The Buffalo Bills made a splash last week trading for wide receiver Stefon Diggs from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for their 1st round pick and a handful of others. Bills fans, barring any trades up into the 1st round, will have to wait until Day 2 before Buffalo is on the clock. Now that the Bills won’t be picking until 54, the question remains who should the Bills take? Here are a few options that could be on the board.
Curtis Weaver, EDGE, Boise State
While the Bills did add Mario Addison to the edge rusher room, the position overall still leans pretty old. Addison along with Jerry Hughes and questions about Trent Murphy’s long term future with the Bills make sense as to why they would draft an edge rusher. This is where Curtis Weaver comes in. Last season alone Weaver 13.5 sacks and in his three year career had 34 sacks! Weaver’s strengths are he has a great first step, has great hands to get after lineman, and has played in multiple roles in the Broncos defense. His negatives are he needs to be more flexible and needs to improve on his tackling skills. Overall adding Weaver to a potent front seven for the Bills would give Buffalo more depth on defense and another threat at edge.
Cam Akers, RB, Florida State
Devin Singletary turned out to be a great pick for the Bills last year in the 3rd round. But after Singletary you have TJ Yeldon and that isn’t going to cut it. It’s very likely Buffalo could go running back in Round 2. And Cam Akers offers a different dynamic from Singletary. Akers best strengths are that he is a downhill runner, has good hands, is an effective receiver option and has a strong lower body. His negatives are that he isn’t great in pass protection and is not very elusive in space. Also durability could be a concern as last season he had 231 carries which averages to 20 carries a game. But the good thing is pairing him with Singletary, he won’t have such a big workload and thus be more healthy and effective.
KJ Hamler, WR, Penn State
I know it may feel like the wide receiver room is full with Stefon Diggs, John Brown and Cole Beasley. But Josh Allen can never have too many pass catching options. The first thing that stands out when you watch KJ Hamler is that he is fast, like really fast. He has great athleticism, excellent route running, can create separation and can be a punt returner if need be. His down side is his size as he is only 5’9 and 176 pounds. That however hasn’t stopped the Bills from bringing in receivers like Brown and Beasley who are under 6 feet tall. Hamler would most likely play as a slot receiver given his size. But the talent is there and Hamler could be a great fit into this Bills offense.
Overall the Bills could go with a lot of different options. Buffalo isn’t desperate for anyone position but rather can add depth and young talent to certain areas. These are just three prospects I would be thrilled about if the Bills drafted. Just because the Bills have the 54th overall pick doesn’t mean that they can’t find talent. If the Bills do their homework and get the right player, the Bills in 2020 could become even more dangerous.
