1. Sports Illustrated thinks this is the Bills biggest draft need
It is finally draft week, and one of the biggest events of the NFL offseason is just a few days away. Sports Illustrated NFL writer Connor Orr put out his list of draft needs for every team in the AFC. For the Bills, he thinks that the team’s biggest need is on the offensive side of the ball and he believes the Bills should add another weapon for Josh Allen and company.
Needs: Offensive weapon, defensive line, interior offensive line, corner
After the way last season ended and after hearing rumblings of the Bills’ possibly being involved in the offseason trade market, I was surprised at the end result (so far). Matt Breida and Jacob Hollister are fine additions to the offense but are probably not the matchup nightmares that take Brian Daboll’s already diabolical absurd scheme to the next level. Maybe Buffalo will trade for a Zach Ertz at some point, but until then, there are still plenty of ways they can immediately upgrade the roster at the No. 30 pick.
Here’s an interesting tidbit: Only Mario Addison had a positive net yards over average rating against the run on its defensive front last year. It’s very un-Buffalo-like to be 26th in the league in yards per attempt surrendered, and perhaps the team’s quest for a Super Bowl should start there.
One random note: The Bills should absolutely trade up in this draft and nab another playmaker. I think they’ll regret it if they don’t. Sure, the ghost of Sammy Watkins (drafted fourth in 2014) will haunt them, but they’re inching ever so closely to the moment where Josh Allen costs $40 million per season and complicates their roster-building decisions. Teams will be more amenable to moving back given the relative uncertainty of 2021 picks compared to 2022 picks in a (theoretically) pandemic-free world. The Bills’ 2022 first-rounder will probably be low, anyway. Just a thought.
