Bills NFL draft live updates: Buffalo trades for an extra pick in 6th round
The NFL Draft got off to quite a start Thursday night when the Panthers selected Alabama quarterback Bryce Young No. 1 overall, and then Houston made two major moves back-to-back, selecting Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud at No. 2, and trading a hefty package of picks to move up to No. 3 where they grabbed Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson.
As for the Bills, general manager Brandon Beane made his own trade, moving up two spots from No. 27 to Jacksonville's spot at 25 to pick Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid.
On Friday, the Bills chose Florida guard O'Cyrus Torrence in the second and and Tulane linebacker Dorian Williams in the third round.
And Saturday, thanks to a trade, the Bills have three third-day picks, one in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Buffalo Bills draft picks 2023: Round-by-round selections and analysis
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You can follow along here all weekend as the draft moves along with live updates, and not just when the Bills make a move. For now, here's a look back at what happened Thursday.
Hey, the Bills finally made another pick
The draft was supposed to be wrapped up for the Bills when they made the 205th pick in the sixth round. Well, Beane had something to say about that. He went into trade frenzy mode and made two more deals which ultimately knocked the Bills out of the sixth round, landed them two picks in the seventh, plus two picks in the sixth round of the 2024 draft.
When he finally decided to stop trading and just pick somebody, it was Mississippi offensive lineman Nick Broeker. The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder was a three-year starter for the Rebels and in 2022 he was a first-team All-SEC selection as he did not allow a sack in 432 pass snaps. He was also named winner of the Kent Hull trophy which is presented to the best offensive lineman among all colleges in Mississippi. It is named for the late Bills center, Kent Hull.
Justin Shorter becomes Bills tallest receiver
The Bills fifth-round pick began his career at Penn State and then transferred to Florida, catching a total of 110 passes for 1,552 yards and eight touchdowns in his 48-game career. Last season he averaged 19.9 yards per reception so he does have some big-play ability to his game.
One thing he will give the Bills, if he can make the team, is size. At 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds, he now becomes the largest receiver on the team. Again, his size isn't going to matter if he doesn't get on the field, and on this team, that likely isn't happening in 2023 as he'll probably be a practice squad player.
Bills add linebacker Dorian Williams in third round
Dorian Williams is listed as a linebacker, but it sure seems like he plays more like a down in the box safety, a fast, athletic player who won't necessarily be in the mix to replace Tremaine Edmunds in the middle of Buffalo's defense.
He seems to be very similar physically to last year's third-round pick, Terrel Bernard. He's 6-foot-1 and weighs 228 pounds and there was no doubt he was a willing tackler as he made 311 during his three seasons as a starter at Tulane.
One thing we do know about Williams is he is said to be a special teams guru, and we all know how much the Bills covet their special teamers.
More: Buffalo Bills take tackling machine Dorian Williams in 3rd round of NFL Draft
Bills upgrade offensive line by picking O'Cyrus Torrence
The Bills didn’t really fill a specific need Thursday night in the first round of the NFL Draft when they took tight end Dalton Kincaid.
But when their turn came up at No. 59 in the second round Friday, they added one of the highest-rated interior offensive linemen in the draft by selecting Florida guard O’Cyrus Torrence.
Torrence is a 6-foot-5, 330-pound road grader who should be able to come in and push Ryan Bates for the starting job at right guard, while veteran free agents Connor McGovern and David Edwards battle it out on the left side.
More: Buffalo Bills take massive guard O'Cyrus Torrence in 2nd round of NFL Draft
Dolphins add to their defense
Miami has watched Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs shred their defense the last three years. Now, they have to also worry about Aaron Rodgers and the Jets, so with the Dolphins' first pick of this draft at No. 51 overall was spent on cornerback Cam Smith from South Carolina.
Smith has good size at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, and he also was a player for the Gamecocks who made things interesting according to Dane Brugler of The Athletic. "Wild tendencies and unrefined technique are the concerns, but Smith has all the talent necessary to be a longtime NFL starter if he makes the necessary adjustments," Brugler wrote in his draft guide. "He can work either inside or outside and will fit best in a zone-heavy scheme."
Tight ends are flying off the board in round two
Dalton Kincaid was the only tight end taken in the first round, and maybe the Bills were on to something. In the first 11 picks of the second round, three tight ends have come off the board, proving that this was one of the best tight end classes in recent memory.
Sam LaPorta of Iowa went to the Lions, Notre Dame's Michael Mayer went to the Raiders, and Oregon State's Luke Musgrave went to the Packers. Rarely, if ever, have four tight ends been picked within the first 42 selections of a draft.
Syracuse OL Matthew Bergeron goes to Falcons
The first player from the Orange went No. 38 overall to the Falcons. Bergeron is a 6-foot-5, 318-pounder who played left tackle and right tackle during his 39-start career, but he's most likely going to move inside to play for Atlanta.
Bergeron is the highest Syracuse draft pick since fellow offensive tackle Justin Pugh was taken No. 19 overall by the New York Giants in 2013.
"Bergeron is very efficient in his movements and grades well as a run blocker, but his inconsistent base and hand placement are gateway issues that disrupt his rhythm and ability to finish, especially in space." Brugler wrote. "He has NFL starting talent, although his skills might be maximized inside as a zone-blocking guard."
Bergeron helped Syracuse's Kyle Tucker have a fine career, but now he'll be blocking for Bijan Robinson who was taken No. 8 overall by the Falcons in the first round.
Quarterback Will Levis' long wait is over
The Kentucky quarterback was the sad story of Thursday night. A projected first-round pick, he sat around in the green room waiting for his name to be called and it never was. That's never easy.
