1. Cleveland Browns: DE Myles Garrett
- Garrett has proven to be a good selection in his own right, but a year later in 2018, the Browns again held the first-overall pick and took QB Baker Mayfield. The Bills selected Allen at the No. 7 in that same draft and Buffalo’s QB improved in Year 2, while Mayfield regressed and is certainly on much more of a hot seat in 2020.
2. Chicago Bears: QB Mitchell Trubisky
- Allen isn’t a proven, finished piece just yet, but boy do the Bills feel better about him than the Bears feel about Trubisky.
3. San Francisco 49ers: DE Soloman Thomas
- The 49ers defense led the team to the Super Bowl last year, but they also declined the fifth-year option for Thomas’ rookie contract, so there’s that. Bills general manager Brandon Beane likely ran to the league’s offices to pick up White’s fifth-year option earlier this offseason.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: RB Leonard Fournette
- Fournette’s name has been in trade rumors all offseason, so that’s all you need to know. Factoring that the Jags felt higher on Blake Bortles and Nick Foles instead of Mahomes at QB in 2018-2019 adds another layer.
5. Tennessee Titans: WR Corey Davis
- Perhaps Ryan Tannehill is the answer to the Titans’ prayers at QB, but in 2020 he has to prove he’s not a one-year wonder. In terms of the 2017 draft, Davis has never turned into more than an average wideout for the Titans. Third-round pick in 2019, AJ Brown, became their No. 1 receiver last year after he out-played Davis.
6. New York Jets: S Jamal Adams
- The Jets nearly fared well here… until the club decided to give QB Sam Darnold, their No. 3 overall pick in 2018, also a few picks before Allen, zero help over his first two seasons. Oh… that combined with Adams requesting a trade this offseason.
7. Los Angeles Chargers: WR Mike Williams
- Williams has been solid in his career, but has yet to emerge as a top receiver in the NFL, even with Phillip Rivers throwing him passes in his first few seasons. So he’s never come close to justifying him being taking over Mahomes.
8. Carolina Panthers: RB Christian McCaffrey
- The Panthers are probably No. 2 in terms of these top-10 teams who should “least regret” passing on Mahomes. McCaffrey is really good, but by comparison, you’d rather have the best QB in the NFL (Mahomes) as opposed to the best running back (McCaffrey). Plus there’s the current state of the Panthers, who’ve gone pretty downhill in a hurry at quarterback since 2017.
9. Cincinnati Bengals: WR John Ross
- Perhaps the biggest bust to date in the first round of 2017. Oft-injured and the Bengals just took another QB, Joe Burrow, No. 1 overall.
With the next pick, Kansas City landed their franchise quarterback of the future. It only took him two years to lead them to a Super Bowl and score the most lucrative contract in the history of the NFL with a draft pick that originally belonged to Buffalo.
But by comparison, the Bills’ and their “haul” in the full trickle-down from this trade, should leave Buffalo happier than anyone else in this bunch with the way things have turned out.
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