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last year people were getting all worked up about losing Edmunds, who is going to replace him. Beane said- sometimes the replacement is already on the roster. Terrel Bernard is a dawg! This year people are getting all worked up about replacing Diggs. Beane said- sometimes the replacement is already on the roster. Beane very well can be talking about Hamler or Shavers or Shorter

I'll start by saying that this was far from my favorite Bills draft. I'm usually Mr Optimistic when it comes to draft classes, but I thought this year's class was just...fine. It was like if you fed Brandon Beane's draft tendencies and the Bills' needs into ChatGPT and asked it to spit out the 2024 Bills draft class. It was completely on brand, it filled the needs we all knew the team had, and it'll probably end up producing a few average players and a couple good ones. Ho-hum. Nobody in this class makes me stand up and say "that guy's really gonna help the Bills get over the hump and win a title". Onto the picks: 1. Keon Coleman - I was not a fan of this pick. For a team whose WR corps needed more speed and separation, this guy made the LEAST sense to me of all the 1st/2nd round WR prospects. Josh Allen has historically thrived with fast, shifty WRs who separate well, and has not clicked with big-bodied guys who struggle with separation. So adding Keon Coleman? It feels like "Square peg, meet round hole". He does have great athleticism and RAC ability for a man his size. He's also young to the position, having played football full time for only two seasons and being only 20 years old. I have concerns about his ability to play X in the NFL, and I'll believe that he's a better fit as a big slot until proven otherwise. Here's hoping I'm wrong about Coleman. The absolute ceiling I see for him is "Solid WR2". Not what I was hoping for in a star studded WR class and with a crying need at the position. 2. Cole Bishop - Looks like he should be just what the doctor ordered at safety for the Bills. He seems to be more Poyer than Hyde, in that he's at his best in the box and playing the run, and he packs a wallop when he tackles. He appears to have untapped man coverage potential, with Dalton Kincaid saying Bishop usually got the better of him 1-on-1 at Utah. He also has freaky speed for the position and a great mental disposition. Should be an easy fit in the Bills' scheme. At the VERY least, I expect him to contribute from day 1 as a dime 'backer, but I'll ultimately be surprised if he doesn't wind up starting at one of the two safety spots by midseason. 3. Dewayne Carter - Good bull rusher, great motor, tons of experience, impeccable character. Seems like a 1T/3T 'tweener. Quickly apparent from his interviews that he's one of the smartest, most likable, easy to root for guys you'll ever see in the NFL. Should be a quality rotational tackle for the Bills and seems like, in time, he will provide quality leadership and a steadying presence on the D-line. May never be a big play guy, but may at least be a "dirty work" guy who allows others around him to thrive. 4. Ray Davis - Hard running inside guy with great vision, ability to get skinny, contact balance, and underrated breakaway ability. Had the most receiving TDs in 2023 of any SEC running back in 25 years. Should provide a nice change of pace to James Cook without the Bills necessarily losing anything in the pass game when he comes on the field. An older prospect, but I don't care, because he's a running back, and he won't be here past his first contract anyway. Another "likability" and leadership All-Star. Davis should provide steadiness and depth, but doesn't do anything that wows you, and I'm not sure he moves the needle much on offense. 5. Sedrick Van Pran - Tons of starting experience at Georgia. Has some traits reminiscent of Mitch Morse in terms of quickness, twitch, and ability on the move. Stop me if you've heard this one before -- lauded for his leadership. Should provide a good backup plan to Connor McGovern at center and/or provide competition at that position. It will not shock me if this guy is starting by year two. Seems like a great value at this point in the draft. One of my favorite picks. 5. Edufuan Ulofoshio - What do you want me to say? You didn't think the Bills would let a draft pass them by without selecting a late round special teams linebacker, did you? The room is starting to get a bit crowded with Milano, Bernard, Williams, Morrow, Spector, and Ulofoshio. However...the Bills lost ST stalwarts Dodsen, Matakevitch, and Neal, and needed some reinforcements there. That's what Ulo seems to be. I'll be surprised if he ever amounts to more than that, but at this point in the draft, that's what you're getting. 5. Javon Soloman - Undersized speed rusher (though he does have a great wingspan for the position) who had absolutely eye-popping production at Troy, where he out-produced Demarcus Ware and Osi Umenyoira. He can be a designated pass rusher and special teams guy and can learn from his idol Von Miller, after whom he says he models his game. Very much a boom/bust prospect, with seemingly equal potential to be the steal of the draft or an outright bust. I liked this pick a lot, and I'm betting on the former over the latter. 