These 2024 late-round draft picks could start for Bills as rookies

An NFL analyst has identified two Buffalo Bills day-three picks as potential threats to challenge for starting roles at their respective positions as rookies.

Mar 3, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Georgia offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (OL69) during / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Hitting on draft picks is of significant importance to every NFL team each year, but it was of paramount consequence to the Buffalo Bills in the 2024 NFL Draft given the the turnover the team's roster experienced in the concurrent offseason.

General manager Brandon Beane made a concerted effort to make his team younger this spring, moving on from stalwart starters like Stefon Diggs, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White, and Mitch Morse to not only open up long-term salary cap flexibility, but also provide greater snap counts and opportunities to young players both new and returning to the roster.

Buffalo is counting on its recently added youth, which came in the form of value free agents looking to flourish in larger roles and 10 picks in the 2024 draft, to contribute significantly in the 2024 NFL season—and getting production out of these additions is arguably the team’s only path to success. Having a franchise-altering quarterback can cover a lot of blemishes, but at several points throughout the 2024 season, inexperienced and unproven players are going to be asked to produce in significant ways.

Beane’s prowess throughout the 2024 draft has seemingly positioned the team well in this regard. All 10 of the players whom Buffalo selected in the draft arguably have a path to the roster, with second-round picks Keon Coleman and Cole Bishop perhaps projecting as immediate starters at wide receiver and safety, respectively. One NFL draft analyst even thinks Buffalo may have landed a few starters on day three of the draft; on his recent list of 15 day three picks who “could be in line to start” for their respective teams, NFL.com’s Chad Reuter identified running back Ray Davis and center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger as two under-the-radar players who could secure starting roles.

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RB Ray Davis

Davis, the Bills’ fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft, is ranked as Reuter’s sixth-most likely day-three pick to earn a starting job, with the analyst writing “His strength through contact will be a nice complement to James Cook’s slashing style. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Davis start several games to set a tone in the run game and keep Cook fresh so he can more regularly explode for big plays.”

Though several pundits have projected Davis as a threat to challenge for the starting role in Buffalo’s backfield, Reuter’s projection of the former Kentucky Wildcat serving as an effective complement to James Cook and situational starter is perhaps more realistic. The stout Davis will undoubtedly serve a role, but Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady has a demonstrated soft spot for Cook, getting him roughly 20 touches per game after taking over as interim play-caller in Week 11 of last season.

C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger

Van Pran-Granger’s path to the starting center job isn’t too steep given the offseason departure of five-year starter Mitch Morse. The former Georgia Bulldog started over 40 games throughout his collegiate career, an attribute that allows the center to slot in at 10th on Reuter’s list.

“Connor McGovern is in line to move to center after the release of Mitch Morse this offseason, and with Ryan Bates being shipped to Chicago in March, the Bills' interior depth is limited,” Reuter wrote. “Van Pran-Granger was a stalwart for three seasons at Georgia, so he has the game to step into a starting spot if needed due to injuries or ineffectiveness of the veterans ahead of him on the depth chart."

As Reuter notes, Connor McGovern, who started all 17 games for the Bills at left guard last season, is projected to move to center in 2024, with David Edwards likely taking the vacated spot to his left. If Buffalo hopes to fill the hole left by Morse without creating another, however, one could easily envision Van Pran-Granger slotting in immediately; the only other center on the team’s depth chart is veteran journeyman Will Clapp.

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Regardless of immediate starting aspirations, Van Pran-Granger should at least serve as valuable depth in his rookie season. Though several prognosticators projected him as solely a center at the professional level, Beane stated in a recent team YouTube video that the Bills will get him snaps at guard this summer.

Though not mentioned by Reuter or necessarily threats to start, Buffalo made several other high-value selections on day three of this year's draft, namely Washington linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio, Troy pass-rusher Javon Solomon, and Penn State nickel corner Daequan Hardy. Ulofoshio projects as a depth linebacker and immediate special teams contributor while Solomon will likely factor into the team’s defensive line rotation straight away. Hardy is likely in line to return punts for the team.

Beane needed to hit on his bevy of picks in the 2024 draft in order for his team to continue to match its recent success, and it, at least initially, looks like he succeeded. The Buffalo faithful will get its first glimpse at the team’s rookie class at minicamp later this week.