This might be the perfect WR class for the Bills to draft one in the mid rounds

[transplantbillsfan]

First of all, has anyone listened to Beane and McDermott talk about Gabe Davis? They freaking love the guy. 

 

I don't think our efforts to add to WR this offseason have been/will be about replacing Gabe Davis so much as getting him back to what he does best. I think Davis is a good starting WR, just not great. But Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Miami are the exceptions, not the rule when it comes to 1-2 punches at WR. 

 

What Josh Allen really thrives with is an Elite slot WR, as we learned with Beas.

 

What's this draft full of?

 

Potentially good to great slot WRs.

 

I looked at Dane Brugler's "The Beast" over at The Athletic and the VAAAASSSST majority of the top 14 WRs are slot WRs.

 

And all 14 of those are in his top 100

 

And also, Brugler has 15 WRs in his top 100. From JSN to Jordan Addison to Zay Flowers to Josh Downs to A.T Perry to Tank Dell... this draft is STACKED with WRs who project to the slot.

 

It really makes me think this might be a repeat of last year and 2020 when we knew WR was a need but we waited to draft one til the mid to late rounds.

 

That said... I would friggin LOVE JSN on this team!

Edited April 15, 2023 by transplantbillsfan

[Buffalo Barbarian]

As long as its not round one.

 

Get the shiftiest , YAK guy out there.

 

 

[Nephilim17]

Interesting angle. But Shakir could be that guy and had pretty good scouting reports last year. So do we double down and draft someone just for the sake of slot competition with Shakir? Or did the staff suddenly lose faith in him after seeing him every day for a year.

I won't be against drafting a slot guy but I hope it's not with the first. Shore up the O-line and draft a slot guy in the third or fourth.

 

[BADOLBILZ]

3 minutes ago, transplantbillsfan said:

First of all, has anyone listened to Beane and McDermott talk about Gabe Davis? They freaking love the guy. 

 

I don't think our efforts to add to WR this offseason have been/will be about replacing Gabe Davis so much as getting him back to what he does best. I think Davis is a good starting WR, just not great. But Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Miami are the exceptions, not the rule when it comes to 1-2 punches at WR. 

 

What Josh Allen really thrives with is an Elite slot WR, as we learned with Beas.

 

What's this draft full of?

 

Potentially good to great slot WRs.

 

I looked at Dane Brugler's "The Beast" over at The Athletic and the VAAAASSSST majority of the top 14 WRs are slot WRs.

 

And all 14 of those are in his top 100

 

And also, Brugler has 15 WRs in his top 100. From JSN to Jordan Addison to Zay Flowers to Josh Downs to A.T Perry to Tank Dell... this draft is STACKED with WRs who project to the slot.

 

It really makes me think this might be a repeat of last year and 2020 when we knew WR was a need but we waited to draft one til the mid to late rounds.

 

That said... I would friggin LOVE JSN on this team!

 

 

That's the same kind of logic that lead the Chiefs to draft Clyde Edwards Helaire in round 1.

 

Reaching for need at a non-premium position........which slot-WR-only is......is a recipe for draft disappointment.

 

I know that some people don't get this concept and think the slot receiver has to be a small target smurf with quicks..........but if you run a lot of 11 personnel you want 3 WR's who can play outside at a high level and ALSO in the slot.   Like the aforementioned Bengals.  

 

Forget peak Beasley.........he was just barely good enough at his best for what the Bills SHOULD give Allen in the slot.    Gotta' raise the bar.

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

3 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

That's the same kind of logic that lead the Chiefs to draft Clyde Edwards Helaire in round 1.

 

Reaching for need at a non-premium position........which slot-WR-only is......is a recipe for draft disappointment.

 

I know that some people don't get this concept and think the slot receiver has to be a small target smurf with quicks..........but if you run a lot of 11 personnel you want 3 WR's who can play outside at a high level and ALSO in the slot.   Like the aforementioned Bengals.  

 

Forget peak Beasley.........he was just barely good enough at his best for what the Bills SHOULD give Allen in the slot.    Gotta' raise the bar.

 

I'd be interested in seeing Diggs in the slot with Shakir and Gabe outside. Maybe draft Hyatt in the second round. Sprinkle in Harty when he is available knock-on wood. 

[Doc Brown]

Congrats on that glass half full perspective.  Diggs is almost 30.  Davis has been underwhelming as WR2 who's in the last year of his contract.  We should be looking to draft a future Diggs replacement who can play on the outside as the WR2 in the meantime. Unfortunately, this WR draft class is abhorrent. 

