The Buffalo Bills enter the 2024 NFL Draft with over 44% of their receiving production from last season off of the roster after Stefon Diggs was traded away to the Houston Texans.
According to the PFN Mock Draft Simulator data we’ve accumulated, the overwhelming majority of Bills’ mock draft scenarios completed on the tool see the organization spending the 28th overall pick on a talented wide receiver prospect to give quarterback Josh Allen some immediate help for the upcoming NFL season.
Wide Receivers Are Most-Drafted Prospects in Buffalo Bills 2024 NFL Mock Drafts
The intrigue behind adding a new dynamic playmaker on the outside certainly made a fair bit of logical sense when Buffalo lost wide receiver Gabe Davis to free agency earlier this offseason.
Now that Diggs has been traded, WR is the biggest priority position to address in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. The veteran wideout was an exceptional producer since the day he arrived in Buffalo, catching 445 passes for 5,372 yards and 37 touchdowns over his four years in a Bills uniform.
Diggs’ drop in production was certainly noteworthy over the last month of last season once Joe Brady took over as the offensive coordinator. Nevertheless, his departure to Houston certainly leaves a significant amount of target volume available for a rookie pass-catching prospect to have a significant role in a high-powered offense on Day 1.
Most-Drafted Players by Buffalo Fans
5) Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina
One of the most intriguing X-receiver prospects in the entire draft class is South Carolina’s Xavier Legette, whose exceptional combination of elite size (6’1” and 221 pounds) and speed (4.39 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine) makes him the type of big vertical threat that could thrive with the big-armed Allen.
Buffalo fans may be a bit jaded to invest high draft capital in a wide receiver who failed to break out until his fifth year in college… especially after the inconsistent and mixed results the team has gotten from Davis over the last few years. However, Legette’s ceiling with Allen and the current lack of a big vertical threat who can work outside makes him a pretty ideal fit for the Bills.
4) Keon Coleman, WR, FSU
FSU’s Keon Coleman is another intriguing prospect who certainly has some concerns on his prospect profile but possesses an insane amount of upside and could see his game reach new heights by playing with one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
Coleman is an imposing prospect, standing 6’3” and 213 pounds, and plays with the type of exceptional play strength and ball skills that could see him dominate in contested catch situations. But he’s shown some red flags, consistently creating separation against press coverage and with his route running.
Still, Coleman’s ceiling and potential to dominate in the red zone certainly make him an option at the end of the first round.
3) Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Speaking of intriguing athletic profiles for a potential X-receiver, Adonai Mitchell absolutely tore up the NFL Combine with a 4.34 40-yard dash on a great size profile of 6’2” and 205 pounds.
Mitchell flashes elite ability to separate at the top, but he could be gone by the time the Bills are on the clock at 28. Nevertheless, he would certainly be an ideal vertical prospect to pair with Allen for years to come.
2) Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
The projection of Rome Odunze to the Bills feels more like a pipe dream than a plausible scenario, given that the former Husky is widely considered to be a top-10 pick in this draft. Yet, if Buffalo’s front office were to get ultra-aggressive and move up 10+ spots if he slips into the teens, then perhaps this pick could come to fruition.
Odunze would be an excellent candidate to replace Diggs as the alpha target earner in this offense. His well-rounded skill set and dominance in contested catch situations would immediately give Allen a dynamic pass-catching threat who can win on all three levels of the field.
1) Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
Perhaps no receiver prospect had a better day at the NFL Combine than LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr., who confirmed his elite athletic profile as an X-receiver at the next level by running a blistering time of 4.33 seconds in the 40-yard dash at 6’3” and 209 pounds.
Thomas exploded with an elite final collegiate season with 17 TDs from 68 receptions while competing for targets with Malik Nabers, who is expected to go in the top 10.
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Thomas, however, likely projects as a better replacement for Davis than Diggs given his skill set. He simply wasn’t asked to do much more than run slants, curls, and go routes during his 2023 breakout season. It’s not that he can’t run routes, but Thomas has a bit more of an incomplete grade entering the league in that department.
Diggs is one of the NFL’s best route runners, which makes his projection into that specific role a bit more problematic. Yet, Thomas has the ideal skill set to give Allen a top-tier vertical threat to open up this Buffalo offense.
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