Brandon

I think they'll try to trade back one more time, probably to 35 or 36 and try to upgrade another 4th into a 3rd in the process. I wouldn't move back any further. I think they take Franklin or McConkey with their first pick. Pick 60 lines up on safety value in this draft, so that would be my guess there, though I could also see another WR or a DT. Might even trade up or down. If they don't select two WRs with the first two picks, I think they will with the 3rd and day three will be defensive depth and maybe an early C prospect.

If they thought DeJean was that kind of player, they should have ran to the podium at 28 and never thought twice about it, especially with Baltimore setting there a couple of picks later, always willing to draft a high quality defender that drops.

39 may be too far. I'm thinking one more trade down to 35 or maybe 36. Arizona has pick 90 and 104, Washington has 78 and 100 as potential compensation. I could see something like pick 33 and 128 to Arizona for 35 and 104 (maybe 90 if the Bills toss in another 4th-6th this year or next).

Could be, but DeJean is kind of a rare traits type. I'm not sure they would have risked losing him in a trade down if he was definitely their guy.

My gut feeling as of this morning is Franklin/McConkey with the 1st 2nd round pick to be the versatile, all-around guy, then Devontez Walker with one of the remaining picks.

We'll see over the next few years, but if I'm just looking for a guy to run off the deep coverage, I like Franklin better than Worthy. BTJ was the best pure deep threat of the top prospects, but Franklin was damn close from what I saw. I have significant concerns about AD Mitchell, but he's still available. And I like McConkey in that role as well, though I do think he's a step down from those.

I'm reordering my top three a bit. I had it as DeJean, McConkey and Franklin, but I'm swapping spots, moving Franklin to 1 and DeJean to 3. I'm starting to think that, because DeJean is sort of an unusual/rare traits type of prospect, they would have likely selected him if they really wanted him rather than risk losing him, especially to Baltimore, who took a CB. So I'm thinking this draft now goes: 33) Franklin or McConkey (possibly trading down again and still picking one of these two) 60) Safety...Seems to be where the pure safety value is. 95) WR...the more traditional X position guy...might trade up for someone like Walker. Day three...heavy emphasis on defensive depth and developmental guys. Maybe a good center prospect early.

I'd be fine with it, but I think he's a zone CB and more of a projection to safety. I'd give him his first shot at the former and only switch him to the latter if he fails at CB.

You don't trade back if you're only targeting one guy. If they go WR with the first pick, it's a safe assumption that they have a handful of them with roughly equal grades that they would be satisfied with.

There's probably nothing wrong with his production. He had over 50 receptions in 2022 and probably would have done so again this year if not for missing time with injuries. Further, going back to 2018, he's the only Georgia WR with 50 receptions in a single season (Bowers did it twice at TE). So that's likely a byproduct of their offensive system. Combine and pro day testing numbers for speed, agility and short area burst were all well into the higher end of the range and I think it shows up on the field. He's below Thomas and Franklin, but he can run past people on deep routes. He's got the quickness to snap off his routes as well as anyone. And I thought he was the best RAC guy by a fair margin of the higher tier prospects I watched, especially in traffic (I did not bother with MHJ or Nabers). I think there's a lot to like there and he's likely to become a very good flanker or slot in the NFL, assuming he's healthy.

I don't like the idea of trading down with KC, but KC was probably going to end up with Worthy anyway. Otherwise, yeah, I'm happy with it, on the assumption that Beane still gets the player he wants and that they come out of R2 with a quality WR prospect. I'm also very happy that they didn't throw a pile of premium draft picks at a trade up into the top 10.

I'm not a huge fan of it, either, and to be honest, I don't think that's what they're doing. They probably have a handful of guys with the same grade and are willing to trade out as long as they know they can get one of them. We've seen Beane nickel and dime his way down the board before when he took James Cook.

Well, at least I got one prediction right.

At the time, the details on pick numbers hadn't been released. But yeah, that's a great deal for one spot. And the fact that it WAS one spot suggests to me that Beane isn't done. No need for Carolina to make that trade unless Beane was taking wider offers.

I hadn't considered that angle, but it makes sense. They could be trying to buy time or more appropriately match trade value. The big question is whether they can make a veteran acquisition work under the cap.

Supposedly, it's a really poor draft at the back end. Maybe 5 rounds of players with draftable grades. If you can trade back here, convert some of those later picks into a higher round and still get the guy you wanted, why not? My only gripe is trading with KC. Don't care about Worthy...the Bills clearly weren't that interested...but I don't like the idea of trading with the team that's been blocking us in the playoffs.

I'm sticking with the remainder of my initial group of five: DeJean, McConkey and Franklin (Latu and Worthy were the other two). I think they may continue trading down a couple of spots at a time until one or two are taken. I think the above would be the order of preference for McDermott and Beane.

Swapped a 6th for a 5th.

I've been saying it for the last two weeks...Ricky Pearsall at the tail end of R1.

It's solid trade value and the Bills clearly didn't want Worthy. I just don't understand why you give him to KC.

Wtf...why help KC???

If the Bills want a specific WR with this 1st pick, they should do it at 28 and get their guy. Don't chance it, not with the teams sitting behind them.

Yeah. The Bills are taking Cooper DeJean. Beane and McDermott can't help themselves.

DeJean, no question about it.

I think they just can't afford a project. If they pick a WR, he needs to be versatile and capable of playing at a reasonably high overall level early in his career.