After going 11-6 in the 2023 NFL regular season, the Buffalo Bills slumped to defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round and now turn to the 2024 NFL Draft to retool their roster for another title tilt. Did they maximize their draft capital in Detroit?
The Bills’ draft grades explain how Buffalo’s 2024 NFL Draft unfolded.
Buffalo Bills NFL Draft Grades
Round 2, Pick 33: Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
After trading back twice on Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft, Buffalo finally made a pick and, as accepted, snagged a big-play weapon for quarterback Josh Allen.
At 6’3” and 213 pounds, Keon Coleman has the size and physicality to be a dangerous threat on the boundary for the Bills, while showcasing some eye-popping body control and for-size athleticism to add a true three-level threat.
While this is a great get for the Bills — and Allen — there were higher-graded wide receivers on the PFN Big Board that impacted the grade for this pick. Nonetheless, it’s a good start for a franchise that added some extra capital with their moves made on Day 1.
Grade: B+
Round 2, Pick 60: Cole Bishop, S, Utah
Arguably one of the more underrated prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class, Cole Bishop has been a force for one of the better college football defenses with the Utah Utes.
He is a terrifying prospect to face when he comes flying out of the backfield with incredible physicality and bad intentions.
For a team that needed help in the secondary, Bishop can play a number of roles, with his impressive athletic profile allowing him to patrol the entire defensive backfield. He’ll even add special teams usage as a rookie.
The 44th overall prospect on the PFN Big Board, it’s a great value pick at a position of need.
Grade: A-
Round 3, Pick 95: DeWayne Carter, DT, Duke
DeWayne Carter has been one of the most underrated defensive tackle prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class.
He’s 6’3”, 300 pounds, and if you look just at his stats from 2023, you’d question his ability to be a pass-rush threat in the league. Yet, he’s just a year removed from tallying 11 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, a product of an impressive first step, an ever-running motor, and some technical nuance forged by a football family.
MORE: 2024 NFL Draft Grades
Meanwhile, he’s a three-time captain and advocate in the community who brings a level of character off the field matched by his intensity on it. He can challenge for playing time early behind Ed Oliver and Daquan Jones.
Grade: B+
Round 4, Pick 128: Ray Davis, RB, Kentucky
Ranked as the 171st player on the PFN Big Board, the knee-jerk reaction to this pick is to call it a reach. However, all Ray Davis has done throughout his college football career is outplay his ranking and smash public perception of his game.
A running back with excellent strength, it’s easy to pigeonhole him as a power back, but he also has the juice to break big runs. His ability to contribute as a pass catcher and protector adds further value. Were there better players at positions of bigger need? Yes. Does it matter? Absolutely not.
Grade: B
Round 5, Pick 141: Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, C, Georgia
Center was one of the most significant needs for the Bills in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Sedrick Van Pran-Granger is one of the very best in the class.
Considered a potential early-round prospect a year ago, he returned to Georgia to lead their offensive line and somehow got lost in the shuffle of a strong center class this year.
He’s a highly intelligent football player at the pivot, with exciting athleticism and the requisite aggressiveness to thrive inside.
Grade: A-
Round 5, Pick 160: Edefuan Ulofoshio, LB, Washington
Coming off one of the most productive seasons of his Washington career, Edefuan Ulofoshio has an alluring combination of production, experience, physicality, and coverage ability that the Bills clearly fell in love with during the process.
After spending six years with the Huskies, he’s an older rookie with some less-than-alluring medical history. The 230th overall prospect on the PFN Big Board is a little bit of a reach here, impacting the Bills’ grade.
Grade: C+
Round 5, Pick 168: Javon Solomon, EDGE, Troy
Having ticked off a number of needs early on in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bills finally find a needed edge rusher to bolster their roster.
Javon Solomon has terrorized Group of Five offensive linemen for the Troy Trojans, resulting in two individual seasons with double-digit sacks and tackles for loss — most recently recording 18 TFLs and 16 sacks.
Don’t be fooled by his slightly diminutive frame — he can be a force off the edge, buoyed by his impressive bend and the length to keep linemen away from his body.
Grade: A-
Round 6, Pick 204: Tylan Grable, OT, UCF
Round 7, Pick 219: Tylan Grable, OT, UCF
The Bills didn’t necessarily need to add an OT in the 2024 NFL Draft, but the addition of La’el Collins in the offseason hinted at a desire to add depth and competition to the room.
Presented with the opportunity to add an intriguing athlete at the position, which is exactly what Tylan Grable is, you’d be foolish not to.
Grable moves remarkably well for a guy that measures in at 6’6” and 300 pounds, and there’s a nastiness to his game that makes up for some required technical development.
Ranked 168th on the PFN Big Board, this is a really, really, solid get for the Bills.
Grade: B+
Round 6, Pick 219: Daequan Hardy, CB, Penn State
The Bills earn the “B” element of this grade based purely on the special teams ability that Daequan Hardy brings to the table immediately in the NFL. Kicking or punting to him is ill-advised due to his eye-popping speed and agility, which earned him College Football Network Special Teams Player of the Week honors during the 2023 season.
However, as a cornerback selection to address a position of need, his diminutive size and difficulties from a pure strength perspective may limit his effectiveness.
Grade: B-
Round 7, Pick 221: Travis Clayton, OL, England
Credit the Bills for giving us something to talk about to open the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Travis Clayton, from Basingstoke, England, heads to the NFL as a prospect from the International Player Pathway.
He impressed during the USF Pro Day, where he measured in at 6’7” and 301 pounds and ran a ludicrous 4.79-second 40-yard dash.
Clayton is a former rugby player and boxer, so while I haven’t seen any tape on him, you can presume he packs a powerful punch in pass protection.
Grade: B
Buffalo Bills 2024 NFL Draft Summary
The Buffalo Bills wrapped up their 2024 NFL Draft class with an impressive haul of players at positions of need, with multiple impact makers safely squirreled away.
Adding weapons for Josh Allen was always the priority, and the franchise landed Keon Coleman while making moves to acquire more capital.
With DeWayne Carter and Cole Bishop, the defensive spine was significantly strengthened, while Troy pass rusher Javon Solomon was a dangerous add in the fifth round.
There weren’t too many reaches, they hit on plenty of needs, and even provided intrigue by selecting British-born offensive tackle Travis Clayton to open the seventh round. Solid stuff.
Overall Grade: B+