ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — For the moment, there’s no positive spin to place on what the Buffalo Bills did – or didn’t do – in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night.
Start with the first thing they did – a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. Gulp!
Yes, an exchange of first-round picks with the defending Super Bowl champions against whom they've lost three times in the postseason since 2020. Yes, the same team with which the Bills swapped choices in 2017, giving the Chiefs the No. 10 overall pick in exchange for the No. 27 slot. Yes, the same No. 10 pick that KC used for a quarterback named Patrick Mahomes.
On Thursday night, the Bills gave the Chiefs their No. 28 overall pick, which promptly became wide receiver Xavier Worthy of Texas. Worthy set a record at last February’s NFL Scouting Combine by running the 40-yard dash in 4.21 seconds. Think Andy Reid could figure out a way to make good use of Worthy’s dynamic skills? Thank the Bills could have used a huge dose of speed in their offense?
“We were following our board,” General Manager Brandon Beane said as a blanket explanation for the team's head-scratching night.
The deal with the Chiefs did give the Bills a third-round choice they previously lacked and moved them to the 32nd and last pick of the first round. After that, Buffalo shipped the choice to Carolina in exchange for pick No. 33, the top pick of the second round.
“We’re excited about (Friday),” Beane said. “Instead of having the one pick, now we’ve got three.”
If the Bills’ decision to effectively help the Chiefs add a potential difference-making weapon that could blow up on them in the 2024 season and beyond wasn’t a bitter enough pill for Bills fans to swallow, the fact they didn’t address their crying need at receiver (or any need for that matter) in the first round certainly was.
Beane said the Bills made no attempt to trade up in the first round.
But wasn’t there at least some trepidation with trading with the Chiefs?
“No, because, listen, they can move around,” Beane said. “If we don’t trade with them, someone else can to get whatever player they’re targeting. To me, it’s got to make sense for us. And we’re following our board.”
Why didn’t the Bills take Worthy for themselves? It’s a good question. My understanding was that Josh Allen had told General Manager Brandon Beane the two receivers he liked in this draft were Worthy and Xavier Legette of South Carolina. The Panthers chose Legette with the 32nd pick that had belonged to the Bills.
The three receivers widely considered the best in the draft – Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze – were selected in the first nine picks. Jacksonville grabbed Brian Thomas Jr., another popular receiver name that associated with the Bills, at No. 23.
Presumably, that was the extent of the receivers the Bills believed were worthy of first-round selection.
The bottom line is that the Bills now find themselves with two second-round picks (No. 33 and No. 60), a third (No. 95), one fourth (Nos. 128), four fifths (Nos. 141, 144, 160 and 163), one sixth (No. 204) and one seventh (No. 221).
That can be viewed two ways. One, it gives the Bills ample opportunity to fill holes on both sides of the ball. Two, it might provide them with the ability to package a deal for a veteran receiver from another team, such as Deebo Samuel of San Francisco or Tee Higgins of Cincinnati, though both are seeking massive contracts that could be difficult for the Bills’ tight salary cap to withstand.
Or, the Bills might simply utilize the many picks they have through the final six rounds to replenish a roster that saw prominent players exit, including No. 1 receiver Stefon Diggs. Beane said before the draft that, though the Bills don’t have a No. 1 wideout, he didn’t necessarily think they needed one. Many, including yours truly, have assumed he was merely blowing smoke as GMs commonly do in pre-draft news conferences.
Maybe he’s being truthful about that. It will be curious to see what they do next.
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