Who will Bills draft in 1st round? See what experts are saying
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- The NFL Draft begins Thursday night, and the Bills currently hold the 28th overall selection in the first round. What they will do with it, however, remains a mystery.
Experts from around the NFL media landscape have been completing mock drafts for months, and WIVB News 4 compiled 30 recent projections to determine a consensus on Buffalo's first-round selection.
Shocker: most experts have the Bills taking a wide receiver in the first round.
Buffalo is especially thin at the receiver spot following the departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis this offseason. Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, Mack Hollins and Justin Shorter are currently the only receivers signed to the roster.
If Buffalo stays put at 28th overall, the most popular pick is Texas' Adonai Mitchell, who was mocked to the Bills 11 times. Not far behind is LSU's Brian Thomas Jr., with some experts projecting the Bills could trade up to snag him, while others think he could fall to No. 28. Another Texas receiver, Xavier Worthy, was picked to Buffalo five times across the compiled mock drafts.
Draft analysts have hailed this year's receiving class as one of the deepest in a long time, and the consensus top three of Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze will almost certainly be gone by the time the Bills are on the clock -- unless the Bills made a massive leap up the board.
Will Buffalo trade up? Seven mock drafts either had the Bills moving up to select a receiver or indicated they would, good for just under 25%.
You can view each mock draft that WIVB compiled below:
Buffalo Kickoff Live Mock Draft (April 16)
Heather Prusak, WIVB: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
Thad Brown, WROC: Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
Tim Graham, The Athletic: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
Sal Capaccio, WGR550: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Matt Parrino, Syracuse.com: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
Other NFL mock drafts
Charles Davis, NFL.com (April 24): Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
Yahoo Sports Staff (April 24): Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
Sporting News (April 24): Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports (April 24): Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports (April 24): Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Josh Edwards, CBS Sports (April 24): Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports (April 24): Jer'Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois
Kyle Stackpole, CBS Sports (April 24): Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports (April 24): Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
ESPN NFL Nation (April 23): Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
R.J. White, CBS Sports (April 23): Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU*
*Mock trade: Bills receive Nos. 20, 84, Seahawks receive Nos. 28, 60, 160
Bucky Brooks, NFL.com (April 23): Jer'Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois
Rob Rang, Fox Sports (April 23): Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU*
*Mock trade: Bills receive No. 16, Seahawks receive Nos. 28, 60
Danny Heifetz, The Ringer (April 23): Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk (April 23): Rome Odunze, WR, Washington*
*Mock trade: Bills trade with Broncos to move to No. 12
NBC Sports Staff (April 23): Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
Ben Solak, The Ringer (April 22): Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Josh Edwards, CBS Sports (April 24): Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Eric Edholm, NFL.com (April 22): Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Jordan Reid, ESPN (April 22): Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
PFF Analysts (April 22): Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Chad Reuter, NFL.com (April 19): Marshawn Kneeland, Edge, Western Michigan
Dan Parr, NFL.com (April 18): Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
Dane Brugler, The Athletic (April 17): Brian Thomas Jr., LSU, WR*
*Mock trade: Bills receive No. 17, Jaguars receive Nos. 28, 133, 144, 2025 second-round pick
Connor Rogers, NBC Sports (April 17): Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon
Peter Schrager, Good Morning Football (April 16): Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas