The Buffalo Bills haven’t had a top or mid-first round pick since 2019 (where they drafted DT Ed Oliver), which shows what kind of team that they have been as they have been picking in the 20s and 30s of the first round of the NFL Draft. The successful teams in this league pick late, while the worst get the chance to draft some of the top college prospects to try and improve.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. In the AFC East alone, the Bills have been at or near the top of the AFC East since 2020. They have seen the Jets, Dolphins, and Patriots all have higher draft picks than them since 2020. The Jets have been the most consistent team to have the highest first round pick in the division which shows how they keep making mistakes.
The Jets are set to have the second overall pick, so the rest of the AFC East will see who they will be facing. Unless something major changes in development from now until the draft, the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to draft quarterback Fernando Mendoza to kick off the draft. So, the Jets will have to decide what to do with the next pick.
There is a good amount of speculation that they will go with an edge rusher, maybe someone like David Bailey or Arvell Reese. Those would be the most-expected picks, but this event has shown us that anything can happen and the biggest impossible becomes possible.
NFL Draft-Day scenario has Bills fans watching Jets do the unthinkable
Kristopher Knox from Bleacher Report put together a list of hypothetical draft-day surprises that would put the league into a state of shock, and one of those trades has the Jets doing the unimaginable and taking Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 2 overall.
"Theoretically, the Jets could easily decide that having Love on a rookie contract is better for their latest rebuild than having Hall on a lucrative second deal—even though the slotted contract for the No. 2 pick would be high. If so, New York could snap up Love at No. 2 and look to trade Hall to a team entering Day 2 without a solidified starter." said Knox.
You could make the case that Love is the best overall prospect in this entire draft. He was dynamic at Notre Dame, rushing for 1,100+ yards in back-to-back seasons, as well as no less than 17 rushing touchdowns in that span. It doesn’t matter where he gets drafted, he is going to absolutely thrive especially early on in his career.
The Jets are currently dealing with a franchise tag with running back Breece Hall, and while they may say that they want Hall, it would make a lot more sense to get Love on a rookie deal rather than paying Hall. At the same time, drafting a running back this high would be extremely risky for the Jets. Then again, Saquon Barkely was drafted No. 2 overall by the New York Giants and Barkley has had a fantastic career.
If Roger Goodell comes to the podium and announces that the Jets are drafting Love at No. 2 overall, the entire NFL world will be put into major shock. It would be the biggest talking point coming out of Round 1 and it wouldn’t be close.