It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting too long for — the NFL Draft. Make sure you don’t miss the Buffalo Bills’ selections!
Your calendar has been marked for quite some time, but the wait is over. The 2017 NFL Draft is finally here and teams will begin to select their future stars — including the Buffalo Bills at No. 10. It will be the first ever NFL Draft held outdoors.
As always, BuffaLowDown will be guiding you through the draft in its entirety, bringing you up-to-date news, analysis and opinions on the Bills’ new rookie class. We will even be following what the rest of the AFC East does in the draft. You know what they say, keep your enemies closer, right?
The NFL Draft is split up into three days with the First Round taking place on Thursday, Rounds 2-3 on Friday and Rounds 4-7 on Saturday. To break that up into how many picks the Buffalo Bills will have each day, they will have one on Thursday, two on Friday and four on Saturday for a total of seven picks.
Date: April 27-29
Start Time: 8 pm ET (Thursday)
Where: Philadelphia
TV: ESPN/NFL Network
Online: WatchESPN/NFL.com
For Day 1 of the NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills could go a variety of different routes and most of them would benefit the team greatly.
Selecting a wide receiver or tight end will help Tyrod Taylor and the passing game, while also opening things up for the running game. Drafting a linebacker would be smart due to the lack of an inside linebacker that can fully fit into Sean McDermott’s defense. Grabbing a cornerback or safety is needed after most of the position group left in free agency.
A quarterback is an option that would help further down the road, but not so much in 2017. An offensive tackle would help secure the pocket and help make Taylor more comfortable.
With so many options to choose from, a big part of the decision for the Buffalo Bills will depend on who the first 9 teams select.
When talking about the 10th pick, there are only two linebackers that I like (Reuben Foster and Haason Reddick), two cornerbacks (Marlon Humphrey and Marshon Lattimore), two wide receivers (Corey Davis and Mike Williams), one offensive tackle (Cam Robinson), three safeties (Jabrill Peppers, Malik Hooker and Jamal Adams) and one quarterback (Pat Mahomes).
Keep in mind some of those players I would require to trade down in the draft, like Peppers and Mahomes.
Since it’s all up to who gets picked before the Buffalo Bills, let’s take a quick look at the entire NFL Draft order for the First Round:
1. Cleveland Browns
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. Chicago Bears
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
5. Tennessee Titans (from Los Angeles Rams)
6. New York Jets
7. Los Angeles Chargers
8. Carolina Panthers
9. Cincinnati Bengals
10. Buffalo Bills
11. New Orleans Saints
12. Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia Eagles)
13. Arizona Cardinals
14. Philadelphia Eagles (from Minnesota Vikings)
15. Indianapolis Colts
16. Baltimore Ravens
17. Washington Redskins
18. Tennessee Titans
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
20. Denver Broncos
21. Detroit Lions
22. Miami Dolphins
23. New York Giants
24. Oakland Raiders
25. Houston Texans
26. Seattle Seahawks
27. Kansas City Chiefs
28. Dallas Cowboys
29. Green Bay Packers
30. Pittsburgh Steelers
31. Atlanta Falcons
32. New Orleans Saints (from New England Patriots)
It’s really anyone’s game. Personally, I wouldn’t draft a cornerback or safety with the 10th pick. Whaley and McDermott have an eye for those positions, McDermott can make any defensive back look good and they have a good idea of what they’re looking for in that position. For those reasons, those positions can be addressed later in the draft.
More from BuffaLowDown
- Buffalo Bills were ready to trade back if they couldn’t get Dalton Kincaid
- Grading Buffalo Bills drafting Dalton Kincaid in 2023 NFL Draft
- How the Buffalo Bills can win Day 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft
- Buffalo Bills having conversations about trading for DeAndre Hopkins
- Buffalo Bills Draft Rumors: Bills linked to this shocking first round target
I would only select a quarterback if the team trades down and adds a second round selection. At that point, I wouldn’t mind a quarterback if Mahomes is there and I wouldn’t mind addressing linebacker/receiver/defensive back in Round 2-3.
I would only select a linebacker if Reuben Foster falls to No. 10 (I don’t see this happening) or if they trade down and a quarterback they like isn’t available. Also, if Reddick is available in the event they trade down, he would be a great pick.
With that being said, a receiver would do justice if it’s Mike Williams. Corey Davis would be a bit of a risk because of his injury concerns, but it would be a high reward if he turns out.
Overall, I want O.J. Howard. I think if he’s available at No. 10, he’s a must-draft. Not only will having two dominant tight ends satisfy what Rick Dennison likes on his offense, but it would be one of the more scary mismatches to opposing defenses. They would also help the run-game with excellent blocking.
If not available, Foster or Williams would be safe picks. If they aren’t available, do what the Buffalo Bills do best, close your eyes, roll the dice and say the first name that comes to mind: Chad Kelly! (kidding)
Next: Top 3 Buffalo Bills' Draft Busts in Recent History
Who do you think the Buffalo Bills will select with the 10th pick? Leave your thoughts below!