Mocking The Bills: Brandon Beane gets his man

Many fans of the Buffalo Bills, myself included, have enjoyed the work done by general manager Brandon Beane since he joined the team. The club has made the playoffs in two of the three years with Beane at the helm, and his aggressive style during the NFL Draft has shown that he is not afraid to make a trade for a player he covets.

In his two drafts with the Bills, Beane has made four trades—moving up to select the player he wants each time. Just in case you forgot, here are the four trades:

- Traded picks 12, 53, and 56 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for pick number 7 (Josh Allen)

- Traded picks 22 and 65 to the Baltimore Ravens for picks 16 (Tremaine Edmunds) and pick 154 (Siran Neal).

- Traded picks 40 and 158 to the Oakland Raiders for pick 38 (Cody Ford).

- Traded picks 112 and 131 to the Washington Redskins for pick 96 (Dawson Knox).

Now that you are all caught up, it is time to discuss the trade up scenario for this week’s mock draft. As discussed in this week’s episode of Breaking Buffalo Rumblings, the free-agent crop of wide receivers leaves a bit to be desired. The draft is going to be important for the Bills to find a starter opposite John Brown, and Beane may need to get aggressive to get his man.

The Las Vegas Raiders (pick 19), the Jacksonville Jaguars (20), and the Philadelphia Eagles (21) own the three selections before the Bills in the first round. Since all three of these teams have needs at receiver, the Bills will need to move up if they do not want to settle for a player that falls to them. For the sake of this discussion, the Tremaine Edmunds trade serves as the benchmark for this trade.

Buffalo receives pick 17 from the Dallas Cowboys

Dallas receives picks 22, 86, and 149 from the Buffalo Bills

This mock draft was once again conducted using the mock draft simulator from The Draft Network.

First Round - Pick 17 - Henry Ruggs III - WR, Alabama

Ruggs may very well be the most dynamic playmaker in the 2020 NFL Draft. He has incredible speed, can make contested catches, and has the ability to make an impact from day one. While I realize the 2020 draft is deep at receiver, one could argue that Ruggs is worth the modest price it would cost to move up.

Second Round - Pick 54 - Jeff Gladney - CB, TCU

The selection of Gladney in the second round could give the Bills an immediate upgrade at cornerback. The Bills have been able to get by with Levi Wallace opposite of Tre White, but I would not be surprised if they drafted a cornerback early. Gladney also has incredible speed and the potential to be a number one corner.

Fourth Round - Pick 118 - Anthony McFarland Jr. - RB, Maryland

Another mock draft, and another running back to complement Devin Singletary. McFarland is considered a speed back, and would be a nice change-of-pace option for Buffalo. McFarland could make an impact in his rookie season as a fourth-round pick.

Fifth Round - Pick 137 - Michael Pittman Jr. - WR, USC

I was a bit surprised to see Pittman available at pick 137, but was happy to take him as a depth receiver. A strong showing in the 40 at the scouting combine would push the 6’3” receiver up draft boards, but for now he adds an element of size to the Buffalo receiving corps.

Be sure to share your thoughts on the latest edition of Mocking The Bills in the comments section below.