This is the final Bills Wire in-house mock draft for the 2024 draft season.
The Buffalo Bills enter the upcoming draft with 10 total selections. There could be ways to change that with trades and we took that into account and completed the first four rounds of a mock for the upcoming event. After a long offseason that still has a ways to go before the start of the 2024 regular season, where do we see the team going with these top selections?
Editor Nick Wojton and contributor Justin DiLoro give their perspective on how the first four rounds of the draft may go for Buffalo.
DiLoro: Trade up to No. 17 overall: WR Brian Thomas Jr., LSU
Surprise! The Bills are moving up in round one. General Manager Brandon Beane takes a big swing and moves into the No. 17 spot to take Brian Thomas Jr. Buffalo sends their 2024 first-round pick, a 2024 fifth-round, and a 2025 second-round pick to move up to select the standout LSU wide receiver. Thomas Jr. immediately becomes a top receiving target and replaces a chunk of the production vacated by Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. In a perfect world, the Bills would move into the top 10 to select one of the big three wide receivers (Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, Malik Nabers). However, the price is too steep, and teams are unwilling to compromise with this draft. Thus, Buffalo takes the Third-Team All-American with their first pick in the draft. The only concern: Thomas Jr. won’t have Nabers lining up opposite of him to create greater mismatches in the aerial attack.
Wojton: WR Adonai Mitchell, Texas
Mitchell or Troy Franklin were the two prospects for the Bills here as a receiver must be the choice after the way this offseason has gone. While both players are similar and will need to round out their respective games in the pros, Mitchell is the pick. He has a bit more of an NFL-ready frame and a lot of raw potential to work with. The Bills lost Stefon Diggs as their No. 1 option out wide and Gabe Davis leaves an opening in the deep-threat department. Mitchell could realistically fill both voids… but regardless, he would not end up being the only receiver the Bills select this year.
DiLoro: DL Maason Smith, LSU
I went through a ton of scenarios with this pick. The Bills do not have a third-round pick, so there’s some added pressure to make this selection hit. They stay in the Bayou and select defensive tackle Maason Smith. Smith is a beast on the line, with incredible athleticism for a 6-5, 300-pound lineman. He registered 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks last year. There’s some concern regarding his lack of playing time, as he missed nearly all of his sophomore season due to an ACL tear. However, he responded well last year, becoming a menace on the defensive interior. The debate here was either go with Smith or a safety. Georgia’s Javon Bullard and Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin would be good picks here as well. Nevertheless, Smith’s high ceiling wins out at this point in the draft.
Wojton: S Jaden Hicks, Washington State
Staying put this time, the Bills select Washington State safety Jaden Hicks. He has the making of a defensive back that Buffalo’s coaching staff loves. He’s versatile and can play all over a defense and his length at 6-foot-2 is desirable for any team. Those were the types of traits the Bills were looking for when they originally signed Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer way back in 2017.
DiLoro: S Dominique Hampton, Washington
The Bills waited 68 picks, but their patience is rewarded. They choose safety Dominique Hampton out of Washington. He led the Huskies in tackles last year (109). He was also an All-Honorable Mention for the PAC-12. Hampton has versatility throughout the secondary. The sixth-year senior was a key contributor on special teams as well.
Wojton: RB Audric Estime, Notre Dame
While the Bills do have James Cook leading their backfield, he’s not a big-body back. In fact, no one is one of those on Buffalo’s current roster. The likes of Latavius Murray, Damien Harris (retired) and even Leonard Fournette are all off the roster… and all were mostly ineffective anyway. Estime carries a 5-foot-11, 221-pound frame that could be perfect for short-yardage situations. He doesn’t have home-run speed, but even so, the Bills are still interested in him considering he had a pre-draft visit in Buffalo.
DiLoro: OL Beaux Limmer, Arkansas
Buffalo moves in the trenches on the offensive side of the ball for their second fourth-round pick. The Bills take Arkansas offensive lineman Beaux Limmer. Limmer started two seasons at right guard before sliding over to center during his final season for the Razorbacks. Limmer is a powerful lineman, as he led all Combine participants with 39 bench press reps. He also squatted 700 pounds last summer during training sessions. His versatility and strength put him in play to battle for a depth spot in Buffalo right away.
Wojton: S Cole Bishop, Utah
The Bills did get a safety in the second round, but two of them, much like multiple receivers in this draft, is possible for Buffalo. Taylor Rapp re-signed but his play was previously spotty. Mike Edwards is a veteran but doesn’t have any experience with the Bills defense. That’s a far drop from the Poyer and Hyde duo, plus the depth was also very low behind those two anyway. Similar to Hicks, Bishop has versatility and can pack a punch at the line of scrimmage like Poyer used to.
Round 5: No. 144
Round 5: No. 160
Round 5: No. 163
Round 6: No. 200
Round 6: No. 204
Round 7: No. 248