Brandon Beane continues to show he is one of the best at navigating the NFL Draft
The NFL Draft is certainly about adding the best possible players but that takes a little bit of strategy and knowing what teams might do around you. For Brandon Beane, this is something that he has shown time and again that he manages very well.
The Bills’ GM is not afraid to make a trade and made four over the course of three days. On Thursday night, he moved up two spots to select Kaiir Elam. This may not seem like a lot but he may have had a hunch that someone could trade ahead of him and for the cost of only a fourth round pick, he got the final player that he had a first round grade on.
On Day 2, the Buffalo Bills would elect to trade back, twice actually, in the second round but still were able to select James Cook, who looks to be a perfect fit for this offense. Then on Day 3, with no fourth round pick, the Bills moved up 20 spots in the fifth round to get Khalil Shakir, a move that costed them only one of their sixth round picks.
In the end, the Buffalo Bills drafted four players (Elam, Cook, Shakir, and Matt Araiza) who look to all have a chance at significant playing time as a rookie with three of those players being parts of trades. The Buffalo Bills once again did a great job finding value and players that can make an impact almost immediately for a team that should be contending for a Super Bowl.