The Athletic’s Dane Brugler predicts trade up for Bills at 2024 NFL draft

The Buffalo Bills are on the way up in the 2024 NFL mock draft laid out from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.

The outlet’s lead NFL draft analyst put together a seven-round projection and the Bills make one of the splashes in it. Originally slated to select at the No. 28 overall slot, Buffalo moves up to No. 17 in a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

With that move, the Bills select LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. To get there, it’s predicted Buffalo sends the No. 28, 133, and 144 spots in this year’s draft and a second-round pick in next year’s draft to make it happen.

The trade breakdown:

The Bills need their draft picks to remodel the roster with young, low-priced depth, but general manager Brandon Beane is an aggressive drafter and has never shied away from moving up in the first round to get his guy. Thomas is an outstanding size/speed athlete with better route-running skill than given he’s credit for, and he’d give Josh Allen a new WR1 on offense.

A key in that deal is the Bills’ ability to keep their 2024 second rounder, especially after their projected compensatory selection that was expected to be a third rounder ended up being in Round 4.

In terms of Thomas, he’s a popular player mocked to Buffalo. However, the issue is whether or not he would still be on the board. In this mock, likewise to what Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane often does in reality, he does not sit, wait, and hope. He moves for the player he wants.

Thomas has previously confirmed that he has had pre-draft meetings with the Bills as well.

Thomas, a 6-foot-4 receiver, had an impressive breakout 2023 at LSU with 68 catches for 1,177 yards and 17 touchdowns. With his connections to Buffalo during the pre-draft process and the clear need the Bills have at receiver, this is a realistic scenario.

The mock goes on to run through the remaining rounds. The rest of Buffalo’s picks, along with highlights of Thomas, can be found below: