Having sent their 2015 first-round pick to the Browns a year ago to move up to land Sammy Watkins, the Bills are one of two teams that aren’t expected to make a pick next Thursday on day one of the draft. While trading up into the first round from No. 50 is a possibility for Buffalo, general manager Doug Whaley suggested today that it’s not a likely outcome, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com details.
“We’re going to set up our board where we’ll put a demarcation line where if we see guys fall — and we think we have a chance to go up and get, we would consider it,” Whaley said. “But I’ll tell you right now, with the lack of ammunition, I would highly, highly doubt that we [trade up]. We’d be more prone to listen to offers to move back from 50 and pick up more picks, but again, I will never say never.”
Having added Watkins a year ago, and landing pricey playmakers like LeSean McCoy, Charles Clay, and Percy Harvin this offseason, the Bills are likely to focus on adding depth at several positions rather than focusing on a big name at one position, as Whaley explains: “With what we did in free agency, we feel very comfortable with the pieces of the puzzle we have in place and we’re at that point now where we may start getting top heavy so we’re going to need the draft picks to start replenishing the roster.”
Speaking of free agents, the Bills aren’t necessarily done shopping, but they’re in no hurry to secure players like Dawan Landry and Brad Smith, despite eyeing the former Jets. Per Whaley, Buffalo plans to “slow play it,” and will pull the trigger on a deal with a free agent if it’s mutually beneficial for the two sides (Twitter link via Rodak). The team may be inclined to wait until after May 12, when free agents no longer count against the compensatory pick formula for 2016.