It's no surprise that Gabe Davis decided to sign elsewhere, agreeing to a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars and rejoining his former wide receivers coach Chad Hall. I had hoped he would stay and re-sign, but I figured his time in Buffalo was over. Either way, whether he stayed or not, I am a huge fan of the Bills drafting a receiver in next month's NFL Draft. Now, that needs to be one of the Bills' top priorities.
Fortunately, this coming draft is loaded with supremely talented, and very fast, receivers. There will be talent even after the second round that could be appealing and my hope is the Bills grab a first-round receiver, then follow up in the fourth or fifth and double down on the position. For the sake of this article, I'm looking at potential first or second-round targets that could step in and replace Gabe Davis as the Buffalo Bills number two receiver, opposite Stefon Diggs.
Look for a piece from me in the coming days and weeks that provides a breakdown of some of the later-round wide receivers that could be in play, but for now, we're looking for that guy we think is a bonafide NFL starting receiver. Not only does the team need to replace Davis, but this could be the best chance for the Bills to find Diggs heir-apparent. I'm not saying Diggs is on his way down, but Buffalo needs to think long-term with this selection.
There are several receivers I like in the first and second rounds for the Bills but one guy you won't find on this list is Xavier Worthy. I know there are a lot of Worthy fans out there but history has shown on more than a few occasions that world-class speed doesn't equate to NFL success. Add in the fact that Worthy's "drive" on the field may not be at the level you'd want, plus he's only 165 pounds, and I'm out on worthy. So, with that, here are my five guys.
The Buffalo Bills can replace Gabe Davis with any of these five wide receivers.
Brain Thomas Jr - LSU
A ton has already been written about Brian Thomas Jr. over the last several weeks and with his extremely high ceiling, it's no surprise he's become a massive favorite among the Bills fans, myself included. I like what Thomas brings to the Bills, both size and exceptional speed. He is 6"3" and recorded a 40-time of 4.33 at the NFL Combine. With his incredible athletic profile, the sky is the limit for this young man.
Pro Football Focus broke down what his rookie season might look like and they project him around 11.5 yards per reception and a 66.4 completion rate when targeted. During his final year at LSU, he was considered "open" on 74 out of 87 targets, which helped him snare 68 receptions. He has a knack for creating separation and it is believed that his ideal offense likes to push the ball downfield. Sounds like a Josh Allen kind of guy to me. Thomas has all the tools to become a superstar number one receiver at the NFL level and Allen is just the quarterback that could unlock that potential.
Ladd McConkey - Georgia
Ladd McConkey is the most polished and NFL-ready receiver of this group, maybe even more so than some of the top-of-the-first-round guys like Malik Nabers. Look, I'm a huge fan of McConkey. His route running is second to none and can be plugged right into an offense and have an immediate impact. A lot of fans project him as a slot receiver and don't see him as effective on the outside. He also doesn't have the size that many fans are looking for.
But look, the Bills haven't had a "go up and get it" receiver, a "50/50" jump ball type guy in years. You might have to go back to pre-Josh Allen to find one on the Bills roster. Plus, he's 6'0" and 185 pounds. The two most impactful and successful receivers in the Bills locker room are Khalil Shakir and Stefon Diggs. Both of whom are 6'0" and 190ish pounds. I'm not concerned with the, you need this body type or that body type, to fill out a receiving room. Just give guys that get open, don't drop the ball, and make plays. A top three of Diggs, Shakir, and McConkey would be a nightmare for any defense. Throw in Dalton Kincaid, James Cook, and Dawson Knox, and you have the makings of the best passing attack in the league.
Adonai Mitchell - Texas
Adonai Mitchell is climbing draft boards, due largely to his performance at the NFL Combine, and would be an excellent option for the Bills in the first round. I don't expect all three of these receivers I've named so far to be available at 28 when the Bills are on the clock, but I do expect at least one of them, or Brandon Beane to pull off another one of his patented first-round trades to move up. Any of these three, I would be fine within the first round.
Mitchell is certainly your more stereotypical outside receiver, at 6'4" and around 200 pounds, but he also brings some serious speed to the field. He posted an official time of 4.34 in the 40 at the NFL Combine. While reading through multiple scouting reports, one thing that was mentioned that does concern me is his "effort" when he is not the primary target on a given play, which is something similar to what we've heard about Xavier Worthy. What is it about those Texas receivers?
Troy Franklin - Oregon
I find it interesting how players during the entire draft process can seemingly slide up and down draft boards so erratically. It wasn't that long ago that Franklin was a Bills Mafia darling, now you don't hear him mentioned as often. A lot of that can be attributed to his NFL Combine performance. He'll get another chance at his Oregon Pro Day to impress, but for now, he sits around the low 30s in terms of draft position.
At the NFL Combine he ran a 4.41, 40 and I think that was slower than what some expected. Please don't read what I'm not writing, 4.41 is extremely fast, but I think fans thought he'd be a sub-4.4 guy. He also had a vertical below 40 inches, which seems a little low for a 6'2" athlete and his 10-yard split time split was only 1.61 seconds. Still, I think he could be a nice addition, with a high ceiling. I'm very interested in seeing how his pro day plays out though.
Xavier Legette - South Carolina
Xavier Legette will likely fall into the second round and could be an option for the Bills when they pick at 60th overall. Legette offers impressive size at 6'1" and over 220 pounds, but also recorded a 4.39, 40-time at the NFL Combine. He also had a better 10-yard split than Franklin, posting a time of 1.54 seconds. With his impressive blend of size and speed, it's still possible he goes in the first round, but most are projecting him as a second-rounder.
The biggest knock on Legette is he has a limited route tree and needs work on his release off the line of scrimmage. These are both developable traits though, whereas the physical traits he possesses are not. The one question I have would be is he ready to step in as a rookie and take over the number two role in Buffalo? If the Bills are targeting Legette for the draft, they may be looking to free agency to fill the void left by Gabe Davis and let Legette develop into that role towards year two.