6. Tylan Grable - What do you want me to say? Did you think the Bills were gonna let a draft go by without taking a project offensive tackle late? I don't have much to say about this guy. He's just like Tommy Doyle or Luke Tenuta before him: a developmental tackle prospect who's a long shot to make the 53-man roster. With VanDemark and Collins already in place as backup OTs, it's hard to see this guy making the roster. 6. Daequan Hardy - Special teams guy. Standout punt returner and gunner. I usually look to Bills' late round corners with excitement, because they're usually big-bodied guys with zone eyes who only dropped due to underwhelming athleticism. Hardy does not appear to fit that mold. He appears instead to be a punt return candidate and, beyond that, I'm not sure where he'd fit in. His only hope is as a nickel, but the Bills are obviously set there with Taron Johnson. 7. Travis Clayton - At least this one's fun. A guy from the International Pathways program who has never played a down of football in his life. But he's 6'7", 301 lbs and runs a 4.79. The hope is that he turns into the next Jordan Mailata. A fun story and will be fun to track, but obviously a longshot and likely a practice squad guy at best. Overall, it was clear that leadership, maturity, and experience were high priorities for the Bills this year. Again and again, they picked guys who were team captains and lauded for their leadership abilities. Given all the leadership that walked out the door this offseason, that certainly makes sense. Again and again, they picked guys with lots of starting experience, guys who shined at the Senior Bowl, and guys who have their heads screwed on straight. Given that they will be counting on some of these guys to contribute from day one, and given that they seem to be doing a bit of a locker room reset, this also makes sense. The reason that I am ultimately unexcited by this year's draft class is this: I wanted the Bills to prioritize building around Josh Allen. I wanted them to either take a swing for the fences by trading up for a star receiver, or -- failing that -- to go the Packers route and draft a handful of skill position players to surround him with. If they were unable to acquire great quality, then I hoped they would at least acquire quantity. I fear that in choosing Keon Coleman, they may have failed to achieve the "quality" goal, and in refusing to draft any other receivers, they also failed to achieve the "quantity" goal. And Ray Davis is the definition of "uninspiring" at running back. He'll be a fine depth player and grind out tough yards, I'm sure, but he doesn't move the needle much on offense. Neither Coleman nor Davis seem like they upgrade the offense. Just...status quo at best. In a year where I felt the very TOP priority was to improve on offense, I feel the Bills failed to meaningfully do so. In an offseason where I hoped they'd make a bold move or two to try to find an elite player for this offense, they failed to try. After hearing "Josh needs more weapons" for a couple years running, he now seems to have less. The WR corps seems to have regressed, and seems to lack any true downfield explosiveness or viable deep threat. This draft class was not a disaster, by any means. it seems FINE. Just fine. Keon Coleman doesn't scream "Alpha WR1" to me. Ray Davis seems like an average NFL backup. Cole Bishop and Javon Soloman seem to perhaps have playmaking potential on defense. Beyond that -- meh. When the Bills decided to go young and start a roster reset, I had hope that Beane was gonna try to do things differently, since the old way he was doing things didn't get the Bills over the hump. They've been hitting too man singles and doubles over the years and not enough home runs. Instead, he appears to be doing things exactly the same way this time around. He seems to be content to collect character/culture guys, whose ceiling is "good, solid NFL player", rather than taking any risks or big swings for potential stars. He hasn't really taken those swings, to my estimation, since the Allen/Edmunds class. THAT'S why I'm disappointed in this draft class. It seems fine, solid, steady, and logical, but it doesn't seem like it'll move the needle much. I will move on to hoping that the post June 1st money infusion brings us a quality veteran receiver and maybe a pass rusher either via free agency or trade. Failing that, it would be hard for me to conclude anything other than that it looks like the Bills are poised to take a step back this year. 2025 looks promising in terms of cap space and draft capital, but if it's gonna continue to be "business as usual" for Brandon Beane, then I'm not sure how excited I should allow myself to get for that. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

If they only got a 4th for the huge edmunds contract, how are they getting a 4th for 3 years/$39 million? I am assuming they get a fifth and maybe even a sixth because his contract will be offset somewhat by the 3 years/$24 million contract for Samuel. The more I think about it, I am assuming a 6th.

