Bills Central

One highlight from each Bills offensive draft pick that shows their potential impact

The Buffalo Bills selected five offensive players throughout the 2024 NFL Draft. Here are a few highlights that showcase their potential impacts.

Kyle Silagyi

Oct 14, 2023; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Keon Coleman (4)
Oct 14, 2023; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Keon Coleman (4) / Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

Featured Players

  1. WR Keon Coleman
  2. RB Ray Davis
  3. C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger
  4. OT Tylan Grable
  5. OT Travis Clayton

The Buffalo Bills took a pragmatic approach to the 2024 NFL Draft, splitting their 10 selections evenly between the offense and defense with each pick addressing a discernible deficiency on their roster. It was a bit of a strategic departure for general manager Brandon Beane; the veteran has historically stressed the importance of drafting “the best player available” with each selection, and while the team did make several high-value picks throughout the three-day event, it very much looks as though the team selected players with roster needs in mind.

This isn’t to say that Buffalo made poor selections—quite the opposite, in fact, as all 10 of the players it selected not only have realistic paths to the roster, but to potential immediate roles. All of the team’s new additions, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, diversify its array of skill sets at their respective positions, each prospect bringing something new to the table. To help showcase what each offensive selection could bring to the team, we’ve grabbed one highlight from each player that shows the type of immediate impact they could make.

WR Keon Coleman

Oct 14, 2023; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Keon Coleman (4)
Oct 14, 2023; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Keon Coleman (4) / Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

Buffalo made its first selection of the draft early on day two, grabbing Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman with the 33rd overall pick. The selection was met with both excitement and apprehension; though Coleman filled an objective need for the Bills given the offseason departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, most prognosticators projected the 20-year-old as a ‘big slot’ in the NFL, a position Buffalo already has covered for the foreseeable future with 2023 first-round pick Dalton Kincaid.

The Bills don’t plan to deploy Coleman from the slot, however, with Beane already stating that the team will initially attempt to use the rookie as its ‘X,’ or primary boundary, wide receiver. Coleman does have experience as an alpha wideout (with 458 of his 672 offensive snaps at Florida State last season coming out wide), but his unrefined route running and inability to consistently create separation at the collegiate level led many to question his long-term feasibility as a boundary option in the NFL.

Related: Bills WR Keon Coleman Breaks Down Incredible One-Handed Catches: 'It's a Routine Play for Me'

That said, when Coleman flashed as an alpha option, he flashed. When he’s on his game, he’s a jump-ball specialist with tremendous ball skills, a ‘go-up-and-get-it’ target with solid adjustment ability while airborne. The highlight perhaps most representative of this idea is his jaw-dropping one-handed grab in an October 2023 matchup with the Syracuse Orange; Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis slightly overthrew Coleman on an intermediate dig route, with the target leaping into the air with a single arm and coming down with an astonishing grab.

The 27-yard catch kicked off a big day for Coleman; he finished the game with nine receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown. It’ll take some time for the raw, but trait-sy Coleman to mold his blend of size, athleticism, and aerial coordination into a package reminiscent of that of an elite NFL wideout, but in the interim, Buffalo fans can expect some incredible highlight-reel catches.

RB Ray Davis

Sep 30, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Ray Davis (1) celebrates
Sep 30, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Ray Davis (1) celebrates / Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Fourth-round pick Ray Davis isn’t an athletic marvel who the Bills hope to develop into a game-breaking running back; he was instead drafted to fill a very specific role, to act as the thunder to third-year back James Cook’s lightning.

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady made Cook a focal point of Buffalo’s offense after taking over play-calling duties in Week 11 of the 2023 season, getting the former Georiga Bulldog roughly 20 touches per game. Cook largely made the most out of these opportunities, picking up 730 total yards over that stretch as he finished sixth in the NFL in yards from scrimmage (1,567).

That said, the Bills lacked a consistent and reliable complement to Cook last season, a north-south runner who could not only spell the shifty back, but take some of the load of quarterback Josh Allen’s shoulders in short-yardage and goalline situations.

Related: NFL analyst deems Bills rookie a 'perfect fit,' puts James Cook on notice

Enter Davis, a stout 5-foot-8, 211-pound running back whose power adds a different dynamic to Buffalo’s backfield. He could see significant usage straight away as not only a between-the-tackles complementary option, but on passing downs; Davis showed solid hands throughout his collegiate career to the tune of 94 receptions for 762 yards and 12 touchdowns, indicating that Buffalo’s offensive philosophy won’t have to shift too much when he’s on the field in place of Cook.

