5 Best Trade Up Scenarios For The Buffalo Bills
If the Bills want to get a top-ranked wide receiver in this year's NFL Draft, they'll need to make a huge move up from pick 28. Here are the 5 best possibilities of that happening.
Bills General Manager Brandon Beane has said that he will “turn over every stone” to continue to build the roster after trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. In doing so, it seems likely that he will be looking to make at least one trade.
READ MORE: Best WR Draft Options for The Buffalo Bills
With three weeks until the 2024 NFL Draft, it’s time for him to get to work. Here are five potential trade-up partners that Beane could look to strike a deal with.
1. Los Angeles Chargers - 5th Overall
This is the holy grail “wow” trade that would send major shockwaves across the league, and it wouldn’t be cheap. There seems to be more and more steam building that quarterbacks could go with each of the first four picks, meaning the Los Angeles Chargers would be sitting in position to take the first non-quarterback of the draft class.
It would cost a lot – like 28th overall, 2025 1st, and 2025 2nd, a lot – but it would give the Bills the draft rights to one of the best wide receiver prospects in recent history in Marvin Harrison Jr. The Chargers with their new regime could be inclined to make the deal to restock the cupboards in their rebuild, adding three valuable assets (and maybe more) for the price of one. After trading Diggs, BUF has an extra 2025 2nd to play with. Is this trade likely? No, not really. But could Beane get crazy and swing for it? Perhaps.
2. New York Giants - 6th Overall
The Giants seem to be in the hunt for one of the top four quarterbacks in this draft class, but if they aren’t able to swing a trade-up to get a signal caller, perhaps they would consider adding depth.
If they miss out on replacing Daniel Jones, there’s a strong possibility that the Giants could have their eyes set on the future. It might be hard to get them to trade out, however – the Giants desperately need a weapon on offense and could decide to quickly hang up on Buffalo and run to the podium for the likes of Malik Nabers, but moving the sixth overall pick for a heavy draft haul in 2025 would give them multiple assets to retool with.
3. Chicago Bears - 9th Overall
I’ve been pounding the table for a trade with the Chicago Bears for a couple of weeks. Now in the wake of the Stefon Diggs move, this trade seems increasingly likely. It makes sense for both sides – Chicago has only four picks this year and needs volume to build around presumed first-overall pick Caleb Williams.
If Rome Odunze is on the board when Chicago is on the clock, a trade package that includes 28th overall, 133rd, and a 2025 1st could do it. In my opinion, Odunze is well worth the move.
4. Arizona Cardinals After They Trade Out Of 4th Overall
The Cardinals currently hold the fourth overall pick, but if the talk of quarterbacks going off the board with the first four selections is to come to fruition, then it means the Arizona Cardinals are a trade-out candidate. Teams that could be looking to move up to fourth overall to select what will likely be J.J. McCarthy could include the Minnesota Vikings (11th overall), Denver Broncos (12th overall), and Las Vegas Raiders (13th overall). These teams, all drafting in succession, seem to be squaring off for a sprint to the quarterback finish line.
If the Cardinals move down into that range, there’s a theory out there that they could be inclined to trade back again, continuing to stockpile assets to retool a roster that needs plenty of help. Trading down twice could net the Cardinals somewhere in the neighborhood of five additional valuable draft picks. That’s not nothing.
5. Seattle Seahawks - 16th Overall
If Buffalo can’t get all the way up into the single digits, or they don’t want to spend the capital to do so, John Schneider of the Seahawks could be open for business. Schneider loves a trade down – he seemingly does it every year – and at 16th overall, it could be enough to leapfrog some teams to secure the fourth wide receiver off the board.
Who that fourth wide receiver will be is anybody’s guess, but getting to 16 would cut the line and get ahead of Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Arizona’s second selection of the night via the Texans. All five of those teams seem like prime candidates to look at the wide receiver market.
Maybe Beane has his eyes set on Brian Thomas Jr., Adonai Mitchell, or Xavier Worthy, and feels they’re worthy of moving up for. Regardless of what Beane decides to do, he almost certainly needs to do something.
Sneak Peek at New Buffalo Bills Stadium
Gallery Credit: Boris
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