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The Buffalo Bills have been squarely in the Super Bowl conversation for the past couple of years. This year, many are questioning whether they have what it takes. The team insists the window is not closed. However, the Buffalo Bills draft mistakes have led to a shaky Super Bowl outlook for 2023.
Buffalo Bills Draft Mistakes: Why It Is A Big Deal
Drafting players is hard. No one is perfect. Even the best general managers have complete whiffs on their resume. However, for contenders, having at least decent drafts is necessary. Rookies are on cheap deals. It gives a massive advantage to a team when they have cheap talent on the team. As a team tries to make a Super Bowl run, it often is paired with signing high-level talent. In order to fill out the team, the draft becomes essential.
The Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs did this to perfection last season. By no means have they had a perfect draft history but they have hit on some key players. In 2021 Noah Gray was taken in the fifth round who has been a quality backup behind Travis Kelce. George Karlaftis and Skyy Moore made contributions to last year’s Super Bowl team. The biggest hit was Isiah Pacheco in the seventh round who became the team’s top running back. By no means is this a perfect draft history but they have hit on enough people that it helps fill in the gaps on the roster.
Begins In 2019
The team took Josh Allen in 2018. While he was a project, the next drafts were essential for long term success. The best three players from the 2019 draft were first round pick Ed Oliver, Devin Singletary, and Dawson Knox. Oliver has underperformed with only 15 sacks in 63 games. They did resign him but he has not been the high impact player that the team was hoping for. Singletary was a quality back but running backs are easy to replace nowadays. Knox went to a Pro Bowl once but the team just drafted his replacement in Dalton Kincaid. This is probably the best draft they have had in the past four years.
2020 Draft
The team did not have a first round pick thanks to the Stefon Diggs trade which was absolutely the right move. However, it left the team needing to hit on some mid-round picks. The best player from this draft is kicker Tyler Bass. That is not who you want your best player from a draft class to be. AJ Epenesa was the first player they picked and he only has 9 sacks in 44 games. Zack Moss was yet another running back they were hoping to be amazing and Gabriel Davis has been slated to take a leap for the last two years. At some point, it probably isn’t happening. This is another draft where had a couple of these players turned into real stars, it would’ve helped solidify the roster.
2021 Draft: More Of The Same
The Bills went into 2021 trying to fix the offensive and defensive lines. Here is probably where the Buffalo Bills draft mistakes are most prevalent. With their first two picks they chose Gregory Rousseau and Boogie Basham. Similar to the other drafts, these players have been just okay. With the next two picks, Spencer Brown and Tommy Doyle were brought in try and solidify the line. The protection was still shaky around Allen. Damar Hamlin is the only other player of note that was taken in this draft. While he is a great storyline, I wouldn’t say he is an elite talent on the field.
2022 Draft: Trying To Fix Previous Errors
This draft was really the last chance to solidify holes on the roster. It turned into a draft of trying to fix past mistakes. Kaiir Elam was drafted to help an aging secondary. James Cook was supposed to be the back that would finally be the featured back in Buffalo that would take pressure off of Allen. Khalil Shakir was another attempt at a second wide receiver behind Diggs. None of them really have worked out. The team keeps trying to convince us that Cook is going to be a top back in the league but in the first two years, we haven’t seen it.
Outlook In 2023
The Buffalo Bills draft mistakes are finally starting make a difference in the Super Bowl chances. Why are people high on the Bills in 2023? It’s Josh Allen. His track record from the past couple of years has shown us that he can lead a team to double digit wins regardless of talent. Outside of that, what does this team have? The defense is full of aging stars and underperforming high draft picks. The offense is Allen and Diggs with the prayer that someone else steps up their game. It makes their Super Bowl hopes very fragile.
Any Hope In The 2023 Class?
Dalton Kincaid was one of the top tight end prospects and, assuming Allen doesn’t simply chuck it deep every time, should be a dangerous weapon on offense. O’Cyrus Torrence is another prospect that I was obsessed with coming into the draft. I love him for the Bills and if he can be a top interior lineman, it will help the Bills drastically. The others remain to be seen but again, teams do not need their entire draft class to be stars. A couple of quality starters is enough to call the draft a success.
2023 Super Bowl Outlook
The Buffalo Bills draft mistakes haven’t completely dashed their title hopes. I still have them as a contender. However it is fragile and we saw it on Monday night. If Allen plays poorly, this team is going to struggle to win even against a Zach Wilson-led Jets team. If Allen plays like an MVP, this team should be fine. That is not where you want to be as a team. 2023 may finally be the year or it might be the year that the Buffalo Bills draft mistakes finally come back to bite them.
