Logic

Clearly they offered the best compensation package. Beane is no dummy. If an NFC team or a cellar dweller offered comparable return to what the Texans offered, he clearly would've gone with that instead. At the end of the day, you have to prioritize doing what's best for your OWN team over the fact that you might be helping to strengthen another competitive team.

Another one of my favorites. Outside of the big four, Franklin and Worthy are my favorites from this class. Nice pick.

I agree. When he said in his press conference yesterday "I hope people know...I'm competitive as hell", I took it as confirmation of what I already knew: Beane doesn't believe in "rebuilding", and he's certainly not envisioning wasting a year of Allen's prime by saying "we're waving the white flag this year". He WILL do what's necessary to replenish his WR corps, I'm certain of it.

While I would love a Justin Jefferson trade...he's going to command record-breaking money when he signs his extension, and I don't think Beane is ready to turn around after the Diggs ordeal and hand $30million+ to another receiver. Rather, what I view as more likely is that he'd prefer to draft a rookie in round 1, because that player would be cost-controlled for five years, and would allow him to spend money rebuilding other parts of the roster that need it. The trade that makes the most sense to me is Chicago at 9 (they don't have a second rounder, and likely would be open to trading back and collecting more picks to build around presumptive first pick Caleb Williams). Something like our 1st round picks this year and next year, plus a 2nd and a 4th, would likely get this deal done. It would theoretically allow the Bills a shot at Rome Odunze (one of the "big three" WRs in this year's draft). The other one that makes sense to me is Denver at 12. The Broncos may want to move back, collect more picks, and go after a Bo Nix type at quarterback. Something like our 1st round picks this year and next year plus a 2nd could get this done. This would theoretically allow the Bills a shot at Brian Thomas Jr, the next best receiver after the "big three". Lastly, failing a move up, I could see the Bills either picking at 28 or moving back into the second round to add a third rounder. In this scenario, they'd draft a receiver in round two (the position is very deep in this draft), and then trade the newly acquired 3rd for a veteran receiver like Brandon Aiyuk. I don't necessarily see them going this route, but it wouldn't shock me. You're right about one thing: Beane won't be standing pat at 28 and just doing nothing and using all 11 picks. He WILL be wheeling and dealing. It's a lead pipe lock.

Awesome summary. Thanks for taking the time to do that! I think the "no non-premium positions taken in the 1st round" thing both accurately reflects how the real draft will shake out, and shows that we have some smarties on this message board. And yes...I think that trades being allowed will pretty significantly change how our next 1st round mock looks.

If they can have acquire Aiyuk while also keeping the 28th pick and using it on a receiver, then sure. I'm just not confident that SF is letting Aiyuk go for that little. If the Bills can draft a 1st round WR and ALSO add a veteran -- an Aiyuk or Hopkins or Godwin -- then great. I just think it'll be tough.

Give me a dynamic 1st round WR over Aiyuk or Higgins. I want a young guy to come in, grow with Josh Allen, and spend a decade+ in Buffalo. Yes, I realize there is inherent risk in drafting a guy, vs signing someone like Aiyuk who is already proven. That's okay. I'm okay with the risk. I like the idea of having a WR1 on a cost-controlled contract for five years. Now, if they want to draft a first round WR to be WR1 and then also turn around and send a mid-round pick for a guy like Hopkins or Godwin, that's another story. THAT would be just fine with me.

Great point. From my point of view, getting a 2nd (even though, by giving back a 5 and 6, the value is really equivalent to an early-mid 3rd) for a 30 year old WR with a huge contract -- particularly after said WR posted less-than-elite production over the back half of the season and in the playoffs -- is damn near a miracle. I still think Diggs is very good, and will be a nice addition for the Texans, but...at this point, after all the nonsense the past few offseasons, I'll take the 2nd and the $25million in cap space that opens up next year.

