Buffalo Bills: Biggest ripple effects from 2023 NFL Draft picks
By Ryan Heckman
Well, that was fun, wasn’t it? The 2023 NFL Draft provided fans with exactly what they had been missing for a couple of months. The Buffalo Bills saw major improvement in a couple of key areas early on, and should further cement themselves as AFC contenders thanks to a pretty strong draft haul.
That haul started out with Buffalo moving up a couple of picks to snag one of the draft’s top weapons, the number one overall tight end in Utah’s Dalton Kincaid, with their first-round pick. From there, the Bills added another starter in the second round with Florida guard O’Cyrus Torrence, whom they could have taken in the first if they really wanted to.
The value Buffalo saw fall into their laps with their first two picks was tremendous, and as the draft carried on, Brandon Beane continued to try and address areas of need.
Going forward now, this draft class is going to have some major impacts all over the roster. In terms of ripple effects, takeaways and overall impressions, there are four specific things we should address.
Ripple effects from Buffalo Bills’ 2023 NFL Draft picks: Gabe Davis gets one more shot to break loose
First and foremost, the Bills did not add a wide receiver high in this draft. While many thought they should have, the board just didn’t fall that way. The team did draft Florida wide receiver Justin Shorter in the fifth round, but he’s not going to come in and take Gabe Davis’ spot on the depth chart.
Now, that allows Davis to have one more shot to break out.
Fortunately for Davis, he’s entering a contract year which means there’s always a little extra motivation. For the sake of Buffalo, first, along with Davis individually, hopefully he takes hold of this chance and makes the most of it.
For Buffalo to have a good shot at beating the likes of Kansas City and Cincinnati, specifically, they need Davis to step up and become that true second option to Stefon Diggs. Instead of showing up inconsistently, Davis has to be much more consistent, and he certainly has that chance to do so.