The Buffalo Bills have developed a reputation for climbing up the first-round selection board in previous years to satisfy pressing needs, and this week’s Stefon Diggs trade could result in an even greater move later this month.
On April 3, the Bills traded Diggs to the Houston Texans in a bombshell move, depriving their offense of its No. 1 receiver and paving the way for what one insider believes will be a major draft-day transaction. Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic claimed in a new mock draft that the Bills will move all the way up to No. 7 to get one of this year’s top receiving prospects, LSU pass-catcher Malik Nabers.
“I continue to believe that anything, including a deal like this one on draft day, is a genuine possibility for the Bills,” Buscaglia said. “[Bills general manager Brandon] Beane has traditionally been an aggressive draft-day trading when he’s excited about a player and how he fits into their scheme. With a gaping hole for a top wide receiver and the Bills’ current position, this is the type of move Beane could justify as putting them over the top for the foreseeable future.
Bills Start to Replace Stefon Diggs
The Bills lost their most prolific receiver when they traded Diggs to the Texans this week. Despite a late-season dropoff, Diggs finished the season with 107 catches for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns. The Bills have a lot of output to make up for in 2024, especially after losing No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis to free agency.
Buscaglia expected that it will begin with a significant move up the draft board to get Nabers. He anticipated that the Bills will make a trade with the Tennessee Titans for the Nos. 7 and 182 overall picks. In exchange, the Bills would trade their first-round pick this year, No. 28 overall, as well as their second- and fourth-round picks this year, and a first-round pick in 2005.
Malik Nabers will be a ____ next season? pic.twitter.com/l4XoEl0Eau
— PFF (@PFF) April 5, 2024
Buscaglia compared it to the Atlanta Falcons’ 2011 trade of draft picks to the Cleveland Browns in order to acquire wide receiver Julio Jones.
“The Bills have one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Josh Allen, a still-talented roster around him, and a pretty good idea that they’ll be pushing for the playoffs at the very least in 2024,” Buscaglia said. “By arming him with a young receiver with elite potential on a rookie deal for the next four years, it gives the Bills a lot of flexibility for how they spend through the duration of the receiver’s rookie deal.”
Malik Nabers Earns Big Comparison
Nabers is receiving a lot of attention in the weeks building up to the NFL Draft. According to Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports, he has visited numerous clubs prior to the draft, including three that would choose ahead of him at No. 7.
Sullivan mentioned that Nabers has measurables identical to another former LSU great.
“Nabers’ measurables compare similarly to fellow LSU phenom and current Bengals superstar Ja’Marr Chase,” Sullivan wrote in his piece. “They’re both 6 feet tall and weigh around 200 pounds. Nabers ran a 4.35 40-yard sprint, while Chase ran 4.38. They also performed identical board jumps and verticals. Last season for the Tigers, the All-American caught 89 passes for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 games.
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