No. 12 – QB Josh Allen, Wyoming
Free-agent addition AJ McCarron will take the ball first, but Allen's big frame, and arm, make him a great match for Buffalo winters. He also will play with a chip on his shoulder after being overlooked much of his career.
No. 22 – DT Taven Bryan, Florida
Bryan continues to receive some J.J. Watt comparisons. I'm not ready to go all in on those, but he's slippery to block, and plays all out each snap. DL Kyle Williams will appreciate his new teammate.
No. 6 (via trade w/ Colts) – QB Josh Allen, Wyoming
The Colts are going to trade down to six with Buffalo. Buffalo jumps up with Josh Allen still on the board at six – might be a surprise. They are going to need a strong-armed quarterback with the elements in Buffalo. They are going to need a quarterback and will have to move up to get one.
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No. 2 (via trade w/ Giants) – QB Josh Allen, Wyoming
The Bills have done a nice job building capital for a bold swing. This is one. Allen's potential is limitless, and his big frame and arm are made for Buffalo, though he has a ways to go.
No. 2 (via trade w/ Giants) – QB Sam Darnold, USC
The Bills are almost certainly not done moving up, and with the familiarity between the Bills and Giants' front offices (both Carolina alums), this fit makes too much sense, particularly with the AFC East rival Jets now at No. 3. Thanks to that Jets-Colts trade, in which the Colts received excellent value for their pick, the Bills will likely have to overpay to get to No. 2. My mock trade has them giving up No. 12, 22, 56 and a 2019 first-round pick for No. 2 and a 2018 Day 3 pick.
No. 53 – WR D.J. Chark, LSU
The Bills traded up for their QB earlier but kept this pick in the deal. Now they pair their new signal-caller with a size/speed complement to Kelvin Benjamin and Zay Jones.
No. 6 (via trade w/ Colts) – QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
If Bradley Chubb isn't there for the Colts, GM Chris Ballard will be happy to move back again to gain a package of picks that would include, at minimum, a third-round pick in the 2018 draft (reflected below) and a 2019 first-rounder. Bills head coach Sean McDermott is hungry for a playmaker at the quarterback position, so a move up the board is definitely possible.
No. 22 – WR Courtland Sutton, SMU
If the team is going to get a quarterback, he'll need receivers with whom he can connect in 2018 and beyond. Kelvin Benjamin is due to become a free agent after the 2018 season, so Sutton provides another big body in the receiving corps.
No. 7 (via trade w/ Bucs) – QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
A trade! With the Browns, Broncos, and Colts all standing pat to take three of the draft's premium non-quarterback players, the Bills pounce on the chance to move ahead of Miami and avoid an Arizona leapfrog—sending Tampa Bay the 12th and 22nd picks in the draft in order to move up five spots to take Mayfield. (That's an overpay, per Jimmy Johnson's draft-trade value chart, but all bets are off when it comes to getting a quarterback). … If Mayfield wows early on and beats out the higher-paid veteran à la Russell Wilson/Matt Flynn, all the better. But if it takes a year for Mayfield to get up to speed, that's fine too; he'd have the chance to sit and learn the pro game while the Bills look to add a stronger support system around him.
No. 12 – QB Josh Allen, Wyoming
The Bills might have to climb into the top five to get their guy, but in this scenario, Allen falls to them outside of the top 10. The Wyoming standout flashes some Cam Newton-like playmaking skills as an athletic passer with A-plus arm talent.
No. 22 – C James Daniel, Iowa
The loss of Eric Wood makes it imperative for the Bills to find a pivot with a high IQ and a sound technical game. Daniels is an athletic center with the movement skills to expand Buffalo's playbook as a pull/trap specialist.
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