When the Buffalo Bills traded Stefon Diggs, it was a surprising move that left a big hole at receiver for a team that still has Super Bowl hopes.
Realistically, the only avenue the Bills had to fix that issue was through the NFL Draft, even if it’s hard to depend on a rookie receiver to come in and save the offense.
The Bills passed up chances to take a receiver in the first round, trading down twice, but they settled on someone to start the second day of the draft on Friday. The Bills took Florida State receiver Keon Coleman with the 33rd pick.
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Coleman has good size at 6-foot-3, 213 pounds, but a reason he fell through the first round was a 4.61 40-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. That brings his speed into question, but he was a productive receiver at Florida State with 11 touchdowns last season. He can win contested catches and should work well with Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
The Bills passed on opportunities to take a receiver in the first round on Thursday night. They traded down from No. 28 to No. 32 with the Kansas City Chiefs, who took Texas receiver Xavier Worthy. They traded from No. 32 to No. 33, the first pick of the second round, with the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers took receiver Xavier Legette.
The Bills gained some extra picks with those trades but still didn’t have a receiver to help Allen. But they also knew this draft was exceptionally deep at the position.
The Bills haven’t had a great offseason following a disappointing home loss to the Chiefs in the playoffs. They had to let a lot of veterans go due to salary cap reasons, and while many of those players were on the wrong side of their prime, it still left Buffalo thinner than they were to end last season. Then they traded Diggs to the Houston Texans in a massive deal that hurts their chances to contend this season.
It will be hard on Allen to go forward without Diggs, his No. 1 receiver the past few seasons. The Bills hope Coleman will be their new No. 1 receiver for the foreseeable future.
