This is the Bills' most important draft since 2018

Slot receiver? Tackle? Linebacker? The Bills should keep their pick in the first round, and they'll need to nail it. We discuss.

Apr 27, 2023

We made it.

Happy Draft Day.

And Thank You to everyone who made last night’s extravaganza at Fattey Beer Company in Orchard Park. What a fun time. This time next year, perhaps it’ll be the Buffalo Sabres on the TV screens winning in overtime. (I cannot believe this was almost 16 years ago.)

This offseason, we’ve used up plenty of ink on the Buffalo Bills’ Super Bowl window. It’s open, but it could begin to close in 2023… unless the Bills do something about it. On the field, fourth-down aggressiveness would be a nice changeup. Off it, the personnel staff has worked the financial fringes in retaining running back Nyheim Hines and adding Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty — three veterans who should all have roles.

This is also a regime that’s never drafted a wide receiver in the first three rounds. The highest GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have selected a wideout is 128th overall: Gabe Davis. After trying to plug-and-play defensive starters at the top of draft after draft after draft, is this the year the two agree another weapon is needed? Perhaps an offensive lineman to mitigate those hits on Josh Allen?

We take the conversation to the podcast. Co-host Jim Monos relives his 2017 draft with McDermott and what it was like to get fired the morning after drafting foundational pieces like Tre’Davious White, Dion Dawkins and Matt Milano. We also review all five of the Bills drafts since.

You can access the Go Long Podcast at all links, all embeds below and wherever you get podcasts.

Bob McGinn’s entire 39th Annual Draft Series is now LIVE, finishing up with the specialists this morning. McGinn will have more posts coming throughout the draft. Paid subscribers get it all:

Thanks again, everyone.

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ICYMI…