[BADOLBILZ]

1 minute ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

 

I'd be interested in seeing Diggs in the slot with Shakir and Gabe outside. Maybe draft Hyatt in the second round. Sprinkle in Harty when he is available knock-on wood. 

 

 

I just don't have any confidence in Shakir outside.   He's kind of a taint.   Neither an ideal slot or a promising outside WR2.    DC's aren't going to lose any sleep worrying about matching up with a T-Rex armed guy like Shakir outside.   The guy added to the Diggs/Davis mix has to be able to slot in between Diggs and Davis as the WR2 in terms of the attention the defense has to pay to him.   I think Shakir will fill a niche role that could be quite valuable but I don't see him as WR2 on this team.

[Nephilim17]

16 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

I just don't have any confidence in Shakir outside.   He's kind of a taint.   Neither an ideal slot or a promising outside WR2.    DC's aren't going to lose any sleep worrying about matching up with a T-Rex armed guy like Shakir outside.   The guy added to the Diggs/Davis mix has to be able to slot in between Diggs and Davis as the WR2 in terms of the attention the defense has to pay to him.   I think Shakir will fill a niche role that could be quite valuable but I don't see him as WR2 on this team.

I'm not saying Shakir is a good #2, but what makes him a less than ideal slot guy? He seems to have the quickness, decent speed, good hands, smart...

[BigAl2526]

I don't happen to think the Bills are hurting that much in the slot.  They have several players who should be right at home there, including Harty, Shakir and Sherfield.  I think Sherfield can probably line up inside or outside, as can Diggs.  There are plenty of slot guys buffalo could go after if they want, after round one.

[gobills404]

48 minutes ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

As long as its not round one.

 

Get the shiftiest , YAK guy out there.

 

 

So you want Zay Flowers who’s going in round 1

[Big Blitz]

Mingo is my favorite WR in this draft.  I’m at the point I’ll need to be talked out of round 1 - he won’t be there late in RD 2.  And if we’re targeting a WR anyway - over draft at pick 27.  That’s just fine.  Get the WR you (me) want and you get the 5th year option.   

 

We have slot guys.  We need big guys.  And this one runs a 4’4 forty.  
 

 

 

“Going with a deep cut here. Somehow, a 6'2", 220-pound receiver with decent production in the SEC and elite athleticism has gone relatively unnoticed in this class.

 

Jonathan Mingo is one of just 12 prospects in this year's class to have a 9.9 or higher relative athletic score based on Kent Lee Platte's formula.

 

Mingo ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the combine, has plenty of good blocking reps on his film and showed off some sudden burst in his route-running at the Senior Bowl.

 

The production wasn't great for Mingo at Ole Miss. He was second on the team in receiving with 51 receptions and 861 yards and five touchdowns, but Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart was only a sophomore and is still refining his game.

 

Mingo is a player whose best days could happen in the league. At Ole Miss, he lined up in the slot and on the outside. There aren't many receivers who can be had on Day 3 of the draft with that kind of positional versatility.

 

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10071146-the-most-overlooked-player-at-every-position-in-2023-nfl-draft.amp.html

[Buffalo716]

1 hour ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

 

I'd be interested in seeing Diggs in the slot with Shakir and Gabe outside. Maybe draft Hyatt in the second round. Sprinkle in Harty when he is available knock-on wood. 

Shakir is not a bonfife outside guy … he’s a tweener slot WR… he would really struggle with outside press corners Running a 4.40 

 

hes all over the middle 

Edited April 15, 2023 by Buffalo716

[GunnerBill]

2 hours ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

 

I'd be interested in seeing Diggs in the slot with Shakir and Gabe outside. Maybe draft Hyatt in the second round. Sprinkle in Harty when he is available knock-on wood. 

 

Shakir can't play outside. 

[transplantbillsfan]

2 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

That's the same kind of logic that lead the Chiefs to draft Clyde Edwards Helaire in round 1.

 

Reaching for need at a non-premium position........which slot-WR-only is......is a recipe for draft disappointment.

 

I know that some people don't get this concept and think the slot receiver has to be a small target smurf with quicks..........but if you run a lot of 11 personnel you want 3 WR's who can play outside at a high level and ALSO in the slot.   Like the aforementioned Bengals.  

 

Forget peak Beasley.........he was just barely good enough at his best for what the Bills SHOULD give Allen in the slot.    Gotta' raise the bar.

