My “best” 2024 Mock Draft versus the Bills..

[Desert Bills Fan]

my mock draft and how they did:

Note: mine was a trade like crazy and swing for the fences with first 3 picks. sweat would have been the home run. Legette = Coleman.  Others meh. Beane and Co definitely got a lot more depth contributors.

 

T'Vondre Sweat - Rd 2 , Titans. T’Vondre Sweat surprised many when he refused to weigh in at last year’s Senior Bowl and disappointed everyone when he was arrested for a DWIjust weeks before the draft. Many figured the 2023 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year would suffer a slide down the draft board. But early in the second round, Tennessee pounced. Having flown out to meet with Sweat and his family a week before making the selection, the Titans felt confident investing in the 6-4, 366-pound defensive tackle. Sweat rewarded the team’s faith in Year 1, piling up 51 tackles as a run-stuffing force while increasingly pushing the pocket into the quarterback’s lap as the season transpired.

Troy Franklin - Rd 4 , Denver, Played in 16 games, 6 starts. Caught 28 of 53 targets. 2 TDs (including 1 against Buffalo).  Contrast with Coleman who played in 13 games and caught 29 of 57 targets with 4 TDs

Xavier Legette- Rd 1 , Panthers, Played in 16 games caught 49 of 84 targets with 4 TDs. Xavier Legette certainly doesn’t lack for raw athleticism, but the receiver struggled to corral the football, most memorably in the near-upset of Philadelphia. 
 

Beau Brade - UFA with the Ravens. Got action in 2 games. A non factor

 

Joe Milton - Rd 6 Patriots - After Maye, the two most promising returns from the rookie class probably came from a pair of reserves: undrafted safety Dell Pettus and toolsy backup quarterback Joe Milton III.

 

Nelson Ceaser - undrfated, unsigned, played in USFL

 

Bills Draft:

 Keon Coleman, WR | 13 games/12 starts, caught 29 of 57 targets with 4 TDs. The biggest pre-draft question about Keon Coleman was whether he could separate at the NFL level, with his 4.61 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine only furthering concerns. His supporters countered that separation knock by touting his contested-catch ability, but he struggled in both areas as a rookie. His inability to separate was clear to the naked eye but also underscored by a number of Next Gen Stats metrics. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus charted that Coleman received 19 contested targets and caught just seven, giving him a subpar conversion rate of 36.8 percent. Frankly, following a November wrist injury that sidelined him for a month, Coleman struggled to find a connection with Josh Allen on any sort of pass, catching just 10 of his 29 targets over the final seven games (playoffs included).

 

Cole Bishop, S | 16 games/4 starts. Cole Bishop played decent in spot duty at safety, racking up a team-high 10 tackles in the AFC Championship Game.

 

 DeWayne Carter, DT | 11 games/3 starts. Played in the DL rotation. 11 tackles, 3 assists, Showed some promise

 

Ray Davis, RB | 17 games/0 starts. provided some juice in the backfield. 113 carries,  442 yards,  3 TDs.

 

Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, IOL | 16 games/1 start , good depth. Did not look out of place when he played.

Edefuan Ulofoshio, LB | 4 games/1 start , decent depth, 5 tackeles, 1 assist.

Javon Solomon, DE | 14 games/0 starts , decent depth 9 tackles, 4 assists. 

Tylan Grable, OT | 4 games/1 start , decent depth. Did not look bad when he played.

Daequan Hardy, CB | 0 games/starts 

Travis Clayton, OT | 0 games/starts

 

Notable free agent signee

Joe Andreessen, LB | 13 games/1 start , surprisingly decent depth, 12 tackles, 14 assists

Notable trade addition

Brandon Codrington, CB/RET | 17 games/0 starts (acquired from NYJ). A steal! 11 KO returns for 306 yards, 11 for 20+ yards. 27 Punt returns for 313 yards, 4 for 20+ yards.

 

how did others do?

 

[Big Turk]

Very easy to do after you've seen how it all pans out.

 

I might as well post my investment advice for the last year versus how all the hedge funds did...

 

How much do you want to bet I come out way way better than they did?

[NewEra]

[DJB]

I also wanted Sweat. I was pretty high on him and thought he was the missing DT we’ve always needed . That being  said I was hoping to take him round 2 knowing we needed to take a WR round 1 

Edited Sunday at 12:58 AM by DJB

[ghostwriter]

We won’t know for sure till their third year..

[JerseyBills]

if Coleman and Bishop develop,  WATCH OUT

[BillsFanForever19]

9 hours ago, Desert Bills Fan said:

my mock draft and how they did:

Note: mine was a trade like crazy and swing for the fences with first 3 picks. sweat would have been the home run. Legette = Coleman.  Others meh. Beane and Co definitely got a lot more depth contributors.

 

T'Vondre Sweat - Rd 2 , Titans. T’Vondre Sweat surprised many when he refused to weigh in at last year’s Senior Bowl and disappointed everyone when he was arrested for a DWIjust weeks before the draft. Many figured the 2023 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year would suffer a slide down the draft board. But early in the second round, Tennessee pounced. Having flown out to meet with Sweat and his family a week before making the selection, the Titans felt confident investing in the 6-4, 366-pound defensive tackle. Sweat rewarded the team’s faith in Year 1, piling up 51 tackles as a run-stuffing force while increasingly pushing the pocket into the quarterback’s lap as the season transpired.

