Buffalo Bills: 2 wide receivers to trade up for in 2023 NFL Draft

Wide Receivers the Buffalo Bills should trade up for: Quentin Johnston, TCU

The second option the Bills should consider is Quentin Johnston out of Texas Christian University. Johnston is an athletic freak at 6’4 and 215 lbs. He has great speed and is super explosive with the ball in his hands. However, Johnston struggles at the catch point. He refuses to attack the football and tries to catch with his body too much. His height advantage often feels wasted in jump ball situations. Johnston’s routes aren’t at the top of the class, and he’s less NFL-ready than other first-round prospects, but his physical tools truly make him a tantalizing prospect.

Both of these players should be available in the second half of the first round but will fly off the board in the 20s. The wide receiver needy stretch of the Chargers, Ravens, Vikings, Giants, and Cowboys, will force the Bills to either trade up or make a different selection. It might be possible to convince the Buccaneers or Seahawks to trade down, which might give the Bills options to choose their favorite prospect.

I don’t recommend drafting Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Jordan Addison in the first round. Both these players are great and would improve the offense, but their skills are somewhat replaceable. Addison is a good route runner with good speed, but the Bills have both those aspects of the position covered already with Diggs and Davis. Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s technical refinement will make an immediate impact, but his poor athleticism limits his ceiling and his value to the Bills. Flowers and Johnston’s explosive playmaking makes them the best-suited prospects for the team’s needs.

Wide Receiver is not the most urgent need on the entire team, but the high value of the position and poor quality of the free agency pool should convince the Bills to think about trading up for a quality offensive playmaker.