Buffalo Bills: What if they drafted Russell Wilson in 2012?

Different selections in the NFL Draft

The selection of Russell Wilson would have also allowed the Buffalo Bills to use their draft picks at other positions on the team. The first change would have likely come in the 2013 NFL Draft, when the Bills selected EJ Manuel in the first round.

Instead of Manuel, the Bills could have used their pick for someone like Kyle Long, who went on to make three Pro Bowls, or tight end Tyler Eifert. These two players went a few selections after the Bills pick and would have been good options.

Another potential scenario, and this would have created a much bigger domino effect, but the Bills could have selected DeAndre Hopkins in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. The team would likely then not have selected Robert Woods in the second and could have went with Kevin Minter and Kiko Alonso with their two early second round picks, or even Travis Kelce, who went in the third round that year.

If the Buffalo Bills were to select Hopkins, then they would not have a need to trade up to select Sammy Watkins in the 2014 NFL Draft. They could have stayed at their original ninth overall pick and select Anthony Barr, Taylor Lewan or Aaron Donald.

This scenario also would have allowed them to keep their first round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, which they traded to the Browns in the Watkins trade.