Despite shedding a ton of payroll and trading away one of the game’s best wide receivers, the Buffalo Bills have Super Bowl aspirations. After losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship during the 2020 season, the Bills have fallen in each of the last three AFC Divisional Rounds.
The Bills have consistently been right there because with Josh Allen, all things are possible. The back-to-back-to-back-to-back AFC East champions have plenty of opportunities to upgrade their roster and improve upon the 11-6 record from a year ago.
Chad Reuter of NFL.com asserted that the Bills’ biggest needs in the 2024 NFL Draft were wide receiver, EDGE, defensive tackle, safety, and running back. With their 10 picks, they addressed these holes.
Grading the Buffalo Bills 2024 NFL Draft Class
Round 2, Pick 33: Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
Heading into the draft, wide receiver was a glaring need for the Bills. In an attempt to stockpile picks, Buffalo traded back twice from 28 to 32 (Kansas City Chiefs, pick became Xavier Worthy) and then 32 to 33 (Carolina Panthers, pick became Xavier Legette). If Buffalo had a dream of drafting a Xavier, it was quickly dashed. Instead, they “settled” for Keon Coleman out of Florida State.
In his career, Coleman was a dynamic weapon for both the Seminoles and his first school, Michigan State. He spent two years with the Spartans and broke out in 2022 to the tune of 798 yards and seven touchdowns off of 58 receptions. He was consistently a mismatch in the Big 10 but he elected to transfer south to Florida State.
In just one year in Tallahassee, Coleman put up 658 yards and 11 touchdowns off of 50 receptions. He led the way in receiving for the ACC champs and eventual CFP snubs.
Coleman is a physical, big-bodied receiver who can do just about anything the Bills will ask. He turned 50/50 balls to 90/10 in his favor and is a threat to make big plays at any given opportunity. He’s not a burner but he will get the chunk yardage to keep the chains moving. In the Bills’ offense, he’s a day-one WR1 and has a phenomenal opportunity to be a top-five rookie receiver.
Grade: A
Full Keon Coleman Scouting Report
Round 2, Pick 60: Cole Bishop, SAF, Utah
After parting ways with Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, the safety position was left a major need. They went out and brought in Taylor Rapp from the Los Angeles Rams but there was still a massive hole. Enter the University of Utah’s Cole Bishop.
Bishop was a productive player for the Utes for three years, amassing a total of 197 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, three interceptions, 12 pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a whopping four recovered fumbles.
He is not a center-field-type of safety and more of a box safety/extra linebacker type of player. Bishop is great at coming downhill to defend the run and make the big play to derail the offense. He has struggled in coverage but looks like he can develop into a tight end magnet.
In reality, this pick won’t move the needle for most. It was a pick for need and, while it could be considered a bit of a reach, it will work out. Bills Mafia will like Bishop’s game and edge to him.
Grade: B
Full Cole Bishop Scouting Report
Round 3, Pick 95: DeWayne Carter, DT, Duke
Again, not a pick that’s going to have Bills Mafia jumping through tables but one they needed and will benefit from as the season wears on.
DeWayne Carter was a three-time captain for Duke and a regular contributor for just as long. As a defensive tackle, Carter logged 126 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 11 pass breakups, seven forced fumbles, four recovered fumbles, and a blocked kick in his five years.
This Bills roster has quite a few solid edge rushers and definitely needed to fortify the interior. That’s what Carter is here. He’ll fight with Austin Johnson as a rotational piece. He’s a solid defender with a quick first step to get penetration.
Overall, Carter is a good pick for the Bills. He could be considered a tad undersized but was certainly worth the pick.
Grade: B+
Round 4, Pick 128: Ray Davis, RB, Kentucky
The Bills got tougher at running back. James Cook is without a doubt RB1 in this offense but Ray Davis can be a top RB2. He’s a bruiser.
The knock on Davis will be age but when it comes to running backs, how often are teams looking at planning for a second contract? For the Bills and Davis, it won’t matter all that much.
Kentucky was Davis’ third school and he was productive at each and every stop. At Temple, he rushed for 936 yards and eight touchdowns as a true freshman. Then, he redshirted/COVID happened. Davis transferred to Vanderbilt and ran for 1,253 yards and six touchdowns. He parlayed a 1,000-yard performance in 2022 and took over the Kentucky offense to the tune of 1,129 yards and a whopping 14 touchdowns. Davis isn’t a one-trick back, of course. He added 762 yards and 12 touchdowns off of 94 receptions out of the backfield.
He’s a guy who, if asked, could take over as RB1. Davis has all of the tools of a three-down back and will certainly push Cook, but will solidly be RB2. That doesn’t take away from the fact that this was a very good pick for the Bills.
