Here’s the Bills news of note for April 11.
By Dominic LoVallo / Contributing Correspondent
1 – Breaking down Buffalo’s options to trade up:
CBS Sports published a list of trade options that could make sense in the first round, and unsurprisingly, many of the speculated deals involve the Bills.
The second overall pick:
The Giants are the highest team on the draft board people believe could still be moved. CBS made the price tag for the Bills to move up very expensive.
To Bills for No. 12, No. 22 and 2019 first-rounder
If the Bills are going to make the jump all the way to No. 2, I think it’s going to take three first-rounders. The Giants would be taking themselves out of range for the blue-chip prospects, and it’s on Buffalo to make it worth their while. And you can see that type of deal appealing to the Bills, even at that high price; they land a top-two QB to build their franchise around and still have three more picks in the top 65 to put together an immediate playoff contender.
The Bills could also consider the fourth overall pick from the Browns. This is what CBS Sports said.
To Bills for No. 12, No. 96 and 2019 first-rounder
This obviously wouldn’t be as big of a price as the one to move to No. 2, but you’d have to assume the Browns would insist on picking up an extra first-rounder next year to move out of the top 10.
The article also has the Bills possible offers for the Denver Broncos fifth overall selection and the Colts sixth overall pick, but the predicted most likely deal to go down is Buffalo trading up to the two-spot, making a deal with the Giants.
2 – Who to consider if the Bills think wide receiver on draft day:
Stepping away from who’s throwing the balls to who’s catching them, the Buffalo Bills may be considering a wide receiver at the draft in a few weeks. Danny Kanell released his top three wide receiver options with his top pick projected to be selected around the mid-20s, and the Bills own the 22nd overall pick.
Topping Kanell’s list is Calvin Ridley out of the University of Alabama. The six-foot junior enters the 2018 draft with low numbers for a top ranked prospect. Something Kanell said came from playing with low-tier quarterbacks. Ridley already may have a few ideas about the Bills offense playing under Bills new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll this past season.
Ridley’s strengths are his speed, playmaking ability and what he can do after he catches the ball.
Next on Kanell’s list is Courtland Sutton. The 6-4 receiver out of SMU is a Kanell favorite because of his size.
Sutton is another wideout who’s production was limited by the quarterback situation. But at 218, he doesn’t shy away from contact. In fact, that is one of his biggest strengths. Whether he is helping block on a run, or going up against taller opponents, Sutton could be a viable option in the second round of the upcoming draft.
Kanell’s last pick is someone he said is “under the radar.” D.J. Chark is a 6-3, 199 lbs. receiver out of LSU. Also plagued by inferior QB play, Kanell believes Chark could follow the success of LSU alumni Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr.
Of the three on Kanell’s list, Chark ran the fast 40-yard dash at a 4.34, and had the highest vertical at 40 inches.
His strengths include separation on longer routes, his body control and his experience on punt returns. Chark remains another player that Beane may consider to help fill out the team depth chart.
Don’t forget coming from LSU, Chark already has a good relationship with Bills corner Tre’Davious White.
3 – Buffalo makes two of the best value signings according to ESPN
ESPN’s Mike Sando released a list of the best the best and worst free agent signings of the offseason so far. The Bills are the only team with two signings ranked in the top 10 best values.
Ranked fifth was AJ McCarron with a two-year deal. This is what Sando had to say about the Bills QB.
NFL teams routinely pay big money to questionable quarterbacks simply because there’s scarcity at the position and a player might have upside. That did not happen here.
The 27-year-old McCarron has a 2-2 starting record (including playoffs) with five touchdowns, one interception and a middling 49.3 total QBR. His third-down scoring pass gave Cincinnati a late lead in a playoff game against Pittsburgh, and if teammate Jeremy Hill had not lost a fumble, the narrative surrounding McCarron might have been different. Buffalo signed him for about the same as Chicago paid for Chase Daniel, plus incentives.
There must be something in the water in Cincinnati, because the Bengals seem to like helping out the Bills. Especially seeing the 10th ranked best value comes in the form of another former Bengal in Russell Bodine. The Bills signed the center to a two-year, $5 million deal.
Losing Eric Wood to injury retirement was tough for the Bills, but they rebounded with what could be good under-the-radar signing. Bodine has started 16 games in each of his first four seasons. He is 25 years old. And while there are certainly centers who are more talented, Buffalo is getting a young, dependable player at a position with importance that can be underrated.