NFL Draft: GM Brandon Beane Explains Why Buffalo Bills Abandoned Round 1

The Buffalo Bills traded out of the first round at the NFL Draft on Thursday night, but added two Day 2 picks in the process.

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks during a / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It's all about better positioning themselves for an active Day 2 at the NFL Draft.

The Buffalo Bills made two trades on Thursday night, ultimately moving out of the first round but picking up the No. 33 and No. 95 overall selections in the process. They also hold the No. 60 pick.

"We're excited about tomorrow. Instead of just having the one pick, now we got three," said general manager Brandon Beane. "We came into this draft without a 3, and we were able to get ourselves back in the third [round]. At this point, now, we're back to getting three picks in the Top 95."

First, Buffalo swapped first-round spots with the Kansas City Chiefs, dropping from 28 back to 32. Instead of making the final pick in Round 1, the Bills traded again. This time, they moved down to the No. 33 spot while allowing the Carolina Panthers to move back into the first round.

"We could've taken leaps back, teams much further than that. We didn't wanna go crazy far. Honestly thought we would pick at 32, but then talked to my buddy [Panthers' GM] Dan [Morgan] and gave us a chance to move up 59 slots from a 6 to a 5," said Beane. So, now we've got the two 2s, a 3, a 4 and four 5s. That gives us a chance to fill some roles or use ammo to move around again, depending on how the board falls."

There's a serious possibility that Beane makes another deal before finally picking a player on Friday. The opening selection of the second round usually attracts interest heading into Day 2.

"We'll get a lot of calls for this pick tomorrow at 33. Our phone's already ringing," said Beane.