Troy Franklin - Rd 4 , Denver, Played in 16 games, 6 starts. Caught 28 of 53 targets. 2 TDs (including 1 against Buffalo).  Contrast with Coleman who played in 13 games and caught 29 of 57 targets with 4 TDs

Xavier Legette- Rd 1 , Panthers, Played in 16 games caught 49 of 84 targets with 4 TDs. Xavier Legette certainly doesn’t lack for raw athleticism, but the receiver struggled to corral the football, most memorably in the near-upset of Philadelphia. 
 

Beau Brade - UFA with the Ravens. Got action in 2 games. A non factor

 

Joe Milton - Rd 6 Patriots - After Maye, the two most promising returns from the rookie class probably came from a pair of reserves: undrafted safety Dell Pettus and toolsy backup quarterback Joe Milton III.

 

Nelson Ceaser - undrfated, unsigned, played in USFL

 

Bills Draft:

 Keon Coleman, WR | 13 games/12 starts, caught 29 of 57 targets with 4 TDs. The biggest pre-draft question about Keon Coleman was whether he could separate at the NFL level, with his 4.61 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine only furthering concerns. His supporters countered that separation knock by touting his contested-catch ability, but he struggled in both areas as a rookie. His inability to separate was clear to the naked eye but also underscored by a number of Next Gen Stats metrics. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus charted that Coleman received 19 contested targets and caught just seven, giving him a subpar conversion rate of 36.8 percent. Frankly, following a November wrist injury that sidelined him for a month, Coleman struggled to find a connection with Josh Allen on any sort of pass, catching just 10 of his 29 targets over the final seven games (playoffs included).

 

Cole Bishop, S | 16 games/4 starts. Cole Bishop played decent in spot duty at safety, racking up a team-high 10 tackles in the AFC Championship Game.

 

 DeWayne Carter, DT | 11 games/3 starts. Played in the DL rotation. 11 tackles, 3 assists, Showed some promise

 

Ray Davis, RB | 17 games/0 starts. provided some juice in the backfield. 113 carries,  442 yards,  3 TDs.

 

Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, IOL | 16 games/1 start , good depth. Did not look out of place when he played.

Edefuan Ulofoshio, LB | 4 games/1 start , decent depth, 5 tackeles, 1 assist.

Javon Solomon, DE | 14 games/0 starts , decent depth 9 tackles, 4 assists. 

Tylan Grable, OT | 4 games/1 start , decent depth. Did not look bad when he played.

Daequan Hardy, CB | 0 games/starts 

Travis Clayton, OT | 0 games/starts

 

Notable free agent signee

Joe Andreessen, LB | 13 games/1 start , surprisingly decent depth, 12 tackles, 14 assists

Notable trade addition

Brandon Codrington, CB/RET | 17 games/0 starts (acquired from NYJ). A steal! 11 KO returns for 306 yards, 11 for 20+ yards. 27 Punt returns for 313 yards, 4 for 20+ yards.

 

how did others do?

 

 

There was no bigger cheerleader for Xavier Legette pre-Draft than me. But if you're someone who feels underwhelmed by Keon Coleman - whoooo boy! Legette was worse. Not just statistically, but with many really bad critical drops. He has even more to prove than Coleman does.

 

https://www.catscratchreader.com/2025/1/23/24350011/the-curious-case-of-xavier-legette

[Ralonzo]

In the Gunner thread it was noted that he took Calen Bullock at S in his mock pick #60 instead of Bishop. Bullock went #78 to the Texans and started, pulling 5 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. If he's on the Bills roster instead of Bishop there's a chance that's enough to make the difference in a VERY close AFCCG.

Edited Sunday at 02:08 AM by Ralonzo

[Desert Bills Fan]

3 hours ago, Big Turk said:

Very easy to do after you've seen how it all pans out.

 

I might as well post my investment advice for the last year versus how all the hedge funds did...

 

How much do you want to bet I come out way way better than they did?

Seems like you misunderstood my post. This mock draft was done a week before theq real draft. I thought it was so great. Looking back now, I used a lot of draft capital to end up with only six picks. And really other than Sweat, did worse than Beane. As he filled many holes and backups with his 11. 

[Buffalo716]

1 hour ago, Ralonzo said:

In the Gunner thread it was noted that he took Calen Bullock at S in his mock pick #60 instead of Bishop. Bullock went #78 to the Texans and started, pulling 5 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. If he's on the Bills roster instead of Bishop there's a chance that's enough to make the difference in a VERY close AFCCG.

How one player produces in one system on one team is not indicative how he's going to produce on ours 

 

We literally had two all pros at safety and we couldn't stop Patrick mahomes for years 

 

So I'm going to say no he would not make a difference that would change the outcome.. and who knows how these players will look in 3 years

 

Sean McDermott was angry from day one because Bishop got hurt and missed time and training camp which set him back in a system that's complicated

Edited Sunday at 04:06 AM by Buffalo716

[H2o]

3 hours ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

There was no bigger cheerleader for Xavier Legette pre-Draft than me. But if you're someone who feels underwhelmed by Keon Coleman - whoooo boy! Legette was worse. Not just statistically, but with many really bad critical drops. He has even more to prove than Coleman does.

