Going into the 2014 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills were coming off a disappointing 6-10 season but little did we know that it would be the last time the Bills would finish in last place in the AFC East moving forward. Since then, the Bills have not been last in the division but they still went through some growing pains and the 2014 draft was no different.
The Bills had the 9th overall pick in the first round going into that draft and there was a lot of talent coming out of college that year. However, one thing that we know now is that the wide receiver class was absolutely loaded with talent. The Bills did not hesitate to try to acquire some of that talent as Buffalo moved up five spots, trading the 9th overall pick, as well as 1st and 4th round pick in 2015 to the Cleveland Browns.
After the trade, the Bills selected Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins and at the time, it was a dynamic pick. Coming out of college, Watkins was the most pro-ready wideout and he instantly improved a wide receiver core that needed it.
Even though Watkins had a strong start to his career in his first two seasons, he declined a lot in production partially due to injuries and lack of schematic fit. As far as his time in Buffalo, Watkins was great in his first two years but injuries in the second and third season ultimately was a bad look with a new regime coming into the building in 2017.
To Watkins’ credit, having instability at quarterback didn’t help him but it was his time outside of Buffalo that showed that he was not worth the 4th overall pick in 2014. Prior to the 2017 season, the Bills traded Watkins to the Rams (spending just one season there). Watkins then played for the Chiefs, Ravens, and Packers.
After his one and only 1,000+ receiving yard season, Watkins never had 700 receiving yards in a season and never played a full season. Even though the Bills got the best part of Watkins early on in his career, he last just three seasons and it was a major miss by the organizations.
PFF's 2014 redraft has Bills sticking with WR (just a different one)
Max Chadwick, Dalton Wasserman, and Trevor Sikkema from Pro Footbal Focus (PFF) redrafted the 2014 NFL Draft and in this redraft, the Bills stay at No. 9 overall (which is what they probably should’ve done) and drafted Oregon State wide receiver Brandin Cooks who is still in the league. Here’s what was said about this redraft pick:
"With Buffalo sticking here at No. 9 in a redraft, Cooks is the pick. He has crossed 1,000 receiving yards in six of his 11 NFL seasons and owns an 84.3 career PFF receiving grade."Chadwick, Wasserman, Sikkema, PFF
Over an 11-year career, Cooks was very productive from 2015-2021 where he posted 1,000+ yards in six out of seven years with multiple teams (Saints, Patriots, Rams, and Texans). The last three seasons haven’t been so kind to Cooks, as he gone down in production each year and hasn’t had more than 699 yards in a season.
He is back in New Orleans this season, but with the worst quarterback situation in recent memory so he might struggle once again getting the ball. However, looking back at his career, he was a better wideout than Watkins and with both Mike Evans and Davante Adams being off the board in this redraft, the Bills go with the next best wideout option in Cooks.