Buffalo Bills' 7-Round Mock Draft: 3 ways Brandon Beane can retool for 2024
General Manager Brandon Beane has his work cut out as he seeks to ensure that the Buffalo Bills can reach the Super Bowl next season. They have been agonizingly close to success in past years, only to lose out to the Kansas City Chiefs' dynastic juggernaut.
Having reached the latter stages, they are hamstrung in picking lower in the draft while needing to find the right players to get over the final hurdle.
Here are three mock drafts, showing different strategies that the Buffalo Bills can employ.
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Buffalo Bills' Mock Draft 1.0
In the first strategy, Brandon Beane could play it safe and go with the picks that he has instead of looking for trading partners. That gives him a certainty to build for the future.
First up, they select Troy Franklin in the first round as a wide receiver for Josh Allen. That is a primary need for the Bills, especially after losing Gabe Davis. They need another threat outside Stefon Diggs and they start here. With the next pick, they select safety Cole Bishop to plug in the hole left by Jordan Poyer's departure.
Over subsequent rounds, they then select pass rushers, after they were decimated by injuries in the playoffs and their lack of depth in that position was exposed. They also select multiple wide receivers to give Josh Allen the best chance to succeed.
Buffalo Bills' Mock Draft 2.0
The next way Brandon Beane could operate is to make some safe trades to increase the number of picks they have in this year's draft. By doing so, they get to pick 12 players in the 2024 NFL draft.
They once again draft Troy Franklin first out the gate, but then they choose to address their need on the defense by getting edge rusher Adisa Isaac. They then pick Chau Smith-Wade to add depth to the secondary. Next, they pick up a defensive tackle before selecting another edge as they focus on building up the defense.
Devin Culp out of Washington adds further their depth in the tight end position, ensuring that Josh Allen has weapons to vary his offensive output. Safety is left as a position to address with multiple prospects toward the later rounds in the draft. The Bills also add another wide receiver and an edge rusher to add depth to their first picks to close out the 2024 NFL draft.
Buffalo Bills' Mock Draft 3.0
Brandon Beane could also decide to go super aggressive in his trades to not just add players he can draft this year, but also get some picks in the upcoming NFL drafts. In this scenario, the Bills are confident that the wider receiver class is deep and choose to forfeit their first-round pick for more selections in later rounds.
They take Adisa Isaac first to add to their pass-rushing needs before taking Xavier Legette as their wide receiver later as their first pick in that position. They also strengthen their offensive line with a guard in the next pick before fortifying their wide receiver needs with another pick.
After that, they take a couple of safeties to give them insurance in that position before choosing to pick a defensive tackle and a running back. Towards their later selections, they pick to reinforce the positions they have drafted and also add a tight end and a center.
This strategy ensures they get rookies to cover every position and make a strong roster if all of the prospects come good.