The Buffalo Bills are sending wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans for draft compensation. What impact does that have on the Buffalo Bills for the upcoming NFL Draft?
Adam Schefter was first to report that the Buffalo Bills agreed to trade star wide receiver Stefon Diggs, a 2024 sixth-rounder, and a 2025 fifth-rounder to the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick,2025 second-round pick (via Minnesota Vikings).
Compensation updates, per sources:
🏈Bills receive 2025 second-round pick via Minnesota.
🏈Texans receive Stefon Diggs and a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick. https://t.co/WlL4mAaavz
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 3, 2024
The Bills did not receive any compensation for this year’s draft, so how does this impact what they will do with the 28th overall pick in 2024?
Buffalo Bills 2024 Draft Strategy
Some conversations have made their way into the media about the Bills after a playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs about the “window” closing due to cap space, age, and overall team success since Josh Allen was drafted.
Josh Allen’s career stats with Stefon Diggs include a passer rating of 96.9, 17,540 yards, 137 touchdowns, 57 interceptions in 66 games, and a completion percentage 65.5.
In the 28 games without Diggs, Allen had a passer rating of 78.2, 5,163 yards (almost a yard less per completion), 30 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions. His completion percentage was 56.3 during that time.
The Bills must approach the NFL draft with Josh Allen in mind. Offensive weapons will be the critical area to attack, not just in the first round but also in a few different picks. Luckily, this draft class is deep at wide receiver.
2024 Wide Receiver Class
The top names won’t be available for the Bills, but plenty of other top-tier names should be on their draft list. The draft class still has talented prospects after Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze.
Adonai Mitchell, a Texas wide receiver, has climbed the draft board after an impressive combine. Mitchell ran the fastest time in combine history, a 4.21 40-yard dash. He is a talented receiver who needs to attack the ball better in the air. PFF has him ranked as the 30th overall pick.
Brian Thomas Jr. is the “other guy” from LSU, and he is starting to get his name mentioned by many NFL teams. Thomas Jr. crushed his Pro Day and is quickly becoming a mid-round guy in the first round rather than a late-first/early second-round draft pick.
The last name to mention for the Bills’ 28th overall pick is Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey. McConkey measured above expectations, 6’0, 186 lbs., and ran a 4.39 40-yard dash. PFF said, “Maybe not as fast with long speed, but he has devastating quickness, is good in the return game, and is a strong blocker for his size.”
There are plenty of other names in later rounds for the Bills to pick from, but early draft projections put these as the top three names. We will see how the Bills approach the first round of the draft, which is only three weeks away.
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