The Buffalo Bills’ season ended on Sunday night. Following the Kansas City Chiefs’ 27-24 win, the focus for Buffalo should be on the offseason.
Buffalo has plenty of work to do to get under the salary cap while retaining some key contributors from their 2023 squad. In addition to retaining some of their own players and doing some discount shopping in free agency, Buffalo can address team needs in the 2024 NFL Draft.
There are a number of directions that the Bills could go in the first round of the draft, but ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. zeroed in on one position after watching Buffalo’s loss to Kansas City.
In his first mock draft of the season, Kiper had Buffalo selecting Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell with the No. 28 overall pick.
Here is what Kiper wrote on the selection.
I made a late change with this pick after I watched Josh Allen average 4.8 yards per attempt in the home loss to the Chiefs. His receivers struggled to get open and didn’t make enough plays after the catch once they did. Stefon Diggs hasn’t had a 100-yard game since mid-October, and Gabe Davis is now a free agent. General manager Brandon Beane can find a useful pass-catcher here.
The 6-foot-4 Mitchell broke out after transferring from Georgia, catching 55 passes for 845 yards and 11 scores for the Longhorns in 2023. He thrived on crossing routes, using his size and quickness to get separation from defenders. He has great hands. The position I almost went with? Nose tackle, because T’Vondre Sweat (Texas) could be a great fit in the middle of the Buffalo defense.
Mitchell was the sixth wide receiver off the board and one of seven wide receivers selected in Kiper’s first mock draft.