Texas’ Adonai Mitchell, gesturing to the crowd after a touchdown against Alabama, checks a lot of boxes as a potential Bills draft target. Associated Press
The Buffalo Bills still have what look like viable wide receiver options early in the second round of the NFL draft Friday.
The top wideouts on the board are:
- Texas’ Adonai Mitchell, who ranked No. 23 overall on The News’ composite draft ranking.
- Georgia’s Ladd McConkey, No. 30.
- Florida State’s Keon Coleman, No. 37.
- Oregon’s Troy Franklin, No. 46.
- Washington’s La’Lynn Polk, No. 59.
- Michigan’s Roman Wilson, No. 61.
The other top-ranked players still on the board: cornerback-safety Cooper DeJean (No. 20), defensive tackle Johnny Newton (No. 25), center Jackson Powers-Johnson (No. 28), cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (No. 29).
The Bills also hold pick No. 60 in the second round. Edge rusher and safety arguably are the top priorities.
At safety, players who could be a good value at No. 60 include Georgia’s Javon Bullard and Utah’s Cole Bishop. Both are versatile, with the ability to play center field and closer to the line of scrimmage. Bullard has 22 career starts. He spent a lot of time covering the slot in 2022 but was more of a deep safety in 2022. He has good instincts. Bishop likewise has good instincts. He has 29 career starts. In 2023 he had 60 tackles, two interceptions and three sacks.
If the Bills are looking for a ball-hawking safety who can patrol deep, they may consider Kamren Kinchens of the University of Miami. He has 27 career starts and 11 career interceptions. They might be able to trade down from 60 and get him a bit later.
Edge rushers may be harder to find at No. 60. One possibility is Alabama’s Chris Braswell, who is a bit undersized but has some speed off the edge. He’s a 251-pounder who had eight sacks last season. Another is Kansas’ Austin Booker. He also is undersized, at just 240 pounds. The Bills don’t usually go for a defensive end with that kind of frame, but Booker has upside and shows potential to rush with speed off the edge. Booker may have less of a chance than Braswell of lasting to No. 60.