The Buffalo Bills headed into the NFL offseason with multiple questions at several different positions. Buffalo had the highest number of impending free agents and questions around quarterback Tyrod Taylor swirled. Thankfully, Buffalo chose to retain Tyrod and restructure his contract. Unfortunately, the Bills lost both Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin, who went to the Rams and 49ers, respectively. That left the Bills very thin at the position, with Sammy Watkins as their only real threat.
Wide Receiver Depth.
When healthy, Watkins is easily one of the best wide receivers in the entire NFL.
But that hasn't happened in the past two years and quarterbacks have struggled to find open players as a result. Justin Hunter was a nice stopgap wide receiver for the 2016 season, but he doesn't have enough talent to truly be the #2 wide receiver. Buffalo might have also signed Philly Brown, but that doesn't dramatically improve the depth in the wide receiver department.
Bills announced they reached agreement with former Panthers WR Corey “Philly” Brown.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2017
And Kolby Listenbee, who the Bills drafted last season, is still an unknown. If the Bills truly want to improve their wide receiver talent, they will be forced to spend an early draft pick on one.
Who would Buffalo draft early?
The name that has been consistently linked to the Bills is Mike Williams, star Clemson wide receiver. Williams showed off both his unbelievable height and athleticism in the national title game, two attributes that Bills receivers have lacked in the past few years. The taller receiver caught 11 touchdown passes in his final season at Clemson and would be a second star that Tyrod Taylor could rely on at the wide receiver position.
If the Bills are looking for speed, they should look no further than Washington receiver John Ross. Ross broke the 40 yard dash record, formerly held by Chris Johnson, at the NFL combine. Now the Washington wide receiver is projected as a first round pick in the NFL draft. With Kolby Listenbee already on the roster, it's hard to believe that Buffalo would choose to spend a pick on a guy like Ross, but you never know.
There are other quality players in the draft, but those are the best two wide receivers. If the Buffalo Bills are looking to improve in 2017, it would seem like they would be forced to spend a draft pick on either one of these two players or on another quality receiver in the second round.
