Only time will tell if Brandon Beane made the right choices with his 2024 draft class. The Buffalo Bills didn’t get a ton of production from their rookies, but it’s kind of unfair to expect them to produce right off the bat. At the same time, it would help to have some sort of promise that they can be solid moving forward.
Keon Coleman was Buffalo’s first draft pick and he showed the Bills that he can definitely be on the field as a contributor for Josh Allen, but he needs to show that he can bounce back after an injury setback. Prior to his wrist injury in Week 9, he had two breakout back-to-back games in Weeks 7 & 8. Against the Tennessee Titans, Coleman had a season-high 125 yards. He would then follow that up with 70 yards and a score against the Seattle Seahawks.
He suffered a wrist injury against Miami in Week 9 and didn’t return until Week 15 against the Lions. From there on out, he had no more than 3 catches in a game and no more than 64 yards in a game. He disappeared and wasn’t a contributor whatsoever in the playoffs.
While Coleman was the Bills’ top draft pick for the Bills, there was another rookie that stood out for Buffalo in 2024…
Running back Ray Davis gets huge confidence boost on latest CBS Sports list
Chris Trapasso from CBS Sports ranked the 2024 NFL Draft classes for each team and noted any Year 1 breakouts as well. Trapasso ranked the Bills’ draft class at No. 20, which ranked ahead of the New York Jets within their own division. However, running back Ray Davis earned himself a Year 1 hit listing by Trapasso.
"The biggest Bills draft class in terms of number of selections did not feature an instant star, yet Buffalo got valuable contributions from a few first-year players, most namely Davis, who turned in a 100-yards-from-scrimmage performance in a road win against the Jets early in the season and carved a nice niche as the team's backup runner to James Cook. "Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports
Playing in every game this season, Davis managed to find himself producing for the Buffalo offense. As he emerged as the true backup to James Cook, Davis still found a way to rush for 442 yards and 3 touchdowns. In addition, Davis also added on 189 yards through the air and three scores.
As mentioned by Trapasso, Davis’ big breakout game came in primetime against the New York Jets in Week 6 when he had over 150 scrimmage yards in a thriller win for the Bills.
With the recent contract drama development involving James Cook, the 2025 season might be a crucial year for Davis as there might be a chance that he takes over as the starter in 2026, should the Bills not bring back Cook.