So what are we to conclude from the Bills draft?
There was controversy, four trades — one up, three down — and explanations.
Don’t even waste your time on those day-after grades produced by arrogant, self-important “experts” who won’t be visible next January when the early results come in.
What we know is, Buffalo, courtesy of a trio of Day 3 deals, got back a pick it lost when trading up in the first, at the cost of a fourth-rounder, to take Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid. Then, Saturday, the Bills traded down three times and ended up with two seventh-round picks plus a pair of sixth rounders in 2024.
That translated to a draft class of Kincaid, Florida guard O’Cyrus Torrence (second round), Tulane linebacker Dorian Williams (third), Florida wide receiver Justin Shorter (fifth), Mississippi guard Nick Broeker and Oregon St. cornerback Alex Austin (both seventh).
THE CONTROVERSY involved Kincaid, arguably the best tight end in the draft but seemingly not playing a position of need with starter Dawson Knox having been signed to a $52 million extension.
General manager Brandon Beane explained that Kincaid will be used in tandem with Knox as a slot tight end to create mismatches.
“We were looking for guys to add to our skill positions that can be matchups, and whether it’s receiver, tight end, whatever, just another weapon to say, ‘Hey, you can’t double Stef (Diggs) every play. If you do, we’re expecting this guy (Kincaid) to win his one-on-one matchup, or Gabe (Davis) to win his one-on-one matchup.”
But Beane also offered a cryptic analogy that seemed to question Knox’s future.
“You just draft good football players, things happen, injuries happen … it’s hard to predict,” he said. “I know, in Carolina one year, we had just paid a center, Justin Hartwig (new contract), and we had Ryan Kalil high in the second round or bottom of the first (on the Panthers board) and he was sticking out. You’re trying to find someone else, we had just paid the center, but ultimately you take a good football player. He was good enough that we moved on from the guy we paid and (Kalil) became an All-Pro. That story has always stuck with me.”
AS FOR HIS goals in the draft, Beane said, “I was hoping on offense that we would add a weapon (Kincaid) and somewhere to add to the o-line (Torrence), whether it was interior or on the perimeter. Beyond that, I wanted to add a D-tackle (undrafted free agent DJ Dale from Alabama).
“Did we hit every single thing? No, you rarely do. I do think we’ve added guys that will help us either as starters, key contributors or key backups.”
He added, “I thought we got guys where we were valuing them, which I wasn’t sure of, especially early on, the way the board was falling. Definitely up top, it wasn’t what we normally see. I think some guys that normally might be on your board in the second round were getting pulled in the first round. We just didn’t have as many (first-round) grades. Some people had more than us, but once you get to (Saturday), people start going in a lot of different directions for what their team needs. There were still good players, it just probably wasn’t as heavy at the top.”
OF HIS drafting philosophy Beane said, “I’m just wired by what I’ve seen, take good football players and don’t reach down. If you put them there, that’s where you value them. You’ve done all that work, and then on draft day, because it’s not falling your way, it’s easy to do. But if you stay disciplined, over time, you keep yourself with a stronger roster.
“The message (to draftees) has been come in, get to work, keep your head down, learn from the right veterans. Everything here is earned. No promises for starting roles.. We think we got guys that will come in and whether they start, back up or special teams, find a way (to) how they can earn a jersey. If you’re not starting, you’d better be helping on teams.”
Of the Day 3 trades, Beane explained, “We felt the way our board was looking, we could add some picks and still get the guys that we were drafting and who we had on the board. There’s no guarantees. But we were excited about the guys we got. And we still got to take six picks that we like and think have a legit chance to help us.”
THE REALITY is, we won’t know the quality of this Bills draft for a season, or more.
But the need is obvious.
Kincaid absolutely has to be the productive slot tight end they envision as Beane made it clear he’s not the in-line version who’s going to be called upon to block.
Torrence has to quickly become a starter. Assuming free agent Connor McGovern replaces the departed Rodger Safford, Torrence hopefully wins the competition with Ryan Bates, Ike Boettger and David Edwards on the other side.
Anything else is a bonus.
But it’s worth noting, in Beane’s first five drafts, of the 21 players he’s taken in rounds five through seven, only eight are still with the team, a total boosted by three from last year.
(Chuck Pollock, a Times Herald senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)