Right. There's also the factor of getting the $10 million from Tre White's release after June 1st. So I think the Bills will still be able to sign all of their picks, have the practice squad and "emergency fill-ins" funds that Beane likes, and still sign another player or two. In theory, paying $31 million for a player not on your roster hurts. In practice, it's only $3 million more than they were already going to be paying Diggs anyway. For whatever reason, they concluded they'd rather pay an extra $3 million to have Diggs NOT be on the roster and to get a draft pick. Clearly, things had gone sour enough that it was worth the added cost to them. And lastly...while many are stating their disappointment with the compensation the Bills received, I actually think it's quite impressive. It's not much less than what the Panthers just got for Brian Burns, a 26 year old edge rusher in his prime. It's slightly more than the Chiefs just got for L'Jarius Sneed, a young player at a premium position. It's more than fellow receivers Diontae Johnson, Amari Cooper, and Jerry Jeudy fetched, and those guys are all younger than Diggs. Count me among the minority of fans who actually think the Bills did quite WELL getting a 2nd, ESPECIALLY since that pick belongs to the Vikings, who --if they start Sam Darnold at QB this year -- could wind up picking in the top 10 of the draft next year. We could be looking at, say, the 39th pick. Not bad for a WR who basically wasn't a factor in our offense over the past 9+ weeks of the season.

Thanks for this. Agreed on all counts. Also, the dead cap hurts, but as someone said on Twitter yesterday: "What player of consequence were you realistically signing at this point in the offseason anyway?". It's not the fans' money, so it's weird that the fans get so bent out of shape about it. For me, the fact that all the dead money hits THIS year -- when the Bills were likely done spending big money in free agency anyway -- makes it palatable. Starting in 2025, Diggs is completely off the books, frees up about $25 million, and the Bills will have a very healthy cap situation going forward. So yes, in the moment and in a vacuum, it looks and feels bad and everyone craps on the Bills. In the long run, I think they'll still be good and still make the playoffs this year, and then will be younger and cheaper and more dynamic going forward, and with a healthier cap situation to show for it. ....but the dead cap!

I think so. I'm not sure any of us can properly imagine what it must feel like to have a guy like Diggs chirping in your ear after every play. He's moody, he's mercurial, he's intense. He seems like the type of guy you maybe sort of have to walk on eggshells around. Sometimes, when a WR with a big, dominant ego/aura leaves, I think it has the potential to mentally free up a quarterback to just go out and play ball and throw it to the open guy, without having to worry about keeping one certain guy happy. Also, whereas in the first two seasons together, Diggs and Allen genuinely seemed like the best of friends and like they had a great relationship, the past two seasons (and especially last season), it seemed very forced. The things NOT being said, the way Diggs never seemed to publicly defend Allen the way Allen defended Diggs...it all spoke volumes. We'll likely never know exactly what happened or why it created the rift it did, but clearly SOMETHING changed between these guys along the way. It was palpable. So yes, I bet Allen feels some relief. With Diggs and Morse and Gabe out the door, I also think the onus is now COMPLETELY on him to be the ass-kicking vocal leader of this offense. I hope and expect that he will come out this season playing looser, freer, having more fun, and leading his men. I think that, at this moment in his career, this may wind up being exactly what Josh Allen needed.

I just think the "bigger bodied WR who can win contested catches" is yesterday's news. That's not how I would describe Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, Amon-Ra St Brown, Jaylen Waddle, Devonta Smith, Garrett Wilson, Ceedee Lamb, etc, etc. With the way the NFL rules are set up now, I think the days of needing a big, physical monster who wins jump balls as your WR1 are over. Heck, we just watched Stefon Diggs absolutely tear it up for four years in Buffalo, and he's certainly not a bigger bodied guy (though he WAS a good contested catch WR earlier on). With all of the pre-snap motions, pick plays, scheming guys open, and the contact rules being as they are for DBs, I prefer quickness and route running over size and jump ball ability. To me, if you're winning a lot of contested catches, it means you probably don't often have much separation, hence the cornerback being there to contest the catch to begin with. Give me someone a bit smaller and quicker but who can separate better all day long.

