If the Buffalo Bills stay put at nine but still want to grab another top player in the 2019 NFL Draft, they could swing a trade to get back into the end of round one. There are financial incentives to doing so, as well as talent incentives, so the end of Round 1 picks can be more valuable than those at the top of the second round.
Financially, teams picking in the first round have the fifth-year option, keeping a player under team control for an extra year without breaking the bank. Instead of a franchise tag, the financial figure is much lower PLUS you have the option of franchise-tagging a year later, giving the team six or even seven years of control over the player.
So how can Buffalo move back up into the first?
Using just their second- and third-round selections, Buffalo should be able to get to about the 26th overall selection. Using the old chart, it’s pick 25. Using the more recent chart, it’s pick 27. If you add the fourth-round pick, it gets them up to the 21-23 range and Buffalo has another fourth that could solidify that range. Walking away with just two players in the first four rounds would not be ideal, but it would be two top talents.
If Buffalo instead chose to package their second-round selection with both fourth-round picks, they could get into the tail end of the first round, assuming they aren’t bidding against anyone else.
Both of these scenarios do not include players or future picks, but this should give you an idea of what it would look like.