The 2018 NFL Draft is fast approaching, with the first round set to begin at 8 PM Eastern on April 26. Teams are in full-on deception mode, spreading rumors and smokescreens about who they plan on selecting with their precious draft picks.
While this will be the first draft over which Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane will preside, Beane said the team has been busy this offseason doing its homework on the top college players, including the sought-after quarterback position.
The team currently possesses six of the top 96 picks, including a pair of first-rounders at number 12 and 22 overall. With plenty of areas of concern on the roster, Beane said the team has made great strides in solidifying its draft board.
“We haven’t finalized every position, but we’re pretty close. I’d say we have it down to some clumps, maybe you’ve got several DBs in the third round, I’m just making this up but, that were ‘okay, if we got into the third round and you’ve got these three corners and they’re all close’, anybody like that, we’re just kind of going back and watching film,” Beane told reporters during a pre-draft press conference at One Bills Drive. “If they were all three there and they were the best players on the board, which one would you go first, which one would you go second, which one would you go third? So we’ve got them close to where their final resting place will be, so to speak, but that’s kind of what we’re doing now. Scouts are here, and we’re basically going around [and] trying to settle some arguments in the room of how each of us sees these guys.”
One of the biggest arguments among Bills fans is what the team should do about the quarterback position, which currently features only a pair of fifth-round selections in AJ McCarron and Nathan Peterman.
While Beane refused to comment specifically on any of the top college quarterback prospects, he did confirm the team has met with all of the QB options.
“It’s part of the process,” Beane said. “At this point, we know them pretty well and as I was alluding to back in the Senior Bowl and the Combine, it’s a big part of the process. All I really would say is that they’re all great young men and there’s a reason they’re all being talked about.”