For a highlight that acts as a microcosm of Davis’s potential impact, we go to a September 2023 matchup between the Florida Gators and Kentucky Wildcats. The Gators had no answer for Davis on the day; the back averaged 10.8 yards per carry as he picked up 280 rushing yards and four total scores, among them a 75-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

It’s not that highlight that we’re showcasing, however—it’s instead his final score of the day, a goalline touchdown in the third quarter that’s more indicative of the way Buffalo will likely deploy him immediately. Florida had not 11, not 12, but 13 defensive players on the field, and still could not stop Davis from finding the endzone.

That’s a power back, folks.

C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger

Georgia offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran (63) gives direction during the second half of a NCAA
Georgia offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran (63) gives direction during the second half of a NCAA / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

Buffalo grabbed Georgia center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger in the fifth round of the draft, a move that’s since been lauded by several pundits as one of the event’s better selections in terms of value and fit. Van Pran-Granger started over 40 games over his professional career, anchoring a Bulldog offensive line that was consistently looked at as one of the country’s best as the team won two National Championships.

Though more likely a developmental piece for the Bills with the potential to be their long-term answer at center, there’s an opportunity for Van Pran-Granger to start immediately for Buffalo given the offseason departure of five-year starting center Mitch Morse. Connor McGovern, who started 17 games for the team at left guard last season, figures to slide over to the position, but the idea of the Bills keeping the former Dallas Cowboy at left guard while simply plugging Van Pran-Granger into the middle of its offensive line is not an egregious one.

Related: Bills C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger dubbed one of 2024 NFL Draft's 'best picks'

Van Pran-Granger showed a tenacity that Buffalo values in its offensive linemen throughout his time in Athens, this in addition to solid athleticism that should translate to the professional level. We go back to a 2021 matchup between the Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers for a highlight—watch as Van Pran-Granger pops out of his stance, quickly maneuvers to the second level, and lays out a defender to clear a path for (current Buffalo running back) James Cook. Bills fans saw Morse executive moves and blocks like this frequently throughout the former stalwart’s time in Western New York.

OT Tylan Grable

Mar 2, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Central Florida offensive lineman Tylan Grable (OL29) talks to
Mar 2, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Central Florida offensive lineman Tylan Grable (OL29) talks to / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Beane has a penchant for selecting raw, but athletically gifted offensive linemen late in drafts, as it’s potentially the most advantageous ‘low-risk, high-reward’ position to target on day three. Offensive line depth is of paramount importance in the NFL; selecting incredible athletes with late selections and hoping that your coaching staff can develop them into fieldable players certainly isn’t an ineffective utilization of the picks.

Buffalo has one of the better offensive line coaches in the NFL in the form of Aaron Kromer, who will now be tasked with developing sixth-round pick Tylan Grable. A former UCF tackle, Grable tested incredibly well athletically in the predraft process, earning a near-perfect 9.85 Relative Athletic Score.

The 6-foot-7 tackle showed tremendous improvement throughout his two seasons in Orlando, allowing 10 quarterback pressures and zero sacks in 2023 after allowing 25 total pressures and five sacks in 2022. He’s an athletically gifted ball of clay with developable, but already stout play strength—watch as he gets inside positioning on this rush and simply uses his strength to prevent the pass rusher from making any progress whatsoever.

OT Travis Clayton

Rugby player Travis Clayton shows his excitement after being drafted by the Buffalo Bills on
Rugby player Travis Clayton shows his excitement after being drafted by the Buffalo Bills on / Mandi Wright / USA TODAY NETWORK

Beane doubled up on athletically intriguing offensive line prospects on day three of the 2024 draft, selecting Travis Clayton in the seventh round after grabbing Grable in the sixth. We can’t show any of Clayton’s football highlights, however, as he doesn’t have any. He’s never taken a snap in an American football game.

A native of Basingstoke, England, Clayton grew up playing association football and rugby before transitioning to American football as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. He caught the attention of several teams with an incredible performance at an international player pro day in March, running a reported 4.79 40-yard dash at over 300 pounds.

Clayton was eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft given the fact that he’s in his fourth year out of high school, and the athletic profile was simply too much Buffalo to pass on in the seventh round. He’s a long shot to make the roster, but he’ll likely stick around Western New York for at least his rookie season; the Bills can keep Clayton on their practice squad in an exempt 17th spot given the NFL’s recently amended international player rules.

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Kyle Silagyi

KYLE SILAGYI