NFL draft analyst shares which schools Bills have scouted most in 2024

An NFL draft analyst recently shared which schools the Buffalo Bills have scouted most throughout the 2024 college football season.

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‘Draft season’ is still a few months away in Western New York, especially considering that the Buffalo Bills currently find themselves amid a 9-2 season that could realistically conclude with quarterback Josh Allen hoisting both the NFL MVP Award and the Lombardi Trophy. That said, it’s never too early to think about the 2025 NFL Draft, as the team will have a tremendous opportunity to add youth to its already talented roster.

Buffalo currently projects to have 10 total picks in next April’s three-day extravaganza, including two second-round choices after acquiring an additional premium selection in the trade that sent perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans this past spring. The Bills also look set to receive two compensatory draft picks—a fourth-round pick for the offseason departure of Gabriel Davis, and a fifth-round pick for Leonard Floyd’s departure. 

And though he’s maintained focus on making in-season tweaks to his 53-man roster and practice squad, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane has been hard at work with his collegiate scouting department over the past several months to get an early start on his 2025 draft board, with him and his staff attending countless college games around the country. NFL Draft analyst John Vogel recently shared on X that the Bills boast one of the league’s “top [five] most active scouting units” and disclosed the universities the staff has visited the most: Clemson, Oregon, and California, Berkeley. 

Bills are one of the top 5 most active scouting units in the country.

Been to Clemson 5 times, Oregon and Cal 4 times each, and several schools 3 times each. https://t.co/5UMuPlpmLm

— John “Draft” Vogel (@DraftVogel) November 24, 2024

Buffalo’s scouting staff, per Vogel, has attended five Clemson games, four Oregon bouts, four Cal contests, and three games at a bevy of other schools. It’s important to note that the Bills seemingly prioritizing these universities does not necessarily tip their hand with regard to their draft preferences or plans, as there are countless circumstances that factor into why a team would send a specific scout to a particular game (perhaps it’s close to a scout’s home area/connection base, perhaps they want to watch the opposing team, etc.); that said, it’s interesting to see that Buffalo is gathering a bulk of information about these schools.

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Beane does not necessarily have a history of targeting players from these schools in the draft, as he’s taken only two players from Clemson (Ray-Ray McCloud and Baylon Spector) throughout his seven NFL drafts while never selecting a player from Oregon or Cal. With Clemson and Cal playing against ACC foes and Oregon now having a Big 10 schedule (while also being the top-ranked team in the nation), the fact that these schools have provided Buffalo’s scouting staff the opportunity to get eyes on numerous other programs may be a more pertinent takeaway than the unit watching these three schools in particular. The Bills are still in the very early stages of constructing their 2025 draft board, but it’s still interesting to know the universities the team is doing initial legwork on.

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