The Buffalo Bills remained put at pick No. 9 overall and were able to grab Ed Oliver after some surprise selections during the first eight picks.
The Buffalo Bills needed a pass-rusher entering the 2019 NFL Draft.
There were rumblings the team may trade up to grab Ed Oliver. Instead, he fell to No. 9 after some surprise selections by the New York Giants and the Oakland Raiders.
HYPED. pic.twitter.com/WwqPg8Y8SD
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) April 26, 2019
Oliver was a frequent pick for the Bills in our mock drafts and it was clear that he was an obvious target if he fell to No. 9 overall.
He could have easily gone higher if not for some injuries and this is a classic example of the Bills benefitting from teams passing on obvious talent.
Oliver immediately fills the void left by Kyle Williams and fills the only real need on defense. It was the obvious pick and one that seems to have low bust potential.
The pick is also one that Bills fans seem to love, at least based on my quick analysis of social media reactions.
There were rumors of the Bills potentially trading up all the way up to pick No. 3 overall. I assume that would be to grab Oliver. T.J. Hockenson was another intriguing possibility, but not someone to trade up for when there are other talented tight ends in the class.
It is entirely possible the Bills make a move to get back into the first round. If not, leaving Thursday with just Oliver is a great haul for a team that can now focus on improving the offense.
This is a much better situation that what the Giants are going through. I’m not sure what the plan is in that building.