Who will the Buffalo Bills and Brandon Beane choose? Live

The 2024 NFL Draft begins tonight at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit.

The Chicago Bears will be on the clock for the No. 1 pick while the Buffalo Bills have a first-round pick at No. 28.

This is obviously a big weekend for the Bills who, due to a top-heavy salary cap situation led by Josh Allen, need to add younger, cost-controlled players who can contribute in 2024. Will Bills pick in NFL Draft? Will they take one receiver early, or maybe two? All these questions will be answered.

You can find live coverage throughout the NFL Draft here.

More: What time does the 2024 NFL Draft start today? How to watch and live stream every round

Apparently defense is optional in the NFL

We are now down to 14 picks in the first round, and no defensive players have been taken. The Raiders just selected tight end Brock Bowers from Georgia and the Saints grabbed Oregon State tackle Taliese Fuaga to keep the streak alive.

So far, six quarterbacks have been signed, three receivers and four tackles. The previous longest period before a defensive player was selected was seven in the 2021 draft, so we have now doubled that mark.

As for quarterbacks, the Falcons surprised everyone by grabbing Michael Penix from Washington, and the Broncos also made a surprise pick with Bo Nix from Oregon. I have to imagine neither fan base is thrilled, as both of these seem like pretty big reaches. We will see.

The Jets took full advantage of QB-hungry teams. They had the 10th pick, the Vikings had 11, and the Broncos had 12. They listened to offers from both teams who clearly wanted to take Michigan’s JJ McCarthy, and they made a deal with the Vikings. By dropping just one spot, the Jets also landed fourth- and fifth-round picks.

Receivers come off the board as expected

The top three receivers in this draft class were taken among the first nine picks in the first round, so now the intrigue begins for the Bills who have continually been linked to the player who is widely considered the fourth best receiver prospect, Brian Thomas .

Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. went No. 4 overall to the Cardinals, LSU’s Malik Nabers went No. 6 to the Giants and Washington’s Rome Odunze went No. 9 to the Bears.

If there was a chance that Brandon Beane would make a big move to get one of those three, we always thought it would be for Odunze because he thought he was the last one of that group taken, and he was. .

And the Chicago pick was a popular spot because the Bears started this draft with just four picks and it looked like they would consider trading No. 9 to stockpile a few more. But if Beane called Canandaigua native and Bears general manager Ryan Poles, he was rebuffed.

So now all eyes are on Thomas. There were a few mock drafts that dropped Thomas all the way to the Bills at No. 28, meaning they wouldn’t have to trade up. But No. 28 is a long shot and if Thomas is truly the player the Bills want, it’s to be expected that he won’t want to risk waiting that long.

Remember what he said during his pre-draft press conference last week when asked about a trade, something he did last year to ensure have tight end Dalton Kincaid. “If there’s a guy I like and trust,” he said, “I want to go to bed Thursday night to get him. If it happens again, I might do it. I won’t can’t really tell you if we go up, down, or draft at 28. I have no idea how that’s going to fall.

The QB parade has begun

We all know the NFL is a quarterback league and the start of the first round was a clear indication of that.

As expected, the Bears took USC’s No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, and then the intrigue around where the others would fall began. The Commanders went with LSU’s Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, and the Patriots — who have been in quarterback abyss mode since Tom Brady left — took Drake Maye from North Carolina.

Clearly, Maye will be the player of greatest interest to the Bills and their fans as he tries to do what 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones never did: give the Patriots competent play. in the most important position of the match.

Now we wait to see if the race continues as JJ McCarthy of national champion Michigan is the next highest rated QB. Or will the race for receivers begin?

If not a receiver, then what?

The broad consensus is that the Bills will find a way to grab a wide receiver in the first round on Thursday night, and several scenarios are in play.

Brandon Beane could take a huge chunk of draft capital — this year and next year — and make a huge jump from No. 28 to a spot in the top 10 to get someone like Washington’s Rome Odunze. Or they could cut a smaller share in the asset bracket and perhaps reach the mid-teens if LSU’s Brian Thomas is there.

Maybe they just stay put and take the remaining receiver they have the highest rating on, or there’s even a chance that if they don’t have a rating on anyone in the first round when their pick comes up, they return in the second round and acquire one or two additional picks.

However, what happens if none of these scenarios play out to their satisfaction? Would the bills move away from the receiver and fill a need elsewhere? That’s a real possibility, and the defensive line could be where they’re going, especially the tackle.

Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones are retained as starters, but the rotation depth includes two players on one-year contracts, Austin Johnson and Deshawn Williams. And Jones, 32, is under contract that can be extended past 2024, so there is a need to get younger at the position.

One player who might be available is Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton, who is expected to come late in the first round or early in the second. The 304-pounder was known more for his rushing ability than his game against the run. He had 18 sacks and 28.5 tackles for loss in four college seasons, and in 2022 and 2023 combined, he had 103 QB pressures, which was the most among all FBS interior linemen.

Should the Bills trade up in the first round?

Will the Bills try to trade up and acquire a receiver they could use after the Stefon Diggs trade? Or could they consider trading down to gather even more assets?

“We’ll do it both ways,” Beane said. “I think that’s the best way to prepare for each scenario. We’ll go over with the scouts the different scenarios that could happen and we’ll just play on the board.”

See what else Beane said before the draft here.

∎ Round 1: Thursday, April 25, 8 p.m. ET

∎ Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 26, 7 p.m. ET

∎ Rounds 4 to 7: Saturday, April 27, noon ET

∎ Location: Martius Park Campus and Hart Plaza, Detroit, Michigan

Buffalo Bills Draft History

The NFL Draft is, and always has been, the most important tool teams have to build their rosters.

Every year, teams that do well – and I would consider the Buffalo Bills to be one of those teams since the Sean McDermott/Brandon Beane era began in 2017 – add young, talented, relatively inexpensive pieces who continue to play. play essential roles.

A look back at the big draft picks, the finds and the busts.

What channel is the NFL Draft on?

The NFL Draft will air on NFL Network, NFL+, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes every three days. If you have an over-the-air antenna that receives ABC, you can watch the draft without a cable or live streaming subscription.

How to watch and stream the 2024 NFL Draft:

∎ Cable: NFL Network, NFL+, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes

∎ Streaming: NFL+, ESPN+, Hulu+, FuboTV

What picks do the Buffalo Bills have in the 2024 NFL Draft?

The Bills’ 10 selections are at No. 28 (1st round), No. 60 (3rd round), No. 128 (4th round), No. 133 (4th round), No. 144 (5th round). ), at n°160. (Round 5), #163 (Round 5), #200 (Round 6), #204 (Round 6) and #248 (Round 7).

Order of the 2024 NFL Draft, Rounds 1 and 2

NFL Draft First Round Order

1. Chicago Bears (from RCA)

2. Washington Commanders

3. New England Patriots

4. Arizona Cardinals

5. Los Angeles Chargers

6. New York Giants

7. Tennessee Titans

8. Atlanta Falcons

9. Chicago Bear

10. New York Jets

11. Minnesota Vikings

12. Denver Broncos

13. Las Vegas Raiders

14. New Orleans Saints

15. Indianapolis Colts

16. Seattle Seahawks

17. Jacksonville Jaguars

18. Cincinnati Bengals

19. Los Angeles Rams

20. Pittsburgh Steelers

21. Miami Dolphins

22. Philadelphia Eagles

23. Minnesota Vikings (CLE to HOU)

24. Dallas Cowboys

25. Green Bay Packers

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

27. Arizona Cardinals (from HOU)

28. Buffalo Bills

29. Detroit Lions

30. Baltimore Ravens

31. San Francisco 49ers

32. Kansas City Chiefs

Order of the second round of the NFL draft

33. Carolina Panthers

34. New England Patriots

35. Arizona Cardinals

36. Washington Commanders

37. Los Angeles Chargers

38. Tennessee Titans

39. Carolina Panthers (from NYG)

40. Washington Commanders (from CHI)

41. Green Bay Packers (from New York)

42. Houston Texans (from MIN)

43. Atlanta Falcons

44. Las Vegas Raiders

45. New Orleans Saints (from DEN)

46. ​​Indianapolis Colts

47. New York Giants (from SEA)

48. Jacksonville Jaguars

49. Cincinnati Bengals

50. Philadelphia Eagles (since NO)

51. Pittsburgh Steelers

52. Los Angeles Rams

53. Philadelphia Eagles

54. Cleveland Browns

55. Miami Dolphins

56. Dallas Cowboys

57. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

58. Green Bay Packers

59. Houston Texans

60. Buffalo Bills

61. Detroit Lions

62. Baltimore Ravens

63. San Francisco 49ers

64. Kansas City Chiefs

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NFL Draft 2024: Buffalo Bills picks, trades and live updates