After months of speculation as to what the Buffalo Bills would do in the NFL Draft, the event has concluded and Bills Mafia has a better understanding as to what Brandon Beane decided to do. Heading into the first night on Thursday, the Bills were rumored to potentially trade up for a wide receiver after they had lost Gabe Davis in free agency and traded Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans for a future second-round pick.
The Bills traded down twice in the first round. First, they traded down with the Kansas City Chiefs from No. 28 down to No. 32 while acquiring a 3rd pick (#95). Then the Bills would trade out of the first round with the Carolina Panthers, who moved up one spot from No. 33 to No. 32 to draft South Carolina wideout Xavier Leggette. The Bills dropped out of the first round, but would then kick off their draft on the second night be drafting Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman.
From there on out, the Bills would continue along in the draft plan by not only addressing big needs but also adding complimentary pieces that could turn into future starters.
It is also to note that the Bills acquired the Chicago Bears' 2025 fourth round pick in which the Bills traded away a fifth round pick this year.
Here are the grades and analysis of each 2024 Buffalo Bills draft picks.
#33: Keon Coleman, WR - Florida State
It has been rumored that Josh Allen wanted Keon Coleman and Brandon Beane delivered. There was no doubt that the Bills were going to get a receiver, it was just a matter of when. Standing at 6'4 and 215lbs, Coleman looks like a Gabe Davis replacement but with better hands and much improved contested catch ability. Coleman led the Seminoles with 50 receptions, 658 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
By getting Coleman, the Bills addressed the receiver position and they gained extra picks in the process. Coleman is going to need development, but with having Allen as his quarterback, Coleman finds himself in a great position where he can develop and learn from guys like Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid. The Bills started off the draft on a good note after trading down with a rival in Kansas City, and keeping up the Buffalo-Carolina connection that involves Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane.
Grade: B+
#60: Cole Bishop, S - Utah
This might be one of the Bills’ best pickups in this draft for this value. Utah safety Cole Bishop not only fills a need in the secondary, but he is great in run support and has the potential to take on coverage against opposing tight ends. The former Utah safety is once again teammates with Bills’ first-round pick last year Dalton Kincaid. Bishop could be a valuable run stopper in short yardage situations where the Bills would need to stack the box.
After losing Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, the Bills are building back up their backend of the defense. They re-signed Taylor Rapp to a three-year deal and brought in safety Mike Edwards from the Kansas City Chiefs. They will now have a young safety who can develop under Sean McDermott and Bobby Babich. Bishop falling into the lap of Buffalo this late in the second round is a blessing and Bills fans should be excited for this pick.
Grade: A-
#95: DeWayne Carter, DT - Duke
While addressing the defensive tackle spot is important, this pick feels like a reach in the third round. The defensive line in Buffalo beefed back up this offseason with the Bills bringing back DaQuan Jones and signing Austin Johnson to go with Ed Oliver. When it comes to DeWayne Carter, there is no doubt that he has leadership skills. He was a three time captain for the Blue Devils and he has a motor to his game.
However, he has a tough time at defending the run and the Bills have had a tough time stopping the run in recent memory. Unless Beane was looking to create more of an interior pass rush, this pick feels like a reach but we will not know until we see Carter on the field.
Grade: C
#128: Ray Davis, RB - Kentucky
The Bills decided to leave Notre Dame running back Autric Estime and Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen on the board and went with Ray Davis out of Kentucky to add to their back field. When you look at the tape on Davis, you will see a player who can play all three downs and can deliver a big hit stick to defenders. Davis is a playmaker when in the open field and if you want to watch his best game of his college career, look at his production against the Florida Gators (280 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns).
Adding Davis to a backfield with James Cook and Ty Johnson provides versatility and a back who can run in between the tackles effectively unlike Cook. Davis also led the nation with seven receiving touchdowns so that gives Josh Allen another weapon out of the backfield in the pass game. This is a solid pickup for Beane and company.
Grade: B
#141, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, C - Georgia
One of the Bills' cuts this offseason was center Mitch Morse, who is now in Jacksonville snapping the ball to Trevor Lawrence. While Connor McGovern could move over to center, the Bills may have their future center now in Georgia Bulldog Sedrick Van Pran-Granger. First off, Georgia players have had success in the NFL coming from arguably the best program in college so the Bills get their share of it. They also addressed interior protection for Josh Allen. Last season, Buffalo did a fantastic job upfront protecting Allen and it also helps that there were no major injuries.
Van Pran-Granger is a mauler and the fact that he slid down to the Bills on the third day of the draft is very surprising. The Bills picked up an extra protector at a position of need.
Grade: A-
#160: Edefuan Ulofoshio, LB - Washington
This feels like a true backup pick and a special teams contributor at best. The Bills took back-to-back third round linebackers in the last two drafts (Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams) and they add to the room by drafting Washington linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio. However, you cannot deny his production that he had after suffering multiple injuries throughout his career. Ulofoshio had 94 tackles, 3 sacks and an interception last year in Washington and was a finalist for the Butkus Award as one of the nation's top linebackers.
With a crowded linebacker room based on the 4-2-5 defense that the Bills like to run, Ulofoshio may not see the field unless it is on special teams or if an injury occurs.
Grade: C
#168: Javon Solomon, EDGE - Troy
Javon Solomon is not your typical big edge rusher that teams would like to have, but the Bills added a player who has a high motor and has an incredible first step at the snap of the ball. Last season, Solomon was a First-team All-Acc Conference player where he had 16 sacks. Yes, that's right, 16 sacks. In addition, Solomon was amongst the top of the nation in tackles for loss with 18.
We may not see Solomon on the field on first and second down situations, especially in run situations. However, the Bills may have acquired themselves a serviceable pass rusher who can get to the quarterback and take pressure off of the secondary.
Grade: B
#204: Tylan Grable, OT - UCF
Whenever a team can draft big guys to help protect upfront, there should never be a question about it. The Bills took UCF offensive tackle Tylan Grable. Starting at left tackle, Grable will be a training camp player who can provide competition and potentially be a backup for Dion Dawkins. At 6'6" and over 300 lbs, Grable now comes to Buffalo and will look to help protect the blindside of Josh Allen.
Grade: C+
#219: Daequan Hardy, CB - Penn State
At the end of the 6th round, the Bills drafted Penn State corner Daequan Hardy who had two punt returns for a touchdown that was at the top of the nation last season with the Nittany Lions. In addition, Hardy led Penn State in pass breakups in 2021 and 2023 with seven. It would not be a Bills draft if they did not get a defensive back, especially now that Tre'Davious White is with the Los Angeles Rams and the rest of the group needs depth.
Buffalo faced major adversity at cornerback last season with multiple injuries so it should come no surprise that Hardy is now a Bill. Hardy can also return kicks on special teams.
Grade: C+
#221: Travis Clayton, OL - International Pathway Program (England)
The Bills opted to end their 2024 NFL Draft by draft a 6'7 prospect who has never played football in Travis Clayton. While he has the size and athleticism, this is a questionable pick, especially with the fact that USC wideout Brenden Rice was still on the board. The only great factor about this pick is that the Bills have a practice squad exemption because of the International Pathways Program.