The Buffalo Bills pick at 28 in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, and this selection weekend may be the most important one of the Josh Allen/Sean McDermott/Brandon Beane era. This franchise is capped-out this offseason, and unless they make a blockbuster trade, the only real way to add top-tier talent is in the draft. That is why, starting with their first-round pick, the Bills need to hit it out of the park, and take either Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman or Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson.
With a pick this late in the first round, Buffalo will miss out on the top-tier WRs in this class like Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, and Malik Nabers. After those three come off the board, there will be at least two or three others who join them before the Bills pick at No. 28.
Who exactly will be there in the late first will become clearer after the NFL Combine in late February, but ahead of that, it seems like the options will be Coleman, LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr., or Oregon’s Troy Franklin. Of these, Coleman is the best option.
If the Seminoles’ wideout isn’t available, Buffalo needs to pivot to a position of need, even if it isn’t at a premium first-round position. That means snagging the best center in the 2024 NFL Draft, Powers-Johnson.
Keon Coleman, WR, FSU
Gabe Davis is almost certainly gone in free agency this offseason. While he’s been a decent No. 2 WR at times, he’s never lived up to the promise he showed in his eight-catch, 201-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Chiefs in the infamous 13 seconds game.
Davis has made some big plays, but he’s also had some big drops and showed up small when Josh Allen and the Bills need him most. It’s time for a change across the formation from Stefon Diggs, and drafting Keon Coleman is that change.
The FSU star is a big, physical X receiver in the mold of A.J. Brown, Mike Evans, or DK Metcalf. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Coleman isn’t the deep threat that Davis is — Franklin would be a more one-to-one replacement — but he is a player who could develop into an elite No. 1 in time.
Buffalo can stick Coleman at the X position — the one on the line of scrimmage who cant go in motion — and let him go one-on-one with smaller corners. This will allow Joe Brady to mix-and-match Diggs, Dalton Kincaid (or Dawson Knox), and Khalil Shakir on the other side of the formation, putting them in motion to confuse defenses.
Coleman had 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 TDs in 2023, and you have to factor in that he lost his quarterback, Jordan Travis, to injury for the stretch run of the season. And despite his size and lack of elite speed, he also returned 25 punts for 300 yards this season, which tells you everything you need to know about his ability to run with the ball in his hands.
If Keon Coleman is available at pick 28 in the NFL draft, the Bills need to take him. And even if he’s around at pick No. 22 or so, Bean should trade up a few spots for him, as he loves to do.
Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon
While Keon Coleman should be the No. 1 priority for the Bills in the NFL draft, the fact is that he might not be there after team’s get a look at his incredible size and athleticism at the NFL combine.
If the FSU WR is a no-go, Buffalo should turn its attention to the center position.
Yes, interior offensive line is not a premium position in the draft, but at 28, if the Bills can get a plug-and-play starter — like they did with O’Cyrus Torrence in Round 2 last year — it’s a good move.
Current center Mitch Morse is a solid player, and one season removed from the Pro Bowl, but he’ll be 32 in April and is scheduled to make $11.4 million next season. That means Buffalo will likely have to cut him this offseason to save money on the cap.
Jackson Powers-Johnson is a massive center at 6-foot-3, 334 pounds. That’s a good thing for the Bills who like big road graders like Torrance who logs in at 6-foot-5, 347 pounds.
The Oregon center only started one season for the Ducks, but he was a unanimous All-American and Rimington Award winner (for the nation’s best center) and he has some center/guard positional flexibility.
While centers don’t often go in Round 1, the ones who do are usually long-term starters for their teams.
In recent years, this includes the Baltimore Ravens Tyler Linderbaum (No. 25, 2022), New Orleans Saints Cesar Ruiz (No. 24, 2020), Minnesota Vikings Garrett Bradbury (No. 18, 2019), Detroit Lions Frank Ragnow (No. 20, 2018), and Cincinnati Bengals Billy Price (No. 21, 2018).
Of that group, Price is the only bust who was out of the league in 2023. Bradbury has started 71 of 71 games in his career, Ruiz has moved to guard and become an every-game starter, and Linerbaum and Ragnow are both Pro Bowl players.
Jackson Powers-Johnson has the potential to join this group as a standout starter if the Bills take him in Round 1. If Brandon Beane can get him in Round 2 like he did with Torrence, even better.
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