The start of NFL Free Agency is only a couple of weeks away and it's anyone's guess whether the Buffalo Bills receivers Gabe Davis and Trent Sherfield will re-sign with the team. We also don't know if other receivers might become cap casualties, such as Deonte Harty. What we do know is that the NFL Combine is taking place as we speak in Indianapolis and Brandon Beane has been onsite all week observing potential future draft picks of the Buffalo Bills.
Another thing we know, at least we think we know, is the Bills will be drafting a wide receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft. I think that's a solid bet but where and who is anyone's guess? Even if Gabe Davis does decide to stay with Buffalo, I think the Bills take a receiver in this year's draft higher than they have in the Brandon Beane era. This isn't hard to do, considering the highest-drafted wide receiver of Beane's was the aforementioned Davis, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
There are receivers in this draft class that have already built a Bills fan base, most notably guys like Keon Coleman, who seems to have a love/hate relationship with Bills Mafia, to no fault of his own. I'll dive more into Coleman in an article I will write later. Some fans love Troy Franklin as well, to whom I'm not opposed. No, this article is about four receivers that the Buffalo Bills need to find a way to get at least one of them in the upcoming draft. These four put on a show at the NFL Combine and undoubtedly will move up several team's draft boards. I have my personal favorite of these four too, and I'll let you know when you get there.
These four receivers the Buffalo Bills should target early after impressive NFL Combine performances
Xavier Worthy - Texas
Xavier Worthy wowed the crowd at Indianapolis with an official record breaking 40-time of 4.21 seconds, breaking former wide receiver John Ross' record from 2017 of 4.22. Not everything is about speed, especially in the NFL, and if you look at the career of Ross, there isn't much to look at. You still have to be able to run solid routes, block, and be willing to go up for those tough contested balls. Does Worthy fall into that category?
Worthy had an incredible 10-yard split time of 1.49 seconds, also one of the best at the NFL Combine. In addition, he recorded a vertical of 41". According to Next Gen Stats, Worthy earned a collegiate production score of 81, and an athleticism score of 98, for a total combine score of 88, which was third among the receivers. I know traits aren't everything, but it's certainly a start and Worthy is someone the Buffalo Bills should target early in the NFL Draft.
Brian Thomas Jr - LSU
Brian Thomas Jr was one of my favorites coming into this offseason, and I'm still high on him and would be thrilled to have him on the Buffalo Bills, he's not the favorite. Like I said though, I do like Thomas a lot. He is a far more physically imposing receiver at 6'3" and weighing 209 pounds. Far more imposing than the 165-pound Worthy. Adding to the size, he turned in an official 40-time of 4.33. So, while not as fast as Worthy, he's still plenty fast to take the top off any defense.
Other numbers from Thomas at the NFL Combine were a terrific 10-yard split time of 1.5 seconds; however, his vertical was a decent 38.5" but not spectacular. According to Next Gen Stats, his collegiate production score earned him a 79, with an athleticism score of 92, for an overall NFL Combine score of 86, fifth among all receivers. All the tools are there for Thomas to become an elite receiver but needs to work on his route running, which is certainly a skill that can be coached and developed.
Adonai Mitchell - Texas
Adonai Mitchell was getting his share of fanfare leading up to the NFL Combine too, but mostly as a potential Day Two pick. Some analysts and fans saw him as a first-rounder but most mock drafts have him going in the second round. Well, after his performance at the combine, he may very well find himself in the first round after all. All he did was produce a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.97, which is based on a max score of ten. Mitchell's RAS score was the 11th highest of any receiver since 1987. And naturally, he brought the speed as well, recording an official 40-time of 4.34 seconds.
Next Gen Stats gives him a collegiate production score of 72, with an athleticism score of 91, for an overall NFL Combine score of 81. This ranked him eighth among the receivers. Even with the impressive combine numbers, I still see Mitchell going in the second round and if he's there when the Buffalo Bills are selecting late in the second, I wouldn't be mad about the selection. The lack of production is a little concerning, but he has all the traits to be great at the next level. He also has excellent size at 6'2" and weighs 205 pounds.
Ladd McConkey - Georgia
I like McConkey and yes, this is my favorite of the bunch. He doesn't have the size I would prefer but at 6 feet and weighing 186 pounds, he will be fine at the next level. Yes, the Buffalo Bills could use some more size in their wide receiver room but McConkey is possibly the best route runner in this draft class, which is something that was said of Dalton Kincaid coming out of college, and that has worked out well. All the measurables, or traits, are great but getting separation is more about crisp, clean route running.
Of course, McConkey brought the traits too. He ran an exceptional 40-time of 4.39, with a ten-yard split time of 1.52 seconds. Next Gen Stats gave him a production score of only 69, but an athleticism score of 82. His overall NFL Combine score was 78; however, with the other intangibles, such as the route-running ability, he received a prospect grade of 6.37, which is based on an 8-point scale.
You'll notice the one thing all four of these guys have in common is they all recorded officially 40 times under 4.4 seconds. Speed is an amazing thing at any level and something that can't be coached. With the performance they put on at the NFL Combine, they could all four find their way into the first round and we could see as many as seven receivers go in the first round.