Wide receiver is one of the most glaring Buffalo Bills draft needs and it was going to be a priority even before the Stefon Diggs trade. With the All-Pro wideout now a member of the Houston Texans, there has been persistent debate over if the Bills will trade up in the 2024 NFL Draft.
As it stands, Buffalo’s depth and talent pool at wide receiver is shaky. The Bills depth chart at the position is led by Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir, with Mack Hollins, KJ Hamler and Justin Shorter behind them. There are appealing qualities to Samuel and Shakir that will make them solid contributors in 2024, but the lack of a go-to wideout is obvious.
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Fortunately for Buffalo, the 2024 NFL Draft is historically deep at the position. Not only is there significant depth to the class, but the number of quality pass-catchers available means NFL Draft records for the most wide receivers drafted in the first round could be challenged.
On the one hand, this would allow Buffalo to stand pat and not trade up. Leading the Bills draft picks in 2024 is the 28th overall pick in Round 1, providing general manager Brandon Beane with the opportunity to grab someone like Adonai Mitchell, Xavier Worthy or Keon Coleman.
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However, each of those wide receiver prospects are considered to be at least a tier. below the top players at the position. It’s a big part of the reason many 2024 NFL mock drafts have Buffalo trading up for a wideout. As fans on Reddit debate whether or not moving up is a good idea, one NFL insider shed light on the likelihood of it happening.
Will the Bills trade up in the draft?
Previewing the 2024 NFL Draft, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer offered a strong rationale as to why it’s unlikely that the Bills trade up in the first round for a wide receiver.
“There’s the idea that the Bills could go up for a receiver, but with the roster turnover this offseason that broke up much of the core that got Buffalo back to prominence, a massive, Julio Jones-type of swing might not be as logical as people are making it out to be.”
Albert Breer on the idea of the Buffalo Bills trading up for a wide receiver
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While Mitchell and Ladd McConkey aren’t graded as highly by NFL teams as Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers, either prospect could still be a very effective offensive weapon in the NFL. There are also strong arguments to be made that Mitchell’s ceiling is higher than Brian Thomas Jr’s and McConkey’s NFL-ready skills offer him a better chance to produce in 2024 than Thomas Jr.
It’s also still possible that Buffalo won’t draft a wide receiver in the first round, prioritizing another position that has less depth on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. Either way, for now, it seems unlikely Buffalo will make an extremely aggressive move at wide receiver.
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