The NFL Draft is three weeks away from today and the Buffalo Bills are going to have to decide what to do with their first pick at No. 26 overall. While they have seven draft picks, they currently don’t have a second rounder so if they decide to spend their first round pick on a player and not trade back, then it could be a long wait until the end of the third round to make another pick.
Buffalo has holes to fill on both sides of the ball, even with the moves that they have made this offseason. They went heavy on defense to begin with and then slowly started to add offensive depth.
The Bills have always tried to be about drafting, developing, and paying their players. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s just part of the business.
At the same time, Brandon Beane has received a ton of criticism for his drafting as of recently. When he first arrived to Buffalo, the Bills were bringing in solid prospects and while Beane has had some hits, he has also had some major misses.
With the draft being three weeks away, the Bills have to make sure that they make the right decision with their first round pick and in Ryan Wilson’s recent mock draft on CBS Sports, the Bills miss the mark on what to do in the first round.
In Wilson' mock draft, the Bills stay put at No. 26 and draft Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman which is a great pick, but an unnecessary one. Thieneman is arguably the second best safety in this draft class behind Caleb Downs out of Ohio State. However, the last thing the Bills need is to draft a safety in the first round.
Bills drafting a safety in Round 1 would be massive mistake
With the signings of C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Smith at safety, the Bills have the stability at safety to go with Cole Bishop. Not to mention, they also brought back Damar Hamlin on another one-year deal. Using a first round pick on a safety would be a waste of a pick when Buffalo could easily spend it on a wide receiver, edge rusher, or linebacker.
Heck, even if they wanted to bring in extra offensive line help at guard, that would be a better decision. Again, Thieneman should be a great asset to a team in the NFL. If the Bills were to draft him in the first round, they would be setting up the backend of the defense for the future but there are more needs elsewhere on the roster that need addressing.
It would be a mistake for the Bills to use their first rounder on a safety, especially if they don’t believe that he would start immediately. The Bills would be smart to either draft for need or just trade out and gain extra draft capital.