2023 NFL Draft: Bills GM Brandon Beane Breaks Down Trade That Sent Anton Harrison to Jaguars
With the selection of Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison at pick no. 27 in the first round of last week’s draft, Jacksonville was able to trade back with the Buffalo Bills and still acquire their man but they didn’t make it easy on them.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane had their sights set on the offensive side of the ball but just needed to get through Jacksonville to acquire their man. In an interview on Chris Long’s Green Light podcast, Beane explained that the phone call with Jaguars general manager Trent Baakle basically got down to a point where they had to tell him the pick before Jacksonville would even consider an offer.
“He’s [Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke] like well, you’re going to have to tell me who you’re taking,” Beane said. “I was like, Trent I don’t want to necessarily tell you who I’m taking.”
Baalke would not stop there, however, with the Jaguars' general manager being adamant in his questioning of Beane.
“Well, we’re going to have to figure this out some way or another,” Baalke told Beane on draft night. “If I don’t know that you’re not taking my guy I’m not moving back.”
After over two minutes of speculation and uncertainty, the two teams did ultimately strike on a deal, with the Bills getting their preferred target in Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid, while the Jaguars secured help in the trenches only two picks later.
The conversation between the two general managers shows that there is a lot more to a draft day decision than simply sticking to your board and turning in a slip.
"Again, without going into where we had guys valued on the board, because that doesn't help us long-term, we felt really good about the pick. There was no sense in trying," Baalke said after the draft.
"Had opportunities to move back some more. We felt at that point in time there was too much risk involved. We felt really good about the pick. Coach and I looked at each other and said, let's make the pick.”
Teams will come calling in an aggressive pursuit of their draft-day targets and general managers on the other side of the phone have to weigh which is more beneficial, moving back and acquiring more draft capital while risking the loss of a potential target, or staying put.
For the Jaguars, the decision to trade back two spots proved beneficial, with the team still able to net Harrison while adding a 2023 fourth-rounder, which they used on Oklahoma State defensive end Tyler Lacy.
