Bills 'More Likely' to Trade Down in Draft, Says GM Brandon Beane

The Buffalo Bills are preparing for the NFL Draft and may be even considering moving down.

Author:
Harrison Reno
Publish date:
Apr 18, 2023 6:43 PM EDT

In this story:

All options are being considered by the Buffalo Bills ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, whether trading up or down. But now, general manager Brandon Beane is giving Bills Mafia a clue on what to expect a little more than a week in advance.

“I'll tell you, if I was in Vegas right now putting money down, I would say if we were going to do anything, it'd be more likely to go back then go up," Beane said Tuesday.

But Beane jokingly questioned himself, showing that he's obviously still not sure how things will play out during the craziness that tends to happen during the draft.

"But listen, you're talking to a guy who gets antsy at times and goes up and gets guys so Vegas probably would still go against what I just suggested," he said.

Picking late, at No. 27 overall, is just the price that the Bills pay for being a playoff team. This makes it harder for them to rely on the Draft to help fill some of their needs, like an offensive tackle.

By the time Buffalo is on the clock at No. 27, likely, all of the tackles that had a first-round grade are likely off the board. So if that is the case, then it makes sense for the Bills to trade back, even if it means not making a pick until the second round.

It was a scenario previously explored by Syracuse.com in one of their mock drafts. The mock had the Bills trading the No. 27 pick to the Los Angeles Rams for their No. 36 and No. 69 overall picks in exchange. It ended up seeing the Bills fill some of their biggest needs without the comfort of a first-round pick.