2024 NFL Draft Recap
I feel I am in the minority of fans when I say that I loved what Brandon Beane did during the draft, and am pretty happy overall with the players they selected. The trades they made were smart for the Bills organization and I do not care that they traded with Kansas City. I don’t think that the Bills had an interest in drafting Xavier Worthy. Kansas City is drafting Worthy whether the trade is made with Buffalo, or another team, so why not get some draft capital in the process. In return, the Bills ended up having 3 picks in the first 100, which seemed to be a priority for Beane heading into the draft. Overall, I thought they addressed their needs and did a good job adding some young depth at a few key positions, while also picking up a 2025 4th rounder. Let’s meet the class of 2024.
Round 2 • (33) • WR Keon Coleman, Florida State - After seeing Coleman’s introductory press conference, this pick makes a lot more sense than it did to me when he was first selected. Coleman’s personality and skill set will be a great addition to the WR room. His ability to win the 50-50 balls downfield and in the Red Zone will be vital to the offense progressing.
Round 2 • (60) • Safety Cole Bishop, Utah - Bishop was born to be a Sean McDermott-coached player. The Bills needed help at the Safety position and now have a guy who can be molded into a future starting safety. Bishop has size and speed that he will need to utilize as he learns the coverage aspect of the position.
Round 3 • (95) • DT DeWayne Carter, Duke - Carter’s leadership as a 3-time captain with his production make this a solid pick. Carter will be able to learn in a deep DT group without having the pressure of starting right away. This was a smart pick as Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones are the only players signed past this year.
Round 4 • (128) • RB Ray Davis, Kentucky - This was the first pick that caught me off guard. I knew Buffalo needed another RB but expected it to be later in the draft. This pick occurred during a mini run on the position where 6 RBs were taken in the last 10 selections of the round. Davis has a quick burst and seems to have good hands as a pass catcher out of the backfield. I would expect him to be a good compliment to Cook and Johnson.
Round 5 • (141) • C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Georgia - LOVE this pick. Van-Pran Granger has 44 starts for Georgia over the last 3 years against tough SEC competition. A 2x National Champion bringing that experience can help keep the Bills options open at the position versus being forced into moving McGovern to C.
Round 5 • (160) • LB Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington - A good depth selection here that should see time on special teams right away. LB was a quiet position of need, but I expect Ulofoshio to need time to develop, and only see the field in mop-up duty or special teams.
Round 5 • (168) • EDGE Javon Solomon, Troy - Another pick I LOVED. Soloman is a specimen that led all of FBS in sacks last year. For what he lacks in size, he makes up for in strength. I expect him to lean on Von Miller to learn the position and be a rotational piece and some special teams play. If he can absorb the knowledge from the experienced group they have he can develop into a solid pass rusher.
Round 6 • (204) • OT Tylan Grable, Central Florida - Good developmental prospect. Beane has shown a history of drafting OL late and developing them into solid backups. I would expect the same here. He has the potential to move into the Guard position at the NFL level.
Round 6 • (219) • CB Daequan Hardy, Penn State - Another position that Beane has shown to draft late and be successful with. I wont be surprised if Hardy makes the opening day 53. He has potential on special teams as a gunner and a punt returner.
Round 7 • (221) • OT Travis Clayton, Europe - This pick made more sense after hearing the team gets an extra roster spot for drafting a player in the International Player Pathway program. Clayton will need a lot of development, but my guess is the hope would be he could potentially be the next Jordan Mailata. Low risk, high reward for a pick that won’t count against your 53-man roster. Smart move by Beane.
The theme surrounding the picks was a focus on character, and team first guys. The Bills needed to be smart with the type of players they brought into the locker room this offseason after seeing 6 captains off the roster from a year ago. If 8 of the 10 start the year on the 53 or practice squad I would say it is a very successful draft. Beane stated that they needed to nail the draft and on paper, they did a good job at addressing short-term and long-term needs across the roster. The biggest win is they did that while keeping all of their 2025 draft picks and setting themselves up for the present, and the future.