 

https://www.catscratchreader.com/2025/1/23/24350011/the-curious-case-of-xavier-legette

Uhhh, 👋.  I was actively campaigning for Leggette across this board for a few months prior to the draft. That was my guy. As far as the drops go this year? Yeah, he had some. As far as his overall production goes? Look at who was throwing the football. I believe he would have been better here, in this offense, with JA17 slinging him the rock. Who knows really. It's all hypothetical now. Leggette and Coleman are different types of receivers. You can compare the stats, but they are very different from one another on the field. 

Edited Sunday at 05:23 AM by H2o

[GunnerBill]

5 hours ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

There was no bigger cheerleader for Xavier Legette pre-Draft than me. But if you're someone who feels underwhelmed by Keon Coleman - whoooo boy! Legette was worse. Not just statistically, but with many really bad critical drops. He has even more to prove than Coleman does.

 

https://www.catscratchreader.com/2025/1/23/24350011/the-curious-case-of-xavier-legette

 

He did have a spell middle of the year where he made some plays, but yes, the drops were a major issue. He does separate better than Keon though. He needs to catch the ball. That is going to be the deciding factor in whether he can take a step in 2025. 

[GunnerBill]

5 hours ago, Ralonzo said:

In the Gunner thread it was noted that he took Calen Bullock at S in his mock pick #60 instead of Bishop. Bullock went #78 to the Texans and started, pulling 5 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. If he's on the Bills roster instead of Bishop there's a chance that's enough to make the difference in a VERY close AFCCG.

 

So I was higher on Bullock (my S#2) and Jaden Hicks (my S#3) who went round 4 to KC than Bishop (my S#4) as prospects, that's the first thing. That isn't to say I didn't like Bishop at all (I had a highish 3rd on him) but specifically as a Bills fit I preferred the Bullock idea because he is a natural center field, rangey, free safety. The Bills had brought back Rapp (box safety) and I presumed they would be looking for a compliment to his skillset. Instead they went for Bishop who is also a box safety type and here we are going into year 2 with him where he couldn't get on the field year 1 and when he did was brutal in coverage and we are talking about moving him to free safety where the coverage skills are more of a premium. 

 

I guess I just didn't and still don't totally understand the strategy there. I think Cole is a talented player. This is not me giving up on him at all. But after they picked him my guess was they would want to phase him in for Rapp and put Rapp back into a dime role. I still think we need a natural free safety.

[gonzo1105]

My 2024 was: 

 

1st Round: Ladd McConkey

2nd Round: Cole Bishop

 

2023: 

1st Round: Dalton Kincaid

2nd Round: Trenton Simpson 

 

 

I used to do a 7 rounder in another site with other live GM with trades didn’t do it this year or last. 
 

2023: 

2nd Round: Dawand Jones OT

2nd Round: Tucker Kraft TE

3rd Round: Tyler Scott WR

3rd Round: Jartavius Martin S 

4th Round: Chase Brown RB

5th Round: Nick Saldiveri OT

5th Round: KJ Henry DE

6th Round: Brodric Martin DT

7th Round: Kaevon Merriweather S 

 

Analysis: 

 

Jones was pretty solid as a rookie making all rookie team but it’s still tbd with him. Kraft is a pro bowl TE ill. Scott is a bust. Martin is turning into a sold safety for the Commanders after a slow year 1. Brown is a stud. Saldiveri is a backup in NO. Henry has bounced around the league. Martin has been bad. Merriweather has started some games for TB and been a solid depth player 

 

Overall looking like 4 starters in Jones, Kraft, Martin and Brown. Saldiveri might get a shot next year to start and Merriweather was good value late in round 7. Brodric Martin, , Scott, and Henry look like guys who might not make it. 

 

2022: I was the Colts GM as there is another Bills fan I fight with for them on the site. As Colts GM they also had no first rounder that year: 

 

 

2nd Round: Alec Pierce WR

3rd Round: Nicholas Petite Frere OT

3rd Round: Martin Emerson CB 

3rd Round: Jeremy Ruckert TE

5th Round: Danny Gray WR

6th Round: Malcolm Rodriguez LB 

6th Round: Esezi Otomewo DE

7th Round: Dellsrisn Turner Yell S

7th Round: James Mitchell TE

7th Round : Ja’Tyre Carter OG 

 

Analysis: Pierce is steadily improving as a big play WR but still not worthy of 2nd Round. Frere starts but sucks. Emerson was really solid until he fell off a cliff this year. Ruckert at this stage is a bust. Gray is a bust . Rodriguez was a good pick in round 6. Otomewo is barely hanging on in the league. Yell is a good value in 7. Mitchell and Carter are barely hanging on as well. This draft sucked outside of Emerson and Pierce. 
 

I have more years if anyone is curious to see as it’s all archived.