Pro Football Focus thought the Buffalo Bills got away with a winning hand at the 2023 NFL draft.
The football analytics outlet handed the Bills a top grade of “A” for their overall haul at the event.
At the top, not only did PFF like Buffalo’s decision to trade up for tight end Dalton Kincaid, they really did. The Bills nabbed him at No. 25 overall and PFF ranked him as their 10th-best prospect in the enter draft.
And while PFF is all about the fancy stats, the outlet had a similar review of the selection of offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence. Pre-draft, many projected Torrence as a first-round pick. PFF was among them, saying Torrence to Buffalo in Round 2 “could have easily been the Bills’ first-round pick.”
For PFF’s full draft breakdown on the Bills, see their analysis below:
Day 1: The Bills make a small jump but land the premier pass-catching tight end in the draft in Kincaid. The 10th overall player on the PFF big board, this is a huge value pick. Kincaid was the focal point of the Utah offense and led all players at the position with a 91.8 PFF receiving grade.
Day 2: Like the Giants just a few picks ago, this could have easily been the Bills’ first-round pick. A mountain of a man at the position, he can still move better than his size would suggest. After starting his career at Louisiana, he made the move to the SEC with ease, finishing 2022 with an 89.9 PFF run-blocking grade, which was the best in the Power Five last season.
The Bills trade up to secure Williams, a player with legitimate range and a huge wingspan. Those traits helped him morph into one of the most impactful players at the position against the pass throughout his college career. Williams produced a top-10 coverage grade among FBS off-ball linebackers in two of his last three seasons at Tulane.
Day 3: Shorter is one of the bigger wide receivers in this class, coming in at 6-foot-4 and 234 pounds with nearly 34-inch arms. He was a big-play threat for the Gators and averaged 19.9 yards per reception in 2022 without a dropped pass. He’ll likely fill a similar role for Buffalo and compete to be on the receiving end of Josh Allen bombs.
Most of Broeker’s 3,323 offensive snaps at Ole Miss came at left tackle, but he kicked inside to left guard in 2022. He was a reliable pass protector for the Rebels with 70.0-plus PFF pass-blocking grades in each of the past two seasons.
Austin produced 70.0-plus PFF coverage and run defense grades in his final season in college. On the field for 476 coverage snaps, he allowed 42 receptions for 529 yards in 2022.
[lawrence-related id=117064,117060,117054]