Buffalo Bills Trade for Star WR in Latest Mock Draft

The Buffalo Bills seem likely to draft a receiver late in the first round, but could they trade up to pair Josh Allen with a potential superstar instead?

Jan 15, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17). / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

After trading star receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, the Buffalo Bills are on a collision course with an early-round receiver prospect.

Subsequently, the hype for a receiver being taken with the 28th overall pick has only continued to grow. The class offers several high-profile receivers projected to go at the end of the first, fueling excitement and perhaps mitigating the time spent mourning Diggs’ departure.

No player has been mocked to Buffalo more than LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr., but could his teammate be a realistic option?

Tigers receiver Malik Nabers. / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA

Thomas was out-shined by star receiver Malik Nabers, whose speed made him one of the most dangerous players in the sport. Nabers’ 1,569 yards and 14 receiving scores helped fuel quarterback Jayden Daniels’ Heisman campaign. As a prospective top-10 pick, he’ll look to have a similar impact for another quarterback. 

Of course, Nabers won’t be available at No. 28, meaning a trade is necessary. In Joe Buscaglia’s recent Bills mock draft, he has Buffalo pushing in the chips for LSU’s premier pass catcher.

The trade – Nos. 28, 60, 133, and a 2025 first-round pick for Nos. 7 and 182 – is a hefty price tag, especially for a non-quarterback. One can argue that trading up for anyone that isn’t a presumptive franchise quarterback is a bad process, and that the hit rates don’t inspire confidence in teams’ collective ability to evaluate talent.

Even so, a potential game-breaking talent could have a similar impact Diggs did when he arrived in Western New York – the type of upside that wins decision makers over. 

“I continue to believe that anything, including a move like this one on draft day, is a real possibility for the Bills,” Buscaglia wrote. “(Brandon) Beane has long been an aggressive draft-day trader when he’s excited about a prospect and how he’d fit their system.

“Now, with a gaping hole for a top target at wide receiver and where the Bills are in their build, this is the type of move Beane can rationalize as one that puts them over the top for the foreseeable future.”

Unquestionably, giving up that kind of draft capital is a win-now move. Buffalo lost significant snaps on defense and is in need of reinforcements to pair with new starters on the boundary. Acquiring Nabers means prying open a closing competitive window and hoping Josh Allen’s connection with him can make up the difference of contributors they’d be missing out on.

However, with Allen in town, Buffalo’s window can only shrink – he’s too talented for it to close completely. If they are going to compete for the playoffs regardless, there’s reason to believe that Nabers fulfilling his potential could get the Bills over the hump.

“Now, there’s nothing for their quarterback to prove,” Buscaglia continued. “The Bills have one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Josh Allen, a still-talented roster around him, and a pretty good idea that they’ll be pushing for the playoffs at the very least in 2024. 

“By arming him with a young receiver with elite potential on a rookie deal for the next four years, it gives the Bills a lot of flexibility for how they spend through the duration of the receiver’s rookie deal.”

If nothing else, Nabers gives Buffalo a brand of athleticism few in the league can conjure, the kind that makes every catch a big-play threat and dictates how defenses can deploy their resources. It’s a lofty expectation to compare any prospect to Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill, but if any prospect in recent memory can match his impact, Nabers makes the best case.

That kind of value is impossible to not at least consider as the draft approaches.