Halfway through the 2018 NFL season, and coming off the most recent loss of a three-game losing streak, the Buffalo Bills would be in possession of the fourth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, if it were to be held today. ESPN Insider and walking factoid Field Yates reports that at 2-6, the Bills are tied with the 2-6 Arizona Cardinals and are currently behind only the 1-7 New York Giants, the 1-7 San Francisco 49ers and the 1-6 Oakland Raiders. If this current order were to continue until the end of the regular season, it would be the earliest draft pick the team has owned since the 2011 Draft where they picked defensive tackle Marcell Dareus third overall.
At the midway point of the season, the (very early) race for the number one pick in the 2019 NFL draft.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 30, 2018
1. Giants (1-7)
2. 49ers (1-7)
3. Raiders (1-6)
4. Bills (2-6)
5. Cardinals (2-6)
6. Browns (2-5-1)
7. Colts (3-5)
8. Jets (3-5)
9. Jaguars (3-5)
10. Broncos (3-5)
Looking ahead a bit, the Raiders and the 49ers are set to square off this Thursday, which will (hopefully?) guarantee a win for at least one of the participants. Then the following week, the 49ers face-off against the Giants and the Cardinals play the Raiders, again, ensuring that at least two of the teams come away the unlucky victor.
With the Bills on track to start quarterback Nathan Peterman for the foreseeable future, it’s hard to imagine the Bills winning many more games, which means that the team is sitting pretty in race for the first overall pick of the 2019 Draft.