Could these five moves in the 2023 NFL Draft get the Buffalo Bills to a Super Bowl in 2023?
The Buffalo Bills have been a playoff team for the past four years but each trip to the playoffs has ended before achieving the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl. The path to a Lombardi Trophy doesn’t look to be getting any easier in the AFC with teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, who beat them in 2020 and 2021, and the Cincinnati Bengals, who beat Buffalo in this past season’s playoffs, still very competitive.
Even with the struggles, the Buffalo Bills are really not that far away and are certainly in position once again to make a run at a Super Bowl. While there are still free agents out there and trades can be made, the NFL Draft at the end of the month is the front office’s final chance to really make significant changes to the roster that can push them over the top.
These are five moves the Buffalo Bills could make over the three day event that could finally get them to a Super Bowl.
Buffalo Bills draft Darnell Washington in the first round of 2023 NFL Draft
The Buffalo Bills currently have the 27th overall pick and they have the flexibility to move around on the first night of the NFL Draft. While they could consider trading back, and adding some additional draft picks while still making this selection, the focus for general manager Brandon Beane should be to end up with Darnell Washington out of Georgia as a member of the Buffalo Bills.
It may be surprising that drafting Darnell Washington would be such a priority since he would technically be a backup to Dawson Knox. However, Washington’s skill set opens up the offense so much and would improve this group in a number of ways.
The addition of Washington would allow Ken Dorsey to call more two tight end sets and the size of Washington gives Buffalo essentially a sixth offensive lineman on the field. This would be a big boost to a run game that needs to take significant steps forward to give this offense some balance, especially in games where the weather is a factor.
However, Washington is more than just a blocking tight end and I believe he has tremendous upside as a receiver. He had only 45 receptions with the Bulldogs but averaged over 17 yards per reception and can be a threat in the red zone with his 6’7″ frame as well as stretch defenses down the middle.
Buffalo Bills trade a third round pick for DeAndre Hopkins
The second day of the NFL Draft is when the Buffalo Bills will do most of the work that will set this team up on a path to a Super Bowl next season with the focus on the wide receiver position. It will begin before the start of Round 2 where the Buffalo Bills make two trades.
The first trade will be to acquire wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Arizona Cardinals for a fourth round pick. The rumors were flying earlier in free agency that Hopkins could be on the move but that has quietly significantly recently but that doesn’t mean the former All-Pro is looking to return to Arizona. In fact, he is skipping voluntary workouts which could be a signal that he is still hoping to be on a new team in 2023.
At the end of March, The Athletic’s Tim Graham tweeted that “barring a significant development” the Bills were not trading for DeAndre Hopkins. This signals that the Bills were in fact talking about trading for DeAndre Hopkins and there is a chance that after a month of no movement, the two sides could move closer to that significant development, either by the Cardinals lowering their asking price or the Bills increasing the offer.
Buffalo Bills trade Gabe Davis to the New York Giants for a fourth round and fifth round pick
This is not the only trade the Buffalo Bills make between the first and second round. With DeAndre Hopkins now ready to step into the starting lineup, the Bills work the phones to trade Gabe Davis to try to recoup some draft capital.
The reason the Bills would consider trading Gabe Davis is that he is entering the final year of his contract and with Hopkins under contract for a few seasons, the team is unlikely to sign Davis in free agency next offseason.
One team that makes plenty of sense is the New York Giants with Brian Daboll as their head coach, who previously was offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills. The Giants have not been shy about adding former Bills wide receivers with the addition of Isaiah Hodgins during the season last year and then signing Jamison Crowder this offseason.
The addition of Gabe Davis gives the New York Giants their number one wide receiver that they hoped Kenny Golladay would have been.
Buffalo Bills trade up in the second round of 2023 NFL Draft to select Jalin Hyatt
To recap Day 2 of the NFL Draft in the moves the Buffalo Bills need to make to reach the Super Bowl, they trade for a veteran wide receiver to then trade away their starting wide receiver from last year. However, they shouldn’t be done there and the next move is to trade up into the second round to select wide receiver Jalin Hyatt.
The reason the Buffalo Bills would need to put so much emphasis on the wide receiver position and make the moves they do is to have a group of wide receivers that complement each other very well with different skill sets.
Stefon Diggs is still the clear number one wide receiver but now defenses can’t focus on him as much with DeAndre Hopkins in this offense. The Bills also have the flexibility to move Hopkins or Diggs inside to the slot to create matchups they can take advantage of.
However, Jalin Hyatt is what really makes this passing attack a complete nightmare for opposing defenses. Neither DeAndre Hopkins or Stefon Diggs has the speed to force defenses to play further back and defend the deep ball.
Hyatt though in this offense will force opposing secondaries to play deeper and this opens up so much of the field for the veteran receivers of Diggs and Hopkins to work the underneath routes.
Buffalo Bills add either Mazi Smith or Keeanu Benton towards the end of Round 3
The four moves to this point have been focused on improving the offense by giving it some balance between the run and pass while also adding wide receivers who complement each other. Josh Allen is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and these moves should only make him better and a great chance to win MVP.
While Josh Allen at his best gives the Buffalo Bills their best chance at a Super Bowl, they can’t completely forget the defense. While middle linebacker might be the most pressing need with Tremaine Edmunds leaving in free agency, the front office should be able to find a replacement in free agency.
Instead of middle linebacker, the Buffalo Bills should look to add a defensive tackle with a player like Keeanu Benton out of Wisconsin or even Mazi Smith if by chance he was to fall towards the end of Round 3.
The Bills have all four defensive tackles back from last year’s team but none are under contract past this season. In addition, DaQuan Jones and Jordan Phillips dealt with injuries toward the end of the season that certainly impacted the defense’s performance in the playoffs.
The addition of Keeanu Benton or Mazi Smith gives the Buffalo Bills a player who can be a key part of the rotation as a rookie, take some workload off the veterans and then step in as a starter in 2024.