The Buffalo Bills haven’t selected a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2014, when they traded up to pick Sammy Watkins at No. 4.
Now, a decade later, an analyst suggests it might be time for another significant move. Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic speculated that the Bills could trade up into the top 10 of this year’s NFL Draft to capitalize on the exceptionally deep pool of wide receivers available.
Buscaglia mentioned that while the Bills don’t have enough draft capital to move up for the expected top receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., they might be able to secure the next-best option.
**Potential Draft Trade for the Bills**
![Kleiman] LSU WR Malik Nabers has been called a “high maintenance” prospect who could struggle in a big city, per @TonyPauline “There are off-the-field questions Nabers has had to answer to during](https://external-preview.redd.it/kleiman-lsu-wr-malik-nabers-has-been-called-a-high-v0-0tacFi7g1EgEGefun7i0l38VbGy-HBW2b7FcAOXqvpg.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=3a8861f932ad75d64357153722cece4d81cf5959)
Buscaglia suggested the Bills could consider trading up to acquire LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, who is expected to be the second receiver off the board. Nabers, with a versatile skill set and strong performance in yards after catch, would typically be the first receiver chosen in most drafts but may fall to the latter part of the top 10 this year.
The Bills have a significant gap in their wide receiver lineup after trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans and losing Gabe Davis in free agency to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Buscaglia envisions Nabers as a potential addition, noting in an April 5 mock draft that the Bills might trade up to select him.
Buscaglia wrote, “I continue to believe that anything, including a move like this one on draft day, is a real possibility for the Bills.” Bills general manager Brandon Beane has a history of making bold draft-day trades when he’s enthusiastic about a prospect. Given the Bills’ current needs at wide receiver and their overall team structure, such a move could propel them forward.
Beane has made first-round trade-ups in the past two NFL Drafts, selecting cornerback Kaiir Elam in 2022 and tight end Dalton Kincaid in 2023.
**Potential Scenario for Staying at No. 28**
While most analysts believe the Bills will use their first pick to draft a receiver, opinions differ on when this might happen. Some believe they will stay put with their No. 28 overall pick and select wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., a teammate of Nabers.
Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus suggested in a March mock draft that the Bills could see Thomas as a potential replacement for the deep-threat role that Davis previously played. Sikkema wrote, “This is a very common pairing, but after moving on from Gabe Davis, the Bills need a consistent field-stretcher. Thomas ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at 209 pounds — so, yeah, he’ll do.”
