With the departure of Stefon Diggs and Gabiel Davis it's no secret that the Buffalo Bills will be looking to add a wide receiver or two early in this year’s draft. With a historically talented class at the position, Brandon Beane surely has a plan to secure Josh Allen’s next great weapon. But who does he target? We'll dive into our top options.
The Dream Selection
USA Today
There are great receivers all over this draft class, but the upper echelon of talent at the position is a big reason to why this group is so special. Enter Marvin Harrison Jr, Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze.
It’s very unlikely the Bills pay the premium to move into the top ten of the draft and select one of the top three receivers from this class, but not impossible. Acquiring a second-round selection from the Minnesota Vikings in the Diggs’ deal, Beane has the ammunition to make a massive move up the board. With the Bears likely taking Caleb Williams first overall, pairing him with great veteran receivers like DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, yet still holding the ninth selection in the draft, Chicago might look to move down and bring in more picks.
Proposed Trade with Chicago
Bears Receive: BUF ’24 1st (28), BUF '24 2nd (60), BUF ’24 4th (133), BUF ’25 1st
Bills Receive: CHI ’24 1st (9), CHI '25 5th
Bills Select: Rome Odunze, Washington
An absurd video-game style trade, the Bills do so to select the next franchise great at the position, giving Josh Allen a legitimate threat for years to come. A little steeper of a price to pay than draft value charts indicate, but it’s safe to say Chicago would have multiple offers and the Bills would love to have a player like Odunze.
At 6’3”, 213 pounds, the Washington wideout has the size and tools to become one of the best receivers in the NFL. Showing an expansive route tree that tortured defenses at the college level, Odunze is a natural separator with sure hands. The 6’3” wideout is such a strong athlete too that he had been used as a punt returner multiple times in his college career, rare for an athlete of that size.
The Ideal Pick
USA Today
With the Bills looking to add a true outside threat in this year’s draft, there may be no better selection for Buffalo than Brian Thomas Jr.
The LSU product boasts a great athletic profile, measuring in at 6’3”, 209 pounds at the combine. Thomas is so much more than size though as an outside threat, running a 4.33 40-yard dash and having a 10-yard split just one hundredth of a second behind combine record-holder Xavier Worthy. Did we mention Thomas led college football in touchdowns last season while finishing second in deep yards (670) and third in deep catches (15)?
Xavier Legette has drawn comparisons to DK Metcalf and for obvious reasons, but the true Metcalf comparison once you sift through the film is Thomas. The LSU-product and the Seahawks' Pro Bowl wideout have similar physique, combine measurements, athletic testing metrics and play style. The LSU-product projects to have better short area quickness and agility, perhaps having an even greater upside than Metcalf.
Proposed Trade with Seattle
Seahawks Receive Receive: BUF ’24 1st (28), MIN ’25 2nd, BUF ’24 4th (133)
Bills Receive: SEA ’24 1st (16)
Bills Select: Brian Thomas Jr., LSU
Thomas projects to be an immediate impact starter as an outside receiver, with great upside to become one of the league’s best in the near future. The Bills likely have to move up to do so, but not as steep of the price mocked to go get Odunze.
Sitting At 28
ESPN
With a loaded wide receiver class, the Bills very well could sit at their current selection, the 28th pick of the first round, and still come out of the draft with an instant impact player who has tremendous upside.
If the team elects to do so, there’s several names to consider. Legette could make sense for Buffalo, a high-potential wideout with blazing speed and great size. So could Troy Franklin, an outside deep threat with the ability to separate and blow past defenders. Ladd McConkey should be in the conversation too, a natural separator with some wiggle and playmaking ability. Ultimately, we land on Adonai Mitchell.
Mitchell is one of the most polarizing prospects in the draft. The wide receiver from Texas has many critics. Various knocks have been thrown Mitchell's way. Not finishing routes in certain concepts, lazy as a blocker, poor underlying metrics and to top it all off his character has been dragged due to irritability connected to his type-one diabetes.
But when you turn on the film and you examine the routes he runs, Mitchell is one of the flashiest prospects in this draft. He may not have the highlight reel one handed catches like Keon Coleman or the breakaway speed like Legette or Franklin, but his ability to run crisp routes and separate in several ways is what makes him special.
Mix the Texas wideout's ability to separate with strong hands, a knack for tracking the ball, high pointing contested catches over defenders and you quickly see why Mitchell could become a strong wide receiver one at the next level.
