Grading Bills' rookie class midway through 2024 NFL season

With the midway point of the 2024 NFL season approaching, we've decided to try our hand at grading the Buffalo Bills' 2024 NFL Draft class.

Kyle Silagyi | 6 Hours Ago

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

In this story:

Buffalo Bills | News, Scores, Schedules & Standings

The Buffalo Bills internally viewed the 2024 offseason as one of transition, as an opportunity for the team to part ways with several key veterans across the roster and reset its competitive window by giving young contributors opportunities to develop in prominent roles. This idea has manifested in the early weeks of the 2024 season, as in addition to second-and-third year players seeing significant snaps on both offense and defense, several members of the team’s 2024 NFL Draft class have been thrust into meaningful early roles.

With Buffalo sitting at 6-2 roughly midway through the season, now’s a good time to look at the team’s 2024 class and assess its members through eight games. With that, here’s how the Bills’ rookies grade out through the first chunk of the campaign.

Disclaimer: In the interest of fairness, players who have not logged any snaps will not be given grades. This means that Edefuan Ulofoshio, Daequan Hardy, and Travis Clayton will not appear on this list.

WR Keon Coleman (Round 2, Pick No. 33)

Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

Keon Coleman has been everything advertised thus far, particularly flashing over the past two games as he’s caught nine passes for 195 yards and one score. Though not as statistically impressive as his Week 7 outing, his play in Buffalo’s Week 8 thrashing of the Seattle Seahawks was perhaps his best yet as a professional, as he consistently flashed the physicality, contested catch ability, and red zone expertise that made him attractive to the Bills in the lead-up to the draft. His first-quarter touchdown against former Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen perhaps epitomizes this idea; Buffalo has long lacked a player who could go up and aerially win battles in the endzone, and Coleman’s ability to do so greatly expands what the Bills offense can do through not only the remainder of the 2024 season, but for years to come. His not-poor, but rather pedestrian production through the first few weeks of the season prevents this from being an A+, but if he’s able to build on his last two performances moving forward, he’ll be a home run pick.

Grade: A

S Cole Bishop (Round 2, Pick No. 60)

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Cole Bishop is a player whom Buffalo’s brass sees as a long-term piece and a future starter; that said, his play as a rookie hasn’t been stellar. His training camp shoulder injury and resulting lack of preseason reps robbed him of crucial playing time at a key stage of his development, and he, thus, expectedly struggled when thrust into the starting lineup when starting safety Taylor Rapp suffered a concussion in Week 4. He looked like a player making his first career start in Week 5 against the Houston Texans, with his first-quarter miscommunication with cornerback Rasul Douglas resulting in a 67-yard Nico Collins touchdown. He grew more comfortable as the game progressed, but he’s received only scant reps since Rapp’s return to the lineup. It’s far too early to hit the panic button on Bishop; the sample size is far too small, and he’s shown some promise, namely his Week 2 pass breakup against the Miami Dolphins. That said, it’s difficult to award the rookie anything more than a middling grade at this juncture despite his upside.

Grade: C

DT DeWayne Carter (Round 3, Pick 95)

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Third-round pick DeWayne Carter, much like Bishop, showed some early growing pains on his initial reps, but he’s steadily improved as the season has progressed. Head coach Sean McDermott stated that the rookie was in line for a “pivotal” role in the leadup to the campaign, and this manifested as the season ramped up, with Carter playing on between 46% and 54% of the team’s defensive snaps from Weeks 4–7. He flashed with numerous impressive plays, namely a goalline stop against Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry in Week 4 and a fourth-down stop against the Tennessee Titans in Week 7. He recorded five quarterback pressures and seven run stops, per PFF, prior to going down with a Week 7 wrist injury that required surgery and landed him on injured reserve. He’ll look to build upon his strong early foundation upon his ultimate return, and the Bills will want to see his flashes strung together more consistently; that said, it looks as though Carter has the makings of a long-term NFL defensive tackle.

Grade: B+

RB Ray Davis (Round 4, Pick No. 128)

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Buffalo selected Kentucky running back Ray Davis on day three in hopes that he could serve as an immediate complement to reigning Pro Bowler James Cook, and the 24-year-old has been exactly that thus far. He currently ranks third among rookie running backs in yards with 242, and he’s also reeled in eight of nine targets for 79 yards (his most impressive catch being a 42-yard reception in Week 6). He’s won fans over with his physical brand of play and endearing story, with many within Bills Mafia calling for the rookie to receive an increase in playing time and see the team’s backfield evolve into a true two-headed monster. Whether Davis sees an increase in snaps to close out the year remains to be seen, but through eight games, a few things are clear: he’s got the goods, and it looks as though he’ll stick around the league in at least a complementary role for a bit.

Grade: A+

OL Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (Round 5, Pick No. 141)

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Fifth-round pick Sedrick Van Pran-Granger technically qualifies for the list as he’s seen a handful of snaps in garbage time, but giving him a grade seems unfair, as he’s played on only 27 offensive snaps through four games. He hasn’t allowed a pressure on three rushes, per PFF, but he’s graded out only adequately as a run blocker; that said, the sample size is far too limited to properly assess. The multi-time College Football National Champion may still be a long-term piece of Buffalo’s offensive line, and we’re taking the easy way out by giving Van Pran-Granger an incomplete.

Grade: Inc.

DE Javon Solomon (Round 5, Pick No. 168)

Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Javon Solomon fell to the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft despite leading the country in sacks last season with 16, his non-towering presence seemingly being the only reason he fell to day three. He’s proven this notion correct in his scant opportunities this season, recording five tackles, four quarterback hits, two sacks, and a forced fumble on just 39 defensive snaps. He’s buried on the depth chart behind Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, Dawuane Smoot, and the returning Von Miller, but he demonstrably makes an impact when given an opportunity. He may never develop into an every-down lineman, but it’s difficult not to be encouraged by his upside given his early impact in a limited role.

Grade: A-

OT Tylan Grable (Round 6, Pick 204)

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Tylan Grable’s professional career got off to a promising start with his strong preseason, a stretch that allowed him to usurp Ryan Van Demark on the depth chart as the team’s first-choice depth tackle. He played on only seven offensive snaps before suffering a Week 3 abdominal injury that landed him on injured reserve. He’s an athletic standout who showed enough in the offseason to position him as an interesting developmental piece, but again, his regular season sample size is too small to fairly grade.

Grade: Inc.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Bills from Buffalo Bills on SI —