And just like that, the 2023 NFL Draft is in the books. Per usual, it was a wild and unexpected ride, starting with all the Round 1 action. Day 2 and Day 3 delivered surprises of their own. Some teams capitalized on the opportunity, while others came up short. Let’s take a look at the 2023 NFL Draft recap, analysis, and grades for the Buffalo Bills. NFL Draft analysts Andrew Erickson and Thor Nystrom combine to provide their thoughts below.

• NFL Draft Grades for Every Team
• Thor’s Draft Grades (AFC | NFC)
• NFL Draft Day 1 Winners & Losers (Day 2 | Day 3)
• Fitz’s Round 1 NFL Draft Picks: Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook (Day 2 | Day 3)
• Latest Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft

2023 NFL Draft Recap, Analysis & Grades: Buffalo Bills

NFL Draft analysts Andrew Erickson and Thor Nystrom combine to provide their thoughts below.

Thor Nystrom’s Overview & Grades

Buffalo Bills | Draft Grade: A

The Bills came into Draft Weekend with a need for a compliment to WR Stefon Diggs. They addressed that with the best receiver in the class – TE Dalton Kincaid. Don’t let Kincaid’s position designation fool you.

Last fall, Kincaid posted the No. 1 PFF receiving grade in this tight end class. He can beat you at every sector of the field. Despite getting peppered with targets while drawing ample coverage attention, Kincaid posted a minuscule 2.8% drop rate. Only two tight ends in this class have bigger mitts than Kincaid’s 10 1/4-inch vice grips. I expect him to be the Bills’ second-most targeted player in 2023. Josh Allen is going to make great use of Kincaid’s ability to win downfield.

In Round 2, the Bills stole OG O’Cyrus Torrence. Torrence is a superb OG prospect who didn’t give up a sack over his four-year college career. When his first-baseman-mitt-sized hands (11 1/4″) latch onto you, it’s night-night. Nuclear reactor play strength.

Some teams were concerned about Torrence’s medicals, likely leading to his fall. This was surprising in and of itself. Torrence sprained his MCL last year, but 40.8% of NFL Combine participants historically previously suffered an MCL sprain. It’s a common injury.

I’m a big fan of LB Dorian Williams, an athletic linebacker with long arms who excels in coverage and cleans up messes (131 tackles last year). The Bills badly needed an off-ball linebacker, but couldn’t address the need with their first two picks because of the way the board fell. Williams is more than a consolation prize – he may well start as a rookie.

Andrew Erickson’s Overview & Grades

Josh Allen gets another weapon right off the bat. And the Bills can never have too many weapons in the arms race AFC. With the top WRs off the board, Buffalo invested a first-round pick into Dalton Kincaid (traded up), who projects as a hybrid slot receiver in the Bills offense. Dawson Knox (RIP his fantasy value) led all tight ends last season in passer rating generated (137.5) from the slot last season.

The Bills scooped up more first-round talent in O’Cyrus Torrence, who fell all the way to pick No. 59. He helps plug the interior – that ranked 5^th worst in run-blocking per PFF last season — as my highest-ranked guard in the class. Torrence finished 2022 as the highest-graded guard in the nation in his first season as a Gator after transferring from Louisiana-Lafayette. His overall blown block percentage (1%) ranks No. 2 in the 2023 guard class per Sports Info Solutions.

In Round 3, Buffalo bolstered their linebacker room with Dorian Williams. He finished 7th in the nation in tackles, as PFF’s 16th-highest-graded linebacker. Specifically, the undersized defender thrived in coverage with a top-10 coverage grade per PFF. A great addition to combat the loss of Tremaine Edmunds.

FINAL DRAFT GRADE: A-

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