Mock mocking or mock marveling: Bills fill WR hole in Round 1 of Bryan DeArdo’s CBS mock draft

The Bills prioritize polish with their top pick in DeArdo’s latest mock

The 2024 NFL Draft is less than three weeks away, and with teams dedicating most of their current energy towards draft board preparation, mock drafts have begun to settle into a more predictive mindset. There aren’t likely many free-agent maneuvers left to make that can drastically shift team needs before Thursday, April 25. But the Buffalo Bills did make a change to their own future outlook when they traded wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texas last week.

With that seismic change, it means it’s time for another edition of “Mock Mocking or Mock Marveling” — this time taking into account the team’s increased present need at the wide receiver position.

Buffalo Bills fans understand that mock drafts are thought exercises. Very rarely are they intended to be intently predictive before the week of the actual NFL Draft is upon us, and mock drafts before free agency are especially volatile. They are intended to generate not just clicks, but also individual reactions to a multitude of different possibilities.

Mock drafts are also much better after free agency slows down. Prior to contracts being signed and trades being made, mock drafts can sometimes be exercises in fans yelling about what needs are more important using only their team’s first-round selection as ammunition. Thought exercises after needs have been partially or fully addressed can be of narrower focus.

That makes mock drafts like the one we’ll use today of more value than previous ones because there are seemingly fewer possibilities for each team in the first round than there were prior to free agency. And the mock drafts the week of the draft will then have more value than this one, as teams continue to position themselves to get the prospect they can then claim was “our guy all along” and whom they “can’t believe was there at our pick”.

Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports published a mock draft on Saturday, April 6 — and here’s who he had the Bills taking in the first round:

Round 1, Pick 28