Rousseau would probably be viewed as a good pick by most people. Epenesa took some time, in part due to our staff changing his body, but the way he played last year is - at least - a solid RD2 output for a DE taken late in the round. Edmunds is good, but not elite. Solid pick. Same with Oliver. Very good, not elite. Underwhelming for where he was drafted, but not a miss - and many would view him as a hit. Boogie was a miss and everyone knew it except for our FO apparently. Elam.. I’m still in wait and see mode. Weird situation. I’m willing to see what this year brings as he clearly can play.

Legend has it Tremaine Edmunds is still 20 years old as well.

Payton Wilson if you think his medicals aren;t a red flag. Think of Edmunds with actual instincts but made of glass

20? Holy shirt, the dude is older than Tremaine Edmunds!

He may just have one good season right before free agency, just in time for the Bears to sign him and watch him suck again. Did you know Tremaine Edmunds was only 19 when we drafted him?

But Edmunds was 15 years old when he was drafted. How old is Coleman?

Literally the opposite of Edmunds. Edmunds was super athletic, RAS score of 9.5, but played worse than his athleticism. Coleman is not super athletic,but plays better than his athletic traits would suggest.

Yaaaay the big guy who runs one route and can’t separate against college defensive backs wooooo This fits our draft philosophy to a T though, it’s just like Edmunds

Edmunds was another one. It's tough too as you need to pick up the 5th year option after the player has only completed his 3rd year. Wouldn't be shocked if the Bills had wished like in the old days to rescind Edmunds option after seeing his play in year 4, but can't do that anymore. So they let him play it out, maybe were hoping for a huge improvement, but it never came, so let him walk.

The player is either good enough to extend or not worth 1 more year with the 5th year option. What did the Bills really accomplish by using the 5th year option on Edmunds & then letting him walk? The goal is to get a guy who will earn a 2nd contract, not just 1 more year before he leaves because the team had to make a decision after his 3rd season.

If these endless reports are to be believed, the only player in the league Buffalo don't seem interested in is Tremaine Edmunds