For every reason the Bills needed Diggs, the team needs Mitchell. A true alpha mentality wideout who can win at all levels of the field with separation, an underrated ability after the catch to make plays and also finishes drives in the red zone. Did we mention he’s two inches taller and ten pounds heavier than Diggs while having elite testing metrics at the combine?
If the Bills can’t make a wild move up the board on draft night to take top four wide receiver, it may be just as much of a win to end the night with Mitchell and bank those future picks.
A Day Two Option
Daytona Beach News Journal
Javon Baker is one of our favorite day two prospects in this draft class and for good reason. Dubbed “Gabe Davis 2.0” on The Buffalo Sports Talk Podcast, Baker appears to be the perfect replacement for Davis. The title of “Gabe Davis 2.0” may turn Bills fans’ away immediately, as many were not happy with Gabe towards the end of his tenure in Buffalo.
However, we emphasize the “2.0” aspect of this title.
Baker, who also played at UCF, had an identical 40-yard dash time to Davis, with the two having nearly identical athletic testing at the combine overall:
Davis
6’2”, 216lbs
32.25 Arms, 77.5 Wingspan
4.54 40 Yard Dash, 1.55 10 Yard Split, 35” Vertical, 124 Broad Jump
Baker
6’1”, 202lbs
32.25 Arms, 78 Wingspan
4.54 40 Yard Dash, 1.58 10 Yard Split, 37” Vertical, 121 Broad Jump
Now why should Bills fans like Baker more? The deep threat showed better ability after the catch, one of Davis’ biggest criticisms from fans, and a broader route tree.
Underlying metrics also love the UCF-product. Baker’s yards per route run mark was truly elite at the college level, boasting 3.22 YPRR his final college season, a very predictive statistic showing strong correlation to success at the next level. The outside threat ranked third in deep catches (15), eighth in deep yards (574) and 18th in average depth of target (17.1) throughout all of college football. Baker also ranked 57th in yards after the catch per reception (7.2), showing his playmaking ability.
Is Baker the only receiver the Bills should add in this year’s class? I hope not. But there’s a lot of traits to love with the UCF product who can come in and contribute to this Bills offense that so badly needs deep threats at the moment.
Day Three Darlings
Pittsburgh Sports Now
The Bills very well could add a second or even third receiver in this year’s draft, throwing more darts at the board with a plethora of day three selections. In a loaded wide receiver class, there’s plenty of options for Buffalo.
The first of which we love is Bub Means. The Pittsburgh wideout is a converted defensive back, who was originally recruited to Tennessee to play cornerback. With his great athletic profile, Means transferred to Louisiana Tech to play wide receiver and later Pitt.
Means showed a lot of promise in his final college season, showing great athleticism as a route runner and after the catch. The Pitt product has speed that can take the top off of a defense, while showing great ball skills and contested catch ability. Means also has some experience as a returner in college, another way in which he could carve out a role in Buffalo.
What is stopping Means from being drafted higher? Outside of an obviously stacked wide receiver class, Means didn’t have eye-popping production at the college level. Although not entirely his fault with Pitts’ offense being rather lackluster, Mean’s doesn’t have the sure volume to be a reliable earlier selection. The wideout also needs time to develop his game at the next level, only being a receiver for a few years now and still needing time to iron out nuances of the game.
The next hidden gem on our list is Tejhaun Palmer. Playing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Palmer didn’t go to a large college that drew eyes and attention. Also playing in a lackluster passing offense with a run-heavy quarterback, the wideout's production wasn’t flashy. Palmer didn’t even receive an invite to the NFL combine. However, when you turn on his film, you understand why some see the UAB product as a diamond in the rough.
At 6’2”, 220 pounds, Palmer projects to be best suited as an X-receiver, the exact role the Bills are looking to fill with the departure of Davis. Palmer shows great athleticism, having explosiveness and long speed to create home run plays out of nowhere. The UAB product was a natural separator in Conference-USA, showing multiple releases to set defenders up with a sharp and expansive route tree.
The former junior college player had a long path to get to this point and could just end up being the next day three success story that turns into a productive NFL player. Likely a practice squad player early in his career, Palmer shows legitimate upside if given the time to develop.
In Conclusion
This article barely cracks the surface of the Bills draft options this coming weekend. There are plenty of talented wide receivers in this draft that could be Josh Allen's next great weapon. Let's sit back and enjoy the show.
As always, Go Bills.
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