Recent Bills draft class named one of NFL's best over last 15 years

A draft class in which the Buffalo Bills landed franchise stalwarts at several key positions has been dubbed one of the NFL's best of the last 15 years.

Apr 26, 2018; Arlington, TX, USA; Josh Allen is selected as the number seven overall pick to the / Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

It was his first draft at the helm of an NFL franchise, and boy, did he deliver.

The Buffalo Bills hired then-Carolina Panthers assistant general manager Brandon Beane as their head executive in May 2017, shortly after the conclusion of the 2017 NFL Draft. Flanked by first-year head coach Sean McDermott, Beane put his stamp on the roster throughout his first year in charge, trading team centerpieces like wide receiver Sammy Watkins and cornerback Ronald Darby in exchange for additional capital in the 2018 NFL Draft.

The moves, which initially prompted some pundits and fans to accuse Beane and company of ‘tanking,’ worked; Buffalo, despite making trades to put itself in a position to land a franchise quarterback in the 2018 draft, clicked throughout the 2017 campaign, finishing with a 9-7 record and breaking a then-NFL long 17-year playoff drought.

Beane had roughly a year to prepare for his first draft at Buffalo’s wheel, but his team’s on-field success put him in a bit of a disadvantageous position—in order to land a franchise signal-caller and other key contributors, he would have to significantly move around the board. The general manager did just that, executing maneuvers that continue to impact the team today.

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The Bills traded up to select Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, a then-athletic ball of clay with a cannon for an arm and accuracy concerns, with the seventh overall selection, moving up again to grab Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds at pick No. 16. The team added depth defensive tackle Harrison Phillips in the third round before grabbing Weber State corner Taron Johnson in the fourth, rounding the draft out with defensive back Siran Neal, guard Wyatt Teller, and receivers Ray-Ray McCloud and Austin Proehl.

The selection of Allen, who has developed into one of the most dynamic signal-callers in the league in Buffalo, makes this class a home run, but Beane’s other selections were quite sound, as well. CBS Sports writer Josh Edwards recently ranked the top 10 NFL Draft classes since 2010, ranking Beane’s 2018 haul as the fourth best over that stretch.

“The 2018 NFL Draft was franchise-altering for the Bills,” Edwards wrote. “With the No. 7 overall selection, they selected Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, who has become one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and offensive guard Wyatt Teller were also in that draft. Both went on to earn top of the market free agent deals. 

“Defensive backs Siran Neal and Taron Johnson have been consistent performers for that secondary. Finally, defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud have also stuck in the league despite moving on to other organizations.” 

The 2018 NFL Draft, which is arguably Beane’s best as an executive, continues to pay dividends for the Bills; now a two-time Pro Bowler, Allen is firmly entrenched as the face of Buffalo’s franchise, and Johnson has developed into one of the better nickel defenders in the NFL for a team that plays with five defensive backs on the vast majority of its defensive snaps. Edmunds and Phillips were key contributors for the Bills for several years; Edmunds was an immediate starter who earned two Pro Bowl nods at middle linebacker while Phillips consistently flashed in a rotational role. They would ultimately take their talents to the NFL North, signing free-agent deals with the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, respectively.

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Buffalo’s biggest ‘whiff’ in this class can perhaps be more fairly pinned on its coaching staff as opposed to its executive; sixth-round pick Wyatt Teller never earned the full trust of Buffalo’s coaching staff, prompting the team to deal him to the Cleveland Browns in the 2019 preseason after the team added Oklahoma lineman Cody Ford in the 2019 NFL Draft. Teller would go on to establish himself as one of the best guards in the NFL on the other side of Lake Erie.

Ray-Ray McCloud continues to bounce around the league as a special teamer, while Austin Proehl never stuck on an NFL roster.

The rest of Edwards’ analysis, while complimentary of Beane, doesn’t necessarily add up; defensive back Siran Neal was a “consistent performer” for the Bills, but not in the secondary. He was instead a trusted special teams gunner, sticking around the organization from 2018–2023 while never carving out a significant role defensively. Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, while once a key player for Buffalo, was not drafted in 2018 nor by the Bills; he was selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins and was claimed off waivers by Buffalo early in the 2018 campaign.

Clerical errors aside, the 2018 NFL Draft was a productive one for Beane, who, in hindsight, had already earned an A+ draft grade for his selection of No. 17 at pick No. 7.