We are just about to the most exciting part of the NFL offseason, and it could be getting even more exciting if the Buffalo Bills chose to make a surprise move.
In a report Monday morning, it was announced that the Tennessee Titans were shopping veteran running back Derrick Henry.
If the Bills could pull off such a deal before the 2023 NFL Draft, the coming season would immediately become more interesting.
For that reason, we kick off our latest mock draft with a trade for Henry.
The Buffalo Bills land Derrick Henry and are off to the races in this 2023 mock draft
Henry, arguably the league’s most dominant running back over the last few seasons, gives the Bills another playmaker on offense to take some pressure off Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. From the day he lands in Buffalo, Henry makes the Bills a Super Bowl favorite for the second straight offseason.
As for Buffalo’s first-round pick coming in at no. 27 overall, they go with Georgia pass rusher Nolan Smith, who had an outstanding combine and actually met with the Bills during the week.
One of the most athletically-gifted players in the draft, Smith ran his 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.39 seconds. He also notched a 41.5-inch vertical jump and 10-foot-8 broad jump, giving him one of the week’s best overall performances.
Smith is a unicorn, because he is a bit undersized, but plays with such a motor and has so many crafty tools at his disposal, that he’s hard to pass up at this point.
The Bills are going to be without Von Miller for a good part of the 2023 season, so Smith’s presence automatically takes the pressure off the rest of the defensive line while Miller recovers.
Edge rusher might not be the most pressing need at this point, but Smith is by far and away the best player on the board, and Brandon Beane would be foolish not to snag him.