Day 1 is in the books! Compared to the absolute bonkers nature of last year's first round this was relatively mild and predictable. As expected the three Quarterbacks that were projected to be the first three picks went in exactly that order. While the Michael Penix Jnr pick from Atlanta at #8 was genuinely shocking (well done to them for keeping that under wraps.... the first sense that it even might happen was in the half hour before the draft began) it was a team picking at their designated spot and without trading up. Last year saw five draft night trades in the top half of round one. This year saw one and it was just the Vikings doing the old pick switcharoo with the Jets from #11 to #10. So not quite the sense of fun and fireworks in 2024 but let's get to breaking it down... The Bills Pick Trades Okay so despite some of us across the pond sitting up until it was already light Brandon Beane and co declined to make a pick in the first round of the NFL draft. Before I get onto the actual nature of the two trade downs worth reflecting that Brandon Beane has possessed 8 first round selections in his 7 years as Bills GM (because he inherited two that first year from the McDermott/Whaley trade back with Kansas City that became Patrick Mahomes). On only two occasions has he stood pat and used the pick he had - 2019 on Ed Oliver and 2021 on Greg Rousseau. He has traded up four times (Allen and Edmunds in '18; Elam in '22 and Kincaid in '23) and has now traded out of round one twice (2020 for Diggs in a trade and last night). At this stage I think it is pretty clear to make the assessment that he is not, by his nature, a "let the board come to him" General Manager. He is a guy who has very specific targets and moves around the draft to try and create value at the spots that he selects guys. I don't make any further comment on that at this stage. It is probably a topic that merits further consideration in terms of the effectiveness of that strategy. But I thought it was an interesting angle on this that maybe didn't jump out to me until I reflected this morning. So onto the trades themselves. Let me say whenever a GM with a pick near the end of a round trades back, and particularity when they do it twice, it tells me their board is out of grades in that specific round. I honestly believe the Bills have no first round grades left. Not just none at receiver. No first round grades. If they had a guy with a true first still on the board I think they would have picked. Even if not at #28 then at #32. You don't give up the extra year of control you get on those first round players if you think you have a guy that is genuinely at that level of talent. But having listened to Beane's presser this was also somewhat about filling holes for them. They think they need to get multiple starters out of this draft it is pretty evident to me and they felt like they have to get more picks higher up than they had. As I said in my compendium thread yesterday the drop off in this class comes between 100 and 120. The Bills had only two picks in that range and one on the fringe (#128). They now have three and still have that fringe pick with the ability to package one or two fifth rounders with that to move inside that top 120 again and get four guys who have a chance to really contribute as rookies. I feel differently about the two trades. The first, which let's be clear was moving BACK with Kansas City four spots in round 1 to move UP 38 spots from the bottom of round 4 to the bottom of round 3 and UP 27 picks from the end of round 7 to the top of it, worked out as a Bills win by the traditional Jimmy Johnson chart - to get up 70 points the Chiefs gave up 82 - but a slight Chiefs win by the Rich Hill chart where to get up 27 points they gave up 25. My take on that trade is I don't like the process but I don't mind the outcome. I do not like the idea of the Bills making it easier for the team that they are chasing in the AFC to build their roster the way they want to build it. I actually had a thought exercise in one of the mock sims where the Chiefs wanted to get up and basically my position was I want your second round pick to be willing to do it (I sent a 4th or a 5th back can't recall). They took Xavier Worthy who was not my favourite fit for the Bills for a number of reasons - ability to get off press, ability to play as primarily an outside guy, lack of physicality given that is what seems to hurt us year after year in the playoffs etc. The fact I think he is a good fit for a Kansas City team trying to rediscover its fastball on offense is neither here nor there for me it is the principle of being open to doing business with the team you are trying to catch. That said, as others have pointed out there was a limited chance that he was going to get picked by the three teams behind us (the 9ers might have been the wildcard given they eventually went Pearsall, I know some people had speculated on Dallas but they were OT all the way IMO) and if we weren't interested in him might as well get the pick value the Chiefs were willing to give you. The second trade, moving back one spot with Carolina who by the Johnson chart gave up 24.5 points to get up 10 points and by the Hill chart gave up 9 points to get up 4 points, was an even clearer Bills win and in principle when you don't have a true first round grade left on your board (and as I explain above I'm certain they didn't) is a trade you should always make. Especially when your mate and former assistant is the GM of the team you are trading with. I all but guarantee Dan Morgan told Beane who he was going to draft there before Beane signed off on it and it wasn't his guy. I didn't like the outcome though. Xavier Legette was my WR4. After the big 3 he was the guy I had the highest grade on. I stood firm on him being a first round talent when after the Senior Bowl there were some well respected guys talking about him as a 3rd round type. I accept that ultimately the Bills felt differently about him. But I think the kid is going to be a stud and if Bryce Young can get him the ball the Panthers are going to be very happy with their pick. My Mock I set a new personal best for 28 of the 32 correctly mocked in round one. As I said at the start I think it was a reasonably predictable year so that definitely played a part but after hitting 27 the last two years I'm happy to go one better with 28. The four I missed - Bo Nix who I wish I'd stuck to my guns on; Darius Robinson who I knew was a potential first rounder after he was invited to the draft but to me him ahead of Johnny Newton is batshit crazy; Ricky Pearsall who genuinely did surprise me; and Xavier Legette who I had pretty much assumed was going #33 to Carolina and if I'd carried on to cover teams who didn't have a first I'd have made that connection. I had 6 exact player and team matches which is about my average. The