However, he didn't have to hang around too long Friday as he was taken by the Titans with the second pick of the second round at No. 33 overall. It's a pretty solid move for Tennessee because many analysts thought the Titans would pick Levis in the first round at No. 11. They rolled the dice and he was still sitting there at the top of the second round Friday so they made a trade with the Cardinals to go up from their No. 41 position.
Bills trade up two spots, take TE Dalton Kincaid
Brandon Beane saw the run on wide receivers and if he had any designs on getting one at No. 27, they were dashed. So he made a quick pivot to tight end, and knew he would have to jump ahead of the Cowboys at No. 26 to procure the one he wanted, Kincaid, who played his college ball at Utah.
To make the move, Beane traded away his fourth-round pick, No. 130 overall, so as of now the Bills have only four picks remaining in this draft.
More: Buffalo Bills trade up in 1st round, select Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid
The wide receiver run begins at No. 20 overall
This was considered a weaker than normal year at the wide receiver position and that appears to be how NFL GMs see it. None went until Seattle took Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the 20th pick, and once that happened, the faucet began running.
Four receivers came off the board in succession .The Chargers took TCU's Quentin Johnston at No. 21, the Ravens made it three in a row by taking Boston College's Zay Flowers, and the Vikings picked Jordan Addison of USC.
There was a good chance all four players were going to be taken before the Bills' 27th overall pick, so there really are no surprises there, but it was surprising that Smith-Njigba lasted as long as he did. Given their needs, the first round has not fallen well for the Bills.
Patriots go defense with cornerback Christian Gonzalez
The Patriots brought in wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster as a free agent to join DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton. Now, if that seems a little underwhelming, that's because it is. Mac Jones needs help, but Bill Belichick decided to add to his defense by picking Gonzalez at No. 17.
New England was originally scheduled to pick at No. 14 but the Steelers traded up to select offensive tackle Broderick Jones. Gonzalez was a top 10 pick in many mock drafts so this is good value for the Patriots, and it also helps New England get armed up to defend the great QBs they face in AFC East including Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers.
Jets add to their defense with edge rusher Will McDonald
New York already has a stout defensive line with Quinnen Williams, Jermaine Johnson, Carl Lawson and John Franklin-Myers, and they added to it by selecting McDonald out of Iowa State.
There were some draft analysts who had McDonald in the lower half of the first round, but several gave him a second-round projection so we'll see what he ends up being. Know this, though. Jets coach Robert Saleh is a heck of a defensive coach, so he surely has a specific role in mind for the lithe 6-foot-3, 239-pound McDonald.
"Overall, McDonald is more toolsy than seasoned and might never become the sum of his parts, but his natural length, flexibility and explosiveness are an enticing combination," Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote in his draft guide. "He projects as a sub package pass rusher as an NFL rookie with the potential to be more down the road."
Bijan Robinson goes to the Falcons
There were so many mock drafts out there that had the Texas running back going to the Bills at No. 27, but that was never going to happen.
First of all, Robinson was never getting down that far, and that certainly proved true as he went to Atlanta at No. 8 overall. But also, it would have been pure folly for the Bills to take a running back in the first round. They have three perfectly capable players on the roster with James Cook, Damien Harris and Nyheim Hines. They have other far more pressing needs.
And then a few picks later came a real shocker. Another running back, Jahmyr Gibbs, went to the Lions at No. 11. Gibbs was also a player who was mocked in a few drafts to the Bills. Again, I never believed more a moment the Bills were picking either player.
We have our first trade: Texans make a big move
After picking C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 pick, the Texans made a huge move to acquire the next pick, making a trade with the Cardinals so they could select Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson.
Houston sent the 12th overall pick, the 33rd overall pick (second round), and first- and third-round picks in 2024 to the Cardinals so they could jump up 10 slots. They also received Arizona's pick at No. 105 overall in the fourth round.
Anderson was widely considered the best edge rusher in this draft. Brugler wrote in his draft guide, "He is a scheme-proof game-wrecker with Pro Bowl potential."
Panthers tab Bryce Young with No. 1 overall pick
Why it took the Panthers almost the full 10 minutes to pick the Alabama quarterback No. 1 is a mystery. Then again, it happens every year. If the draft starts at 8:10, the first pick should be announced at 8:11, but the issue is that all the talking heads at ESPN and NFL Network wouldn't have enough to babble on as they have for the previous three months.
Anyway, we're off and running and no one is really surprised that Young was the choice. The only real issue with him is his height, not quite 6-feet, but he certainly has the winning traits you look for in a franchise QB.
And with the next pick, the Texans did the expected and selected Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. There were so many opinions back and forth about these two players and which one was better than the other. Both had tremendous resumes, and it came down to nothing more than Carolina feeling Young was the best fit for coach Frank Reich and his offense.
Lamar Jackson finally signing his new contract
One of the most eagerly awaited transactions finally went down Thursday afternoon when the Ravens announced they had re-signed their star quarterback to a five-year, $260 million contract with $185 million guaranteed.
Jackson thus avoids the uncomfortable situation of playing the 2023 season under the franchise tag, something he did not want to do. From the Ravens standpoint, they did not buckle to his demand for his contract to be full guaranteed.
This was a deal that many felt might happen before the draft began, and it did, but there was also speculation that the Ravens might do something spectacular and trade Jackson for a massive draft pick compensation package.
"You know, for the last few months, there's been a lot of he's said, she's said," Jackson said in a video. "A lot of nail-biting, a lot of head scratching going on, but for the next five years, it's a lot of flock going on. Let's go, baby. Let's go. Let's go, man. Can't wait to get there. Can't wait to be there. Can't wait to light up M&T (Bank Stadium) for the next five years, man. Let's get it."
More: Buffalo Bills need immediate impact in 2023 NFL Draft. Here's why
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: NFL Draft 2023: Buffalo Bills picks, trades, live updates
