The two sneaky-good players the Bills need to select in the 2024 NFL Draft
The top two Bills draft picks in 2024 are listed below.
In the forthcoming 2024 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills have the 28th pick. This selection weekend could be the most significant of the Josh Allen, Sean McDermott, and Brandon Beane eras. This team is capped out for the offseason, so the only practical method to add elite talent is through the draft unless they pull off a spectacular trade. For this reason, the Bills must select one of Florida State’s wide receivers, Keon Coleman, or Oregon’s center, Jackson Powers-Johnson, with their first-round selection.
Buffalo will pass on the best wide receivers in this class, including Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, and Malik Nabers, with a selection this late in the first round. There will be two or three more players who join those three after they are selected before the Bills choose No. 28.
It will be more evident who will be in the late first round following the NFL Combine in late February, but Coleman, Brian Thomas Jr. of LSU, or Troy Franklin of Oregon appear to be the front-runners. Coleman is the best choice out of these.
Buffalo must move to a position of need, even if it isn’t at a premium first-round position, if the Seminoles’ wideout is unavailable. That entails selecting Powers-Johnson, the top center available in the 2024 NFL Draft.
FSU’s Keon Coleman, WR
Gabe Davis is most likely going to sign a free agent contract during the offseason. He has never lived up to the potential that was apparent in his eight receptions, 201 yards, and four touchdowns against the Chiefs in the now-famous 13-second game, even if he has occasionally been a respectable No. 2 wide receiver.
Although Davis has made some incredible plays in the past, he has also made mistakes and failed to deliver when Josh Allen and the Bills most needed him. Stefon Diggs must change his alignment across the formation to accommodate Keon Coleman’s draft.
The star receiver for FSU is a big, powerful X receiver in the mold of A.J. Brown, Mike Evans, or DK Metcalf. Franklin would be a better one-to-one replacement for Coleman, who is 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, but he lacks Davis’ deep threat status. Nevertheless, Coleman has the ability to develop into a top-tier No. 1 player in the future.
Buffalo might hold Coleman at the X position, forcing him into man-on-man coverage with smaller corners to keep him from moving. By alternating Diggs, Dalton Kincaid (or Dawson Knox), and Khalil Shakir on the other side of the formation, Joe Brady will be able to confuse opponents.
Coleman recorded 50 receptions for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023, but you have to remember that he played much of the season without QB Jordan Travis because of an injury. In spite of his size and lack of remarkable speed, he has returned 25 punts for 300 yards this season, which tells you everything you need to know about his ability to run with the ball in his hands.
If Keon Coleman is still available at pick 28 in the NFL Draft, the Bills have to choose him. Bean should also trade up a few spots for players if he is available at pick No. 22 or so, as he enjoys doing so.
Jackson Powers-Johnson, C., of Oregon.
While Keon Coleman should be the first choice of the Bills in the NFL draft, teams may prefer not to take a chance on him after witnessing his incredible size and athleticism during the combine.
If the FSU wide receiver is out of the question, Buffalo should concentrate on the center position.
The Bills would be prudent to choose a 28-year-old plug-and-play starter even though the interior offensive line is not a high pick in the draft, as they did with O’Cyrus Torrence in the second round of the previous round.
Despite being a good player who was voted to the Pro Bowl the previous season, the team’s current center, Mitch Morse, will turn 32 in April and make $11.4 million next season. Buffalo will likely have to cut him this offseason to avoid paying the cap.