first four were pretty easy, the other two for me were McCarthy to Minnesota and Tyler Guyton to Dallas. I had a further nine right position wrong player - particularly just with the order the tackles, corners and edge guys came off the board. I will score it by the Fantasy Draft Pros scoring formula later (I'd have ranked top 25 last year if thrown in with all the pros) and while I think I'll be high scoring again I think it will be a high scoring year overall. Player(s) I was high on... So the two guys I was higher than the consensus on all the way through in terms of having first grades on them were Jordan Morgan (who was mocked in the late first range a fair bit as the process went on but a lot of people saw him as more a second round grade) and Xavier Legette. I feel a certain vindication that both went last night. But I do still have three of my first round grades on the board (interestingly all five of my borderline firsts are gone) in Johnny Newton, Cooper DeJean and Kool-Aid McKinstry. I'm most surprised about Kool-Aid of the three even though he was the lowest grade of the three for me. Newton has had injuries and some teams will have size concerns and despite him having outstanding tape the mood music was that he could slip into early day two and Cooper DeJean is also coming off injury and is that kind of hybrid guy who some teams might just struggle to see a fit for. McKinstry in the end I think is just a victim of how late the corner run started. He was the 4th best pure corner and because some of those teams who might have gone corner early went in other directions ultimately it ended up that only three went off the board. Player(s) I was down on... The lowest ranked player to be selected last night by my board was JJ McCarthy. My reasons for not being super high on him are set out in my Quarterback evaluations thread and he ended up #84 on my board. But I expected him to go and we will see whether Minnesota were right to take a chance of a guy with a great deal of variance in outcome given the lack of volume as a passer in college. The next lowest was Darius Robinson who was ranked 63rd on my board. I just don't know what he is. At least he got taken by a 3-4 team because I think his best shot is as a defensive end in a three man front - a 5T type role. I give the kid credit he had a great Senior Bowl and a great Combine. He has aced the process. But I don't see a first round player on tape. He has a third round grade for me. Some natural physical ability but a lack of refined technique and no obvious NFL role fit. Let's see if Arizona can make it work out. Biggest shock of the night Easily Michael Penix Jnr to the Falcons at #8. I like Penix. He was my QB3 after Williams and Maye. If you want a pure, conventional, pocket passer who throws the ball down the football field and doesn't need a load of gimmicky ways to get the ball out of his hands then Michael Penix is for you. He actually has some Kirk Cousins to his game which is ironic because Kirk Cousins is the guy he will now go and back up in Atlanta. Where it is strange to me is taking a guy who is an older prospect, already 24, and asking him to sit behind a guy you just gave a 4 year $180m deal to. Even if Penix sits for two years (by which time he will be 26) and then they are able to trade Kirk (who by that point will be 38) they will still end up with $25m in dead cap. In a sense I congratulate them for being aggressive at the Quarterback spot. That is the way to play the game when there is a guy there you like and your guy is older than 35 - I said it when the Packers took Jordan Love and it worked out in the end for them. And I certainly don't shed any tears for Kirk Cousins who has played the business of the NFL pretty well himself and has to accept when teams do the same. But overall it is certainly an odd approach to managing the QB position from the Falcons. That said, watching Desmond Ridder try and play Quarterback in the NFL that last two years is bound to give you a sense of urgency at the spot Worst Pick I hate what the Raiders did. Hate it. Okay, they were probably planning to take Penix, thought they were safe to wait until #13 for him and then wham the Falcons gazump them. But for a team with so many major holes to spend the 13th overall pick on a tight is just baffling to me. They have basically one proven player on their offensive line in Kolton Miller but refused to take advantage of the excellent tackle class. Their starting corners are Jack Jones who even Bill Belichick couldn't turn into a serviceable DB and was picked up off waivers from New England and a guy name Jakorian Bennett (no? me neither) and yet they pass on Quinyon Mitchell and Terrion Arnold. Hell I think wide receiver would have been a luxury pick but at least there you can say well their #1 in Devante Adams turns 32 during next season and might be coming to the end. This is nothing against Brock Bowers. In the 11 seasons I have been doing this he became only the third tight end I had a true 1st round grade on. He is a good player. I wish him well. But for a team with holes at the spots that most impact you winning and losing football games to spend the 13th overall pick on a tight end when the board was as it was? Speechless. Dumb, dumb move. Big Board Check I know, the Bills haven't picked yet and go into day 2 with the first pick of the night at #33 this is the bit you all care about.... I don't think it is a lock we pick at #33 either based on Beane saying they "have already taken calls" and you do quite often see teams overpay for #33 and #34 when they re=set their boards after day 1 and convince themselves there is a can't miss guy at the top. I actually think Newton IS a can't miss guy as well for any team whose best defender isn't already their 3T.... the question is how much further is Beane willing to move back. Anyway - here is my top 15 remaining as we stand right now: 1. Jer'Zhan Newton*, DT, Illinois 2. Cooper DeJean*, CB, Iowa 3. Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama 4. Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Oregon 5. Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas 6. Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota 7. Braden Fiske, DT, FSU 8. Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia 9. Ennis Rakestraw, CB, Missouri 10. Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington 11. Kamarri Lassiter, CB, Georgia 12. Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon 13. Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas 14. Payton Wilson, LB, NC State 15. Christian Haynes, IOL, UConn And as a bonus feature.... if I had to predict what the Bills do at #33 it would be select Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon. I'd pick Mitchell but my gut is telling my they are going Franklin. Enjoy day 2 folks. I'll be back to debrief tomorrow!