 

Holy crap...

 

I'm trying to say the opposite.

 

There are soooo many good slot WRs in this draft Buffalo can afford to wait.

 

Didn't I say that?

[Dr. Who]

It's a terrible draft for WR. If you want a slot, Zay Flowers or Josh Downs fit, but I wouldn't take them at 27 and they won't make it to 59.

Taking Mingo in the first is absolute crazy talk. I am a broken record on this: there aren't any good WR2. You can try someone like Mingo with a mid-round pick. Basically the Gabe Davis experiment. Maybe it works. Staff may love Gabe's work ethic. His numbers are not bad, but he's not that good. I would go after Dalton Kincaid. He'll be better than the WR choices on the board if he isn't picked before 27.

[freddyjj]

3 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

Get the shiftiest , YAK guy out there

[DJB]

This isn’t the year to go WR. The class is super weak at the top. 
 

 

[NeverOutNick]

6 hours ago, Big Blitz said:

Mingo is my favorite WR in this draft.  I’m at the point I’ll need to be talked out of round 1 - he won’t be there late in RD 2.  And if we’re targeting a WR anyway - over draft at pick 27.  That’s just fine.  Get the WR you (me) want and you get the 5th year option.   

 

We have slot guys.  We need big guys.  And this one runs a 4’4 forty.  
 

 

 

“Going with a deep cut here. Somehow, a 6'2", 220-pound receiver with decent production in the SEC and elite athleticism has gone relatively unnoticed in this class.

 

Jonathan Mingo is one of just 12 prospects in this year's class to have a 9.9 or higher relative athletic score based on Kent Lee Platte's formula.

 

Mingo ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the combine, has plenty of good blocking reps on his film and showed off some sudden burst in his route-running at the Senior Bowl.

 

The production wasn't great for Mingo at Ole Miss. He was second on the team in receiving with 51 receptions and 861 yards and five touchdowns, but Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart was only a sophomore and is still refining his game.

 

Mingo is a player whose best days could happen in the league. At Ole Miss, he lined up in the slot and on the outside. There aren't many receivers who can be had on Day 3 of the draft with that kind of positional versatility.

 

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10071146-the-most-overlooked-player-at-every-position-in-2023-nfl-draft.amp.html

I like him too because of the potential and would be ecstatic getting him in round 3 but because he needs refinement with route running he doesn’t separate very well at this point in his career. He has that WR 1 upside but needs a year or 2 learning from Diggs on how to run routes. I want at least one plug and play O lineman before we take him so the highest I’d take him is round 2 if we take OL round 1

[JohnBonhamRocks]

A WR at 27 doesn’t have to be able to play inside, outside, and be heir apparent to Diggs. 
 

So long as they can step in as one of our top 3 WRs with an eye toward being a WR2/WR1B, fine by me. 
 

Will keep saying that Addison and Flowers are worth 27 as both can play all over, run great routes, great separation, and can be WR2 at least.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

“No WR is worth it at 27” seems to be the favorite narrative now.

Immediately followed by a disclaimer that nobody of value will make it to 59.

 

[Zerovoltz]

Tyler Scott is diet Tyreek.  (I hope the Chiefs take him, and not the Bills)  

 

I agree that this class is WEAK at the top.  No sure thing, no consensus at all on the top 5 or even 10....everyone is all over.  If anything, alot of these guys are scheme specifice in some way and are better fits on some teams instead of others.  

 

20-31 are rough places to be in this draft.

[MasterStrategist]

5 hours ago, Dr. Who said:

It's a terrible draft for WR. If you want a slot, Zay Flowers or Josh Downs fit, but I wouldn't take them at 27 and they won't make it to 59.

Taking Mingo in the first is absolute crazy talk. I am a broken record on this: there aren't any good WR2. You can try someone like Mingo with a mid-round pick. Basically the Gabe Davis experiment. Maybe it works. Staff may love Gabe's work ethic. His numbers are not bad, but he's not that good. I would go after Dalton Kincaid. He'll be better than the WR choices on the board if he isn't picked before 27.

Zay Flowers has been my guy for a while.  He can be moved all around, but immediately contribute in the slot.  

 

Doubt he makes it to 27 now, he's been moving up draft boards...reminds me of Dotson (Penn St WR LY), and likely goes in the high teens/early 20s.

[SoCal Deek]

And yet the Mock draft on this very board has the Bills going WR in Round One taking Jordan Addison, USC. 😳

[Chicken Boo]

8 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

That's the same kind of logic that lead the Chiefs to draft Clyde Edwards Helaire in round 1.