Grade: A
Round 5, Pick 141: Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, IOL, Georgia
Buffalo raised the floor of the offensive line play with its selection of Sedrick Van Pran-Granger out of Georgia. He was a crucial element of the Bulldogs’ offensive line during their back-to-back College Football Playoff runs as well as last year. He comes into the NFL with 44 starts over the last three years.
Van Pran-Granger is a technically sound interior offensive lineman with three years of experience at center. With Connor McGovern in town for two more years, Van Pran-Granger is not under any pressure to contribute right away.
The former Second-Team All-American could be the center of the future for the Bills and will give them solid depth in the meantime.
Grade: A-
Round 5, Pick 160: Edefuan Ulofoshio, LB, Washington
Grit and toughness are crucial traits to succeed in the NFL. Where else will you find that but in a player who had to battle multiple injuries and started his career as a walk-on? Edefuan Ulofoshio is quite the story and brings six years of experience at Washington with him.
Despite starting as a walk-on and suffering injuries in both 2021 and 2022, Ulofoshio finished his career with 251 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, seven sacks, eight pass breakups, five forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles, and added a pick-six in the win over Cal last year.
He’s coming off his most productive season.
Overall, Ulofoshio will make his way onto the roster one way or another. He’s shown he can be a productive linebacker and can battle through all kinds of adversity. It’s strictly a depth move but the Bills could have done much worse. Bills Mafia will grow to like Ulofoshio.
Grade: B+
Round 5, Pick 168: Javon Solomon, EDGE, Troy
One of the best Group of 5 defenders at the tail-end of the fifth round? Buffalo got great value in Javon Solomon.
This pick was not meant to pay dividends in 2024 as the roster still holds the likes of Von Miller, A.J. Epenesa, Gregory Rousseau, and Ed Oliver. However, you can’t have too many pass rushers.
Solomon was incredible at Troy. He posted 183 tackles, 49.5 tackles for loss, 33 sacks, an interception, two pass breakups, four forced fumbles, and four recoveries. He accounted for double-digit sacks twice and is coming off of an FBS-leading 16-sack season. Even at the G5 level, Solomon was among the elites in terms of production.
He will need some development to get past his lack of size. However, you cannot deny his pedigree at Troy. He will earn some reps in rotation as he learns the NFL game.
Grade: B
Round 6, Pick 204: Tylan Grable, OT, UCF
Despite his size and stature, Tylan Grable was a prolific quarterback in his high school days. However, when he initially enrolled at Jacksonville State, he made the switch to tight end and then offensive line. The good thing for the Bills – other than a possible emergency quarterback (only half-joking) – is that Grable brings his athleticism and superior footwork with him as a lineman.
In his six years of college football, Grable appeared in 59 games. He was decorated, earning Second-Team FCS All-American honors to go with First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference and First-Team All-Atlantic Sun Conference before earning Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors last year.
Grade: C
Round 6, Pick 219: Daequan Hardy, CB, Penn State
In the NFL, you can’t have too many corners. Daequan Hardy is just that but he could add some special teams spice as he was a prolific punt returner with the Nittany Lions. Last year, Hardy returned 17 punts for two touchdowns and 14.6 yards per return.
Over his five seasons with Penn State, Hardy appeared in 48 games, mostly as a reserve nickel corner. He is coming off a run where he hauled in five interceptions over the last three seasons.
While Hardy is not expected to challenge for one of the starting spots, his 4.38 speed will certainly play. While he’s a bit smaller than you’d like, he is impressive at his timing to break up passes. The only knocks on Hardy’s elite 8.15 RAS is his size. Other than that, he has plenty of athleticism that will serve well in the NFL. He will be at the back end of the roster. He does make the secondary depth better, however.
Grade: B+
Round 7, Pick 221: Travis Clayton, OT, International Pathway
Not many players were selected in the 2024 NFL without playing so much as a snap of organized football. Rugby, on the other hand, was Travis Clayton’s sport back home in the United Kingdom.
He actually tried out the NFL Academy in London back in 2019 but eventually quit. Even then, he elected to try out the NFL International Pathway Program and it’s paid off with this seventh-round pick.
All late-round picks are usually dart throws. Very rarely do any pay off. The Bills saw his athleticism with Clayton and figured to give him a shot. At six-foot-seven and 301 pounds, Clayton is an incredibly large man. He recorded the fastest 40-yard time by an offensive lineman in a decade with 4.76.
As anyone who has ever played rugby, Clayton is an all-around athlete. He’s incredibly fluid and can use his seven-foot wingspan to keep defensive linemen at bay.
The good thing about Clayton is if he doesn’t quite make the roster, the team is awarded an extra practice squad spot, so he isn’t taking someone else’s job. He’s a low-risk, potentially high-reward prospect that offensive line coach Aaron Kromer gets to mold into an NFL player.
Grade: B-
Main Image: Mandi Wright / USA TODAY NETWORK