Agreed. I think that what he does well is what I want in a wide receiver. He somehow is perceived to lack the "flash" and ceiling of some of the other guys in the class, but I think he's going to be a top level NFL target for a long time. Speed, quickness, route running, separation. I don't know if it's just his body size/type that people don't like or what, but I think he'll be a good one. If the Bills aren't trading up for one of the big three or four guys, I'd love it if they took Franklin, wherever they deem it appropriate to do so, value-wise.

You could come up with two options that you like and DM them to Virgil or someone with a short bit of reasoning? That way if what you described happens, you can still have your pick.

I actually like Troy Franklin a lot. I prefer him to AD Mitchell. I voted for him in the poll. I think he's massively underrated. After the big 3 and Brian Thomas, he's probably my favorite guy this year. I realize I'm on a small island with this opinion, and I'm fine with the draftniks telling me what an idiot I am. We'll see in time whether I'm crazy or whether my eyes are telling me the truth.

The knock on AD Mitchell is his body language and effort when the ball isn't going his way. Call me crazy, but the LAST thing I want after trading Stefon Diggs away is a guy whose default mode when not getting the ball is "phoning it in". Combine that with his failure to ever crack 1,000 yards in a season or truly dominate as a college receiver, and I couldn't in all good conscience vote for him. For what it's worth, if this exact scenario presented itself to Buffalo come draft night, I think they'd draft Kool-Aid McKinstry. That's not who I voted for, because that's not what I would do. But I believe it's what Beane would do if this is how the draft played out.

Don't be scared because the Sammy Watkins trade didn't work out. Look at the Julio Jones trade, which DID work out. Send a package of picks (including this year's and next year's 1st, plus a future 2nd and 4th, or whatever the value chart dictates) to Chicago for the 9th pick. Draft Rome Odunze. Allen has a blue chip, franchise WR on a cost controlled deal for five years. A top playmaker who can grow with Allen and be the driving force in this passing game for years to come.

Get ready for a whole bunch of vanilla compliments and a refusal to spill even the slightest bit of tea. "We're thankful to Diggs for everything he gave to the Buffalo Bills. We just felt like this was the best thing for both parties at this time". "Thanks for the question, but I'm not going to get into specifics". "We're confident in the guys we got, excited for guys like Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel to step up, and even Kincaid and Knox, who are like receivers at times". There, now you don't have to watch. I just summed up the entire thing.

I think you took "Who's Stefon Diggs?" waaaay too seriously and typed a novel in response to a simple joke. Have a lovely Wednesday.

I didn't have Dave Portnoy being the biggest Josh Allen defender on the timeline today on my Bingo card, but here we are.

I just hope that when people are evaluating this move for the Bills, they're considering the $25 million it opens up in cap space for 2025 for Buffalo. That's a major factor. This year, the Bills are taking some tough cap medicine. No doubt about it. But NEXT year? Beane's gonna have funny money.

I loved that. Turns out the writer was known moron Nicky Smokes (Dolphins fan, agitator, immature goofball). Portnoy proceeded to double down on the "moron" comment once he realized it, too.

The move to get rid of Diggs, eliminate distractions, take our cap medicine this year, get younger and cheaper, and add a big pile of 2025 cap space? A+ The trade ITSELF? Diggs and two late picks for a 2nd? Hmmm...Probably a C . I say that because while a 2nd round pick doesn't look great on the surface, when you consider Digg's contract and age, and the fact that a guy like L'Jarius Sneed only fetched a 3rd, it's actually not a bad return. The compensation received is mitigated, however, by the enormous dead cap hit. So averaging together the move and all of its implications, the compensation received, and the dead cap hit, I can't give the whole thing better than a C grade, even though I feel like the overall impact may wind up being an A+ in the long run.