One Dream NFL Draft Trade That Could Change the Buffalo Bills Overnight

The NFL Draft is just days away, and it’s time to consider potential trade-up or trade-down possibilities for the Buffalo Bills.

There’s one player in particular who should be offered as bait in any trade scenario the team may entertain, and that’s Keon Coleman. With that said, questions remain as to how the Bills could get the most bang for their buck in a potential deal involving the former second-round pick.

Two scenarios

Buffalo holds the No. 26 overall pick in the first round, but with this year’s draft widely considered to hold fewer first-round talents than normal, there’s a distinct chance the Bills make a move before Day 1 of the selection process is through.

Of the two options — moving up and moving down in the draft order — both could make sense for the Bills. The team needs to fill a number of holes at various positions and could climb up the board to get a player they graded in the first round. However, if they feel all of their targets have been taken, a move out of the first round would be more appropriate.

Over his years of serving as the Bills’ general manager, Brandon Beane has been much more inclined to move up in the draft, doing so to select quarterback Josh Allen and tight end Dalton Kincaid, among others. However, Beane’s most recent move was out of the first round before he made Coleman the 33rd overall pick in 2024.

Best option

If you ask me, the more enticing option for the Bills this year is to move up in the first round to ensure they land one of their most sought-after prospects. And they may be able to do so by packaging Coleman with their pick late in the first round.

One team whose attention a deal of this sort may attract is the New Orleans Saints, currently slated to pick at No. 8 overall. For the Bills to move up 18 spots in the first round may seem a bit unlikely. However, if they package their first-rounder with Coleman, and potentially throw in a mid-to-late round pick in 2027, perhaps a deal could be struck.

New Orleans is entering its first full season with Tyler Shough at quarterback and is in desperate need of wide receiver help after it traded Rashid Shaheed at the deadline last year. Chris Olave is the team’s No. 1 target, but the Saints need more.

Enter Coleman, who, although he has experienced a disappointing start to his career, maintains the physical traits to develop into a strong NFL wide receiver. The added draft capital would also help a team like the Saints reset their challenging salary-cap situation.

A lot to consider

From a Bills fan’s perspective, at face value, it wouldn’t appear as if Coleman would attract many teams to acquire his services. He averaged just 10.6 yards per reception during his second professional season, down almost nine yards from his mark set the year before. He also faced disciplinary issues in his second professional season, leading to him being benched for multiple games.

However, he was made a second-round pick for a reason, and perhaps a change of scenery would do him good. At least, that’s what the Bills would be selling the Saints on in a potential trade.

From Buffalo’s point of view, leaping all the way to a top-10 pick would be a godsend for a team that needs to bring in starting-caliber players at edge rusher, linebacker, cornerback and more before the draft wraps up. And in the meantime, they would also be cutting bait on one of their biggest draft busts under Beane’s leadership.

It may take some extra convincing or an additional pick to sweeten the deal, but a swap of first-rounders while the Saints get Coleman would be a dream trade for the Bills that would allow them to bring in an impressive talent with higher upside than Coleman, such as Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, to help fill the role left behind by the former second-rounder's exit.

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