Seems like an obviously terrible decision from my perch. The fetishization of draft pick hording seems to be the driver — Beane can't quite get over the fourth tound comp designation for Edmunds and was hellbent on getting a third round pick. But jeez, don’t trade with KC. Hope I’m wrong.

Perfect example of that for us would be Terrell Bernard. Pick made no sense in a vacuum of one year for where he was taken, with Edmunds and Milano on the roster. Fast forward two years and the guy is a key piece of the defense and an absolute stud in our system.

Just off the top of my head - Luck Hasselbeck (Matt) Tatupu Edmunds (Tremaine) Heyward

Man, I wish I could get on the BTJ train... but I can't. My kingdom for one highlight of him snatching the ball over the middle, or a route that shows nuance and shiftiness. If he's drafted, I'll get on-board quick. But I see a souped up Gabe. Plus he has injury concerns, on-field concerns (hands, route running clearly a work in progress), and personality concerns (doesn't exactly strike me as an alpha). He strikes me as the Tremaine Edmunds of wide receivers. He's super impressive physically, but a complete projection as a football player. Beane, like most GM's, are salivating over his traits. But I'd be thrilled if they pass on him. Also, can someone give me a more hopeful comp than Christian Watson or DJ Chark. The PFF guys have him somewhere between wr #9 and wr#15. I'm open to plenty of positivity.

It absolutely is. My initial example in my response to the tweet was Tremaine Edmunds, who started 82 games in 5 seasons for the Bills. He didn't not get a 2nd contract from the Bills. He had his detractors on TBD, but he didn't get signed to a 4 year, $72M contract with $50M guaranteed from the Bears because league-wide GMs thought he wasn't a "hit" as a draft pick. To the contrary, he was regarded well enough that he priced the Bills out of his market.

Tremaine Edmunds is only 21!

I'm not sure "signed a second contract with the team that drafted them" is a good criterion to decide if a player is a "hit" or a "miss". Take, for example, Edmunds. Did he sign a 2nd contract with the team that drafted him? No. Was it because he was a "miss"? No, he started 5 years for the Bills and didn't sign a 2nd contract only because he made himself a very high priced FA, and we prioritized re-up'ing our 1st round QB (drafted that same year) and 1st round DT. And (for example) 2019 QB Daniel Jones counts as a "hit" because he was offered a 2nd countract - but do Giants fans count him as a hit? Do we?

Wasn't it in the same draft where Beane moved up to get Allen he also moved up to get Edmunds. If I remember correctly.

Chicago does well in round 1!! They'd be thrilled with these selections AND the added draft capital. Bonus: Latu at almost a full 4 years older, should be a good mentor to Edmunds. Love this pick right here. Get your guy. Finally, the Raiders have hope.

I agree with your take. I'm still pissed that we didn't get that 3rd rounder for Edmunds. I do think that Beane will look to move up, but I don't think there will be any takers. Trading down seems very likely. Maybe we move down a couple spots with San Francisco, and get one of their many draft picks. Then find someone early in the second round to trade with?