 

Reaching for need at a non-premium position........which slot-WR-only is......is a recipe for draft disappointment.

 

I know that some people don't get this concept and think the slot receiver has to be a small target smurf with quicks..........but if you run a lot of 11 personnel you want 3 WR's who can play outside at a high level and ALSO in the slot.   Like the aforementioned Bengals.  

 

Forget peak Beasley.........he was just barely good enough at his best for what the Bills SHOULD give Allen in the slot.    Gotta' raise the bar.

 

Exactly!  Keenan Allen, Devante Adams, Tyreek Hill, DeAndre Hopkins, etc all play in the slot when called upon.

 

Like Florio said, the Bills should be aiming to draft someone who can fill Diggs shoes.  

[MasterStrategist]

8 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

First of all, has anyone listened to Beane and McDermott talk about Gabe Davis? They freaking love the guy. 

 

I don't think our efforts to add to WR this offseason have been/will be about replacing Gabe Davis so much as getting him back to what he does best. I think Davis is a good starting WR, just not great. But Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Miami are the exceptions, not the rule when it comes to 1-2 punches at WR. 

 

What Josh Allen really thrives with is an Elite slot WR, as we learned with Beas.

 

What's this draft full of?

 

Potentially good to great slot WRs.

 

I looked at Dane Brugler's "The Beast" over at The Athletic and the VAAAASSSST majority of the top 14 WRs are slot WRs.

 

And all 14 of those are in his top 100

 

And also, Brugler has 15 WRs in his top 100. From JSN to Jordan Addison to Zay Flowers to Josh Downs to A.T Perry to Tank Dell... this draft is STACKED with WRs who project to the slot.

 

It really makes me think this might be a repeat of last year and 2020 when we knew WR was a need but we waited to draft one til the mid to late rounds.

 

That said... I would friggin LOVE JSN on this team!

Great post! Agree about slot WR being a need, opening up the passing game.

 

Hope I'm wrong about Skakir, but I see a backup.  Counting on him to take over, is a big risk.  Harty is the ideal #4, per Beane himself...and don't think he's durable enough for a full time role.

 

Zay Flowers is an ideal fit in our offense.  Explosive, RAC ability but likely won't be there at 27 (hope I'm wrong).

 

Jayden Reed is another 2nd-3rd round option at slot WR.  Not as explosive as Flowers, but brings an edge and likely better blocking ability.

[LEBills]

This is gonna be one of those years WR 6-10 outperforms WR 2-5, I think. JSN will be good then Flowers Addison Johnston Hyatt are all going to depend on the offense.

 

then later Tillman, Mingo, Scott, Rice and AT Perry are better sized, all played outside and either have had production or were stuck with some garbage QBs.
 

AT Perry looks like Clemson Tee Higgins to me. Long, bendy, and really uses that length well to separate from corners that he can’t outrun. Hartman was a garbage QB in a weird offense and Perry still had two great seasons. Watching some of his pre-draft interviews were impressive too. 
 

But honestly I could see a path for any of those WRs being viewed as day 2 picks turning into good WRs but no sure thing (aside from Perry imo haha).

[Hebert19]

2 hours ago, DJB said:

This isn’t the year to go WR. The class is super weak at the top. 
 

 

I think that's what's being said.  He's not saying first round but it's a deep slot draft.  Could get an impact player on 2nd or 3rd. 

[wppete]

2nd Round - WR, Josh Downs, NC

4th Round - TE, Josh Whyle, Cincinnati 

[1billsfan]

https://www.si.com/college/tennessee/football/hyatt-pinned-as-second-best-receiver

 

I think Hyatt would be the perfect pick at #27. He just might be the most media and fan underrated draft prospect in this draft.

 

The Bills have an over thirty Diggs and they also have Davis on the last year of his contract. They already have a couple options at slot on this team. They are in need of an outside guy. Allen and Hyatt would be a seriously dangerous combo IMO. 

 

[Dr. Who]

1 hour ago, MasterStrategist said:

Zay Flowers has been my guy for a while.  He can be moved all around, but immediately contribute in the slot.  

 

Doubt he makes it to 27 now, he's been moving up draft boards...reminds me of Dotson (Penn St WR LY), and likely goes in the high teens/early 20s.

I'd rather have a larger guy, but I do think he ought to be a consideration if he should fall to 27.

