Rousseau said about his development during training camp. "To take a little tip of their game and for him to be able to help me and give me advice has been great."
Rousseau and Basham aren't only joining a deep defensive line, they're also practicing against one of the top offenses in the league from last season each day during training camp.
While they're adjusting to defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier's playbook, they're thrilled with the ability to play to their strengths.
"They let us play free. Coming from my college ... it wasn't really us playing free, was more of a lot of thinking. ... These last eight practices have been great," Basham said after Friday's practice.
"Things are definitely speeding up for me. I'm not thinking as much on the field, and I feel like when you think too much, you can slip ... so the more you know, the faster you can play," Rousseau said. "That's the goal for me, and is to keep on learning it and eventually know it like the back of my hand."