The 2024 NFL Draft was a strange journey for the Buffalo Bills. They started out having the No. 28 overall pick, but would then surprisingly trade it to the Kansas City Chiefs of all teams to move back to No. 32. Then the Bills traded out of the first round, giving the Carolina Panthers the last pick in the first round and Buffalo was the team that would kick off the second round of the draft.
Overall, it was uncharacteristic of Brandon Beane to make these moves but here we are a year later. Now, the Bills are heading into the 2025 NFL Draft with ten draft picks which will (for now) kick off with the 30th overall pick, just one pick ahead of the Chiefs.
When we reflect on last year’s class, the Bills needed to get themselves a wide receiver because they had lost Gabe Davis in free agency and traded Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. At the time, before we knew what the Bills’ offense would do in 2024, Josh Allen had almost no support around him. It was up to Beane to deliver.
It’s important to remember that these players were not expected to make an immediate impact. Buffalo opted to not draft in the first round and that should tell you that they were looking more for development players for the future.
Grading the Bills' 2024 NFL Draft class
WR Keon Coleman, Florida State
Drafted No. 33 overall (2nd round)
Buffalo’s first draft pick in 2024 was a player who took the NFL by storm with his hilarious personality in Keon Coleman out of Florida State. The former Seminole had great coverage as a potential first-round pick, but he missed out on it by just one pick. However, he found himself in the perfect situation as he would be catching passes from Josh Allen.
Coleman had sparks here and there in 2024, but he only had 556 yards and 4 touchdowns. Now granted, he was part of an “everybody eats” offense where Allen distributed the ball all over the place. At the same time, he also struggled with drops at various times and he also missed action with a wrist injury in the middle of the season. He played in just 13 games and had one game of 100+ receiving yards.
Due to the fact that Coleman did show promise moving forward, he does get a decent grade but he is still has a lot of room to grow within his game.
Grade: C+
S Cole Bishop, Utah
Drafted No. 60 overall (2nd round)
The Bills decided to draft another player from Utah in safety Cole Bishop, who was Dalton Kincaid’s college teammate. Bishop is a run-stuffing safety who isn’t afraid to hit. His career got off to a rough start when he got injured in training camp and essentailly lost him a shot at becoming an immediate starter.
He only started in four games but he averaged 10 total tackles in those games. Bishop also recorded two pass deflections and a forced fumble. Moving forward, Bishop should be starting and his performance at the end of the year helps bring stability to Buffalo’s secondary for the future. Now it’s just a matter of staying healthy.
Grade: C+
DT DeWayne Carter, Duke
Drafted No. 95 overall (3rd round)
DeWayne Carter was a captain at Duke and he knew how to lead. The Bills drafted him to develop behind Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones (who is entering his possible final year with the Bills). Carter has the ability to take on double teams and stuff the run up the middle.
Unfortunately, he only played in 11 games (starting in three). He missed five games due to a wrist injury and he was a healthy scratch at times late in the season. Hopefully he can turn it around in 2025, but right now, this is a miss by Beane.
Grade: D
RB Ray Davis, Kentucky
Drafted No. 128 overall (4th round)
Ray Davis was by far the Bills best draft choice last year. In a committee with James Cook and Ty Johnson, Davis still managed to rush for 442 yards and three touchdowns. He also added on 189 yards through the air and three scores.
His breakout game took place in primetime against the New York Jets in Week 6 where he had 152 scrimmage yards against a Jets defense that was very physical. Davis is returning to Buffalo as the RB2 and could very well see himself as the Bills’ starting running back if James Cook is gone after 2025.
Grade: B+
OL Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Georgia
Drafted No. 141 overall (5th round)
Sedrick Van Pran-Granger was a fantastic pass blocker at Georgia and he is a great depth to have upfront. However, Connor McGovern was phenomenal at center and it limited Van Pran-Granger’s playing time. We haven’t seen anything from him so he gets an incomplete.
Grade: Incomplete
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington
Drafted No. 160 overall (5th round)
Much like Van Pran-Granger, Edefuan Ulofoshio didn’t play much in 2024. He suited up for four games and started in one. Ulofoshio may be nothing more than depth throughout his tenure in Buffalo due to the fact that the Bills have Terrel Bernard, Matt Milano, and Dorian Williams. The Bills could have gone in a different direction rather than picking Ulofoshio.
Grade: Incomplete
DE Javon Solomon, Troy
Drafted No. 168 overall (5th round)
Javon Solomon was a bit of a good surprise for the Bills. Being a 5th-round pick out of Troy, Solomon showed signs of flashes with his quickness off the ball. He recorded two sacks last season and had six QB hits. Having him part of the rotation off the edge to learn from Joey Bosa and Greg Rousseau will be great for his development.
Grade: C
OL Tylan Grable, Central Florida
Drafted No. 204 overall (6th round)
Tylan Grable spent some time on IR with a groin injury in the season and didn’t get the chance to play much. He started in one game and didn’t show any big signs that he could become an eventual starter. He still has potential, but he gets an incomplete.
Grade: Incomplete
CB Daequan Hardy, Penn State
Drafted No. 219 overall (6th round)
The fact that it took the Bills up until the sixth round to draft a cornerback was quite surprising. Daequan Hardy was a great special teams player at Penn State and there was hope for him to see the field early on in his career as a return specialist. Instead, he spent the whole season on the practice squad.
Grade: F
OL Travis Clayton, England
Drafted No. 221 overall (7th round)
Coming from the sport of rugby in England to Buffalo to play football, Travis Clayton certainly has the size to play the game. However, the Bills could have went somewhere else here instead of drafting an offensive lineman who will more than likely never play a down for the Bills.