NFL analyst says Bills will ‘regret’ allowing Chiefs to select WR Xavier Worthy

A significant portion of the Bills Mafia did not hit the pillow with smiles on their faces on the night of April 25.

They had just spent several hours of the 2024 NFL Draft, eyes glued to the TV screen or social media (or both), as they anxiously awaited the Buffalo Bills’ first selection. Fans were simply eager to see the team land a potential franchise cornerstone, add a young and exciting player after an offseason in which the Bills parted ways with several loyal starters.

Fans collectively held their breath when Buffalo ran down the clock at pick No. 28. Some emptied their lungs and filled the air with expletives when he didn’t make the pick himself, instead trading the selection to the Kansas City Chiefs.

As expected, the decision was met with mixed reactions from fans; some thought the value the Bills received in the deal (they turned a fourth-round pick into a third) was fair, while others fundamentally disagreed with the idea of ​​trading with the team who has eliminated Buffalo in three of the last four playoff series. and allow them to select a player they obviously coveted. That player would end up being Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who broke a record at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine by running a 4.21-second 40-yard dash.

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The Bills would ultimately select a wide receiver themselves after trading again, grabbing Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman with the 33rd overall pick in the draft. Those who were initially apprehensive about the trade have largely come around thanks to the impact Coleman has already had on the Buffalo faithful, but some around the league still question the team’s decision to trade for a club that it clearly has difficulty overcoming in the playoffs.

Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox falls into this category; In a recent article detailing 10 moves made during the 2024 NFL offseason that teams will end up regretting, the analyst suggested that Buffalo would ultimately have second thoughts about allowing Kansas City to select its wide receiver choice.

“Here’s a new thought. If you’re a viable AFC contender who has struggled to get past the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs, perhaps you’ll trade up in the draft so your conference rival can land the fastest receiver in the history of the group. is not it such a great idea,” Knox wrote. “. . . While the Bills may not regret bringing in Coleman instead of taking Worthy for themselves, actively helping the defending champions improve could turn out to be a huge mistake.

“Kansas City must have felt they needed to trade up to become worthy. If the team that ended your playoff runs in three of the last four seasons is calling a specific player, maybe you shouldn’t pick up the phone. The Bills did it, and they’ll regret it if Worthy helps the Chiefs win a third straight Lombardi Trophy.

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Knox’s argument brings to mind an old sports adage often used by players, coaches and executives: “You can’t play with fear.” When looking to trade in the draft, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane was simply looking for the best deal, without much consideration of the source of the deal. He thought of her team and what he needed to do to improve it, without actively caring about what another club was doing to improve. The Chiefs presented an offer that Beane said made the Bills better, and he accepted — at the end of the day, that’s really all you can ask of an executive.

Beane spoke about his logic regarding the drop during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show end of April :

“Anytime we trade someone, if people think you should take a player there — offensive, defensive, in this case, receiver — you’re always going to get criticized,” Beane said. “It will ultimately have to be played out on the field, with the players we acquired (and) the player they acquired. It’s not like we traded the player to Kansas City; I understand that narrative, like if we traded Stefon Diggs to Kansas City, “well, why would you trade him there?”

“You don’t really know who someone is going to select when you trade with them. They’re not going to call and say, “Hey, we’re trading up and we’re going to take this player.” » And if you don’t trade with them and choose another player, they can always trade with someone else. I never understood this story; I’m sure they didn’t just call the Buffalo Bills to trade, they probably called other teams as well.