[whorlnut]

1 hour ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

“No WR is worth it at 27” seems to be the favorite narrative now.

Immediately followed by a disclaimer that nobody of value will make it to 59.

 

Yeah…the idea of not getting a guy that could upgrade what we already have makes me sick to my core. If we don't make a play on a WR in 1 or through a trade down, it’s gonna be nauseating watching all the receivers come off the board before we pick again at 59.

1 hour ago, Zerovoltz said:

Tyler Scott is diet Tyreek.  (I hope the Chiefs take him, and not the Bills)  

 

I agree that this class is WEAK at the top.  No sure thing, no consensus at all on the top 5 or even 10....everyone is all over.  If anything, alot of these guys are scheme specifice in some way and are better fits on some teams instead of others.  

 

20-31 are rough places to be in this draft.

You “hope” the chiefs get a guy that you compare to tyreke hill and not the bills?  You must be a chiefs fan, because why would you want that to happen?

[Doc]

They're not drafting another slot guy with Shakir, Harty and Sherfield in the fold.

[whorlnut]

2 minutes ago, Doc said:

They're not drafting another slot guy with Shakir, Harty and Sherfield in the fold.

Shakir is unproven and Harty and Sherfield are on one year deals. 

[Straight Hucklebuck]

10 minutes ago, whorlnut said:

Yeah…the idea of not getting a guy that could upgrade what we already have makes me sick to my core. If we don't make a play on a WR in 1 or through a trade down, it’s gonna be nauseating watching all the receivers come off the board before we pick again at 59.

You “hope” the chiefs get a guy that you compare to tyreke hill and not the bills?  You must be a chiefs fan, because why would you want that to happen?

Yeah, I said without a ton of thought that 10 WRs are going to go in the first two rounds, and I immediately got I’ll bet you on that statements.

 

1. Jaxson Smith-Ngijba

2. Quentin Johnston

3. Jordan Addison

4. Zay Flowers

5. Jalin Hyatt

6. Josh Downs

 

Now if you’re the Bills are you waiting until 59 to pick from:

 

7. Cedrick Tillman

8. Tank Dell

9. Rashee Rice

10. Jonathan Mingo

11. Tyler Scott

 

[Doc]

6 minutes ago, whorlnut said:

Shakir is unproven and Harty and Sherfield are on one year deals. 

 

Harty's deal is for 2 years, but obviously they can get out of it after a year.  They need an outside guy.

[Dr. Who]

2 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

Harty's deal is for 2 years, but obviously they can get out of it after a year.  They need an outside guy.

I think you're looking at JSN, Johnston, and Addison in the first, Hyatt in the second. Anything after that you are taking a flier on someone like Mingo, Scott, or Rice. I would not take any of the latter at 59. Johnston is very boom or bust, so not sure you want to risk that. JSN is likely first WR off the board. Addison remains the most likely to possibly be there at 27 as a pretty solid pick in this draft with a high floor. 

[Rockinon]

I think many on this board see the need for a quality WR on the team. However, I also think many are overvaluing the WRs in a weak WR draft because of that need. It would be nice to see the the front office go offense in the first round. Maybe they do, maybe they don't. A quality offensive lineman, TE or RB, may not be a bad pick, but I can see another defensive selection.  Someone like Mingo in he 2nd or 3rd might pan out. Honestly though, no one really knows what the Bills brass will decide to do in the 1st round. Going to come down to who falls to pick 27. I just don't think this is the year that Bean attempts to trade up. Thinking it's going to be either stand pat or trade down. Of course, I'm just an armchair GM myself, so what do I know?

[BigAl2526]

The guy I'm curious about is Dezmon Patmon, who is already on the Bills roster.  He came out of college with numerous flaws in his game.  The question I have is have NFL coaches been able to light any kind of fire under him to address those issues.  The dude is 6'4" weighs 225 and runs a 4.42 and most of his shortcomings appear to be things that can be improved.

[Doc]

3 minutes ago, BigAl2526 said:

The guy I'm curious about is Dezmon Patmon, who is already on the Bills roster.  He came out of college with numerous flaws in his game.  The question I have is have NFL coaches been able to light any kind of fire under him to address those issues.  The dude is 6'4" weighs 225 and runs a 4.42 and most of his shortcomings appear to be things that can be improved.

 

I missed that signing.  But likely nothing more than camp fodder.

[Snappysnackcakes]

I have a feeling they’re high on Tank Dell. Don’t ask me why, just my gut telling me this.