No. 27 – WR Jordan Addison, USC
If the Bills are going to get over the hump in the AFC, Josh Allen needs more firepower around him. Grabbing Addison here is a great start. The former Pitt and USC star is such a three-level target with savvy route-running skills and run-after-the-catch talent. He's a perfect complement to Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis.
No. 27 – WR Quentin Johnston, TCU
I really did want to put North Carolina's Josh Downs here, a player whom I think is a really nice Day 2 sleeper, and one who'd settle the need for a reliable slot that the Bills struggled to fill last year (hence bringing back Cole Beasley). But Johnston falling this far would give Buffalo a top-20 quality pick, and someone who could easily grow into Gabe Davis's role in the offense, with Davis set to become a free agent a year from now. Also, you can find a slot later on.
No. 27 – WR Zay Flowers, Boston College
The world saw the impact of adding a quality slot receiver to the Buffalo offense. By adding a player of Zay Flowers' caliber, it upgrades the floor of the Bills' offense drastically. Offensive guard was also a consideration but Flowers was the best player available.
No. 27 – DB Brian Branch, Alabama
I suspect that OT Anton Harrison from Oklahoma and a slot receiver (perhaps Josh Downs of North Carolina) will be discussed here, but with coach Sean McDermott taking over the defensive signal-calling, Branch's versatility gets the nod.
No. 27 – WR Josh Downs, North Carolina
With Addison and Flowers off the board, the Bills tried to get a deal done with the Raiders to land Nos. 38 and 70, but the clock nearly ran out. Jalin Hyatt was tempting, but his fit as a slot receiver in Buffalo's offense is more of a projection and not as clean a fit in the Bills' 11 personnel-heavy offense as Josh Downs. In Downs, the Bills get a locked-in slot receiver who can make an impact in 2023 by manipulating defenders over the middle and hauling in tough, contested catches. In the past, having that go-to slot receiver was a critical element when the Bills were at their best offensively. — Joe Buscaglia
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No. 27 – OT Darnell Wright, Tennessee
No. 27 – WR Jordan Addison, USC
Taking a linebacker to fill the hole left behind by Tremaine Edmunds' departure was contemplated, andLukas Van Ness dropping was quite intriguing for a Bills front office that likes to invest up front, but ultimately, adding Addison gives quarterback Josh Allen another top weapon and upgrades the wide receiver room. He can immediately contribute as the team's starting slot receiver but also has the ability to play outside, providing flexibility for the future.
No. 27 – LB Jack Campbell, Iowa
With Tremaine Edmonds gone to the Bears in free agency, they can take a linebacker who can run and cover and hit. Campbell is a first-round talent. He is all over the field. For the Bills, he would team with Matt Milano to give them a nice 1-2 punch.
No. 27 – WR Jordan Addison, USC
The silky-smooth pass catcher from USC would be a nice addition to a wide receiver corps that needs more "get open" specialists around Stefon Diggs.
No. 27 – WR Zay Flowers, Boston College
Zay Flowers in the same wide receiver room as Stefon Diggs? Yes, please. Flowers' quickness and change-of-direction ability under Diggs' tutelage could turn him into an absolute nightmare for defenders to try to stay in front of. Give quarterback Josh Allen elite weapons and let him cook. With Flowers in tow, this Bills offense is potent at all three levels on every snap.
No. 27 – WR Zay Flowers, Boston College
Besides his size (5-foot-10, 172 pounds), Flowers is one of the most complete receivers in this draft. He's an excellent route runner, good after the catch for a smaller receiver and he makes plays down the field. He was the only playmaker at Boston College, and even with shoddy quarterback play, teams still could not stop him from being a productive receiver.
Flowers can help the Buffalo Bills as a returner and a receiver, and he would give Josh Allen another offensive weapon in the passing game. — Spielman
Predict the Pick
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No. 27 – WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
No. 27 – WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
There were some front-seven options I strongly considered here, but the Bills have gone defense with their top pick four years running and there was no perfect fit in my mind. Trading down feels like the preference. Hyatt's game still needs refinement, but this is a setting where he could thrive: in a low-volume, high-return role as a deep threat out of the slot. Josh Allen had trouble connecting on vertical shots late in the season, and Hyatt can help repair that.
No. 27 – WR Jordan Addison, USC
Addison isn't a big target, but he's one of the most dynamic players in the country who can line up anywhere. He "only" managed a 4.49 40 at the combine but the tape is the tape -- and it consistently showed that he was regularly the best player on the field who can win at all three levels, playing either outside or in the slot.
No. 27 – WR Quentin Johnston, TCU
In conversations with people around the league this past week, the Bills were mentioned as a team likely to trade out of the first round. "They have six picks and a lot more needs than that," said one rival area scout. Multiple sources also pointed to the fact that GM Brandon Beane has to start finding inexpensive starters, since superstars like Josh Allen, Von Miller and Stefon Diggs take up a large part of the salary cap. If Buffalo doesn't trade, though, this is a great spot for a WR2 to complement Diggs. Gabe Davis enters a contract year and will likely price himself out of the team's long-term plans. Johnston, a 6-3 target with downfield speed and the hands to excel in 50-50 situations, could give Allen another vertical target.
No. 27 – WR Josh Downs, North Carolina
Getting picked ahead of Quentin Johnston of TCU and Jalin Hyatt of Tennessee would be an upset, and I can't predict with certainty this happens. But I know the Bills like him, and scouts think he can be a day-one starter in the slot, which would fit with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis outside. Imagine this production over the last two seasons in a per-game average: 8.1 receptions, 98.5 yards, 0.7 TDs. That'll play in a Buffalo offense that fizzled toward the end of the 2022 season.
No. 27 – DT Mazi Smith, Michigan
The Bills need some long-term answers for the middle of the defensive line and I really like this fit. I know wide receiver (the top four are gone) and offensive line (I don't think O'Cyrus Torrence is a fit and Anton Harrison might be a round-two target) are popular picks here, but who are the Bills going to have under contract on the defensive line in 2024 and beyond? Mazi Smith has great strength and will be a major boost to Buffalo's run defense.
No. 27 – OL Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse
