By Justin DiLoro / Billswire.usatoday.com
The Buffalo Bills most likely made their boldest move of the offseason when the team traded for wide receiver Stefon Diggs. However, that doesn’t mean the team won’t be a little daring on draft night.
The Bills 2020 NFL Draft situation is a bit unsettled. The club has filled various holes on its roster already. While there might be places for an upgrade, there aren’t any glaring problems on the roster to fill. Thus, the paths that the team can take during the draft are numerous.
General manager Brandon Beane has had no problem making moves throughout the draft during his brief time with the Bills. If Beane decides to be a bit audacious on draft night, it could create some added excitement to the event.
With that, here are four bold actions that Beane could take at the draft:
Draft Tee Higgins with pick No. 54
The Bills, reportedly, were not too impressed with Tee Higgins. This apparently led the Bills to look elsewhere to fill their No. 1 receiving hole, ultimately trading for Diggs. Higgins was linked as a popular choice by the Bills by many pundits in their mock drafts when they held a first-round pick.
With Buffalo scheduled to make their first pick at No. 54 in the second round of the draft, would they consider Higgins as a value pick at that spot? The dynamic receiver was dominant in college football and his stock since the Bills have traded their pick, has dropped. A recent CBS Sports mock draft has Buffalo actually selecting him in that spot.
He would be the fourth receiver on the depth chart if Buffalo were to draft him. It would give the team time to develop him behind Diggs, John Brown and Cole Beasley. If his ceiling is as high as some predict, it might be worth taking a risk on Higgins in this year’s draft. He could take over as a starting complement to Diggs in 2022 after Brown’s contract expires. But, much of this depends on Higgins actually making it all the way to Buffalo’s pick.
Draft a wide receiver in the second round
We can narrow it down now. This one is totally in Beane’s control. Let’s say the Bills really weren’t impressed with what they saw in Higgins at his pro day. After the trade for Diggs, along with the return of Buffalo’s top two wide receivers, selecting a different wideout would be somewhat surprising with the Bills’ first pick in the second round of the draft.
The receiver class is very deep, bordering on historic standards. There could be upwards of 12 receivers selected in the first two rounds of the draft this week. If a receiver is the best player available at the 54th overall spot, would Beane take a swing at giving the team another weapon on offense? That would be a very bold move by Beane. While the Bills don’t have a pressing need on their roster, that could be considered an overkill on new wide receivers for the team, as opposed to picking one later on in the draft.
With that depth in mind, there’s several that could be on the board at pick No. 54, along with Higgins, potentially. Those include Laviska Shenault, Chase Claypool, or KJ Hamler, among others.
Draft a running back in the second round
The Bills have their No.1 running back on the roster. Well, at least it seems they do. Devin Singletary was impressive during his rookie season. He usurped the grabbed the starting role from Frank Gore, leaving head coach Sean McDermott any other option than to give the rookie more snaps.
However, the roster is devoid of a complement back for Singletary. In addition, the Bills would want to avoid overworking Singletary and they need an option in case Singletary were to miss any time.
A second-round pick could be an ideal complement to Singletary. If the team uses this type of draft capital, it would be presumed that the Bills would give this player a significant amount of snaps. This would limit the touches that Singletary would have. Could Beane find a player to complete the backfield and make the position even more effective? Options for the Bills in Round 2 in terms of running backs include Clyde Edwards-Helaire, JK Dobbins or Zach Moss.
Make a trade
Buffalo could be very comfortable with their roster. After all, finding a top-notch receiving option was the biggest issue the team needed to fill this year. They did so with Diggs. They also filled secondary needs on the roster by signing defensive end Mario Addison to get after the quarterback and veteran cornerback Josh Norman to complete the secondary.
Beane could recoup some of the draft capital that was traded for Diggs by trading down in this year’s draft. He could pick up an extra pick or two in future drafts as well. If Beane were feeling bold, he also could make a move up the draft board, likely higher in the second round. In recent years, the Bills have done so to land Zay Jones and Dion Dawkins.
As with any draft-day deal, it will come down to value. However, a move such as this would indicate that Beane is all-in with his current crop of players on the roster.