Buffalo Bills Draft Countdown: Wide Receivers

By all accounts, the Buffalo Bills have killed it in free agency.

Even though they released slot receiver Cole Beasley, saying goodbye to the average of 77 catches a year he delivered for three seasons, they were able to re-sign Isaiah McKenzie, his up-and-coming replacement. Then, just to be certain, they added free agent Jamison Crowder to go with McKenzie and what they expect to be an incredible 1-2 punch of Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis.

Diggs last season took care of the volume, catching 103 passes, while Davis took care of the vertical component, averaging 15.7 yards per reception in the regular season before averaging 24.5 yards on 10 catches in two playoff games. Five of those went for touchdowns, nearly equaling his regular-season total of six.

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So might the Bills be interested in using a premium pick in this year's NFL Draft on another wide receiver?

Absolutely.

Because injuries happen. Because Crowder is signed for just one season and McKenzie for two. Because you can never have too much firepower when chasing a title.

And because, unlike the NFL of yesteryear, many receivers are able to make instant impacts.

Beane offered an explanation at the NFL Scouting Combine.

"I think [it's because of] the 7-on-7s and all the passing academies," I mean, if you go to watch a junior high, maybe even below that, if you go to watch a junior high football game, they're running the spread system and, again, there's so many various passing camps, 7-on-7s. We did one in our stadium where some of the high school guys were playing.

"So I just think the passing game is -- it used to be when I played and we all played, if you threw the ball three times a game in middle school, you threw it a lot. And now they hardly run the ball. Most of them are throwing it. So I just think more receivers are being developed. And there's not two receivers now. There's three and four wide, so more players are getting the opportunity to do that."

In conclusion, don't be surprised if the Bills use one of their top three picks on a receiver. There are just too many good ones out there these days.

Here is how we line them up at SI.com's 2022 NFL Draft Bible.

Wide receiver prospects

First-round grades: Drake London, USC. Jameson Williams, Alabama. Garrett Wilson, Ohio State. Chris Olave, Ohio State.

Second-round grades: Treylon Burks, Arkansas. Christian Watson, North Dakota State. Alec Pierce, Cincinnati.

Third-round grades: Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama. George Pickens, Georgia. John Metchie III, Alabama.

Fourth-round grades and later: Justyn Ross, Clemson. Tyquan Thornton, Baylor. Kevin Austin, Notre Dame. David Bell, Purdue. Romeo Doubs, Nevada. Isaiah Weston, Northern Iowa.

Bills draft picks

Round 1 (25th overall)
Round 2 (57th overall)
Round 3 (89th overall)
Round 4 (130th overall)
Round 5 (168th overall)
Round 6 (185th overall)
Round 6 (203rd overall)
Round 7 (231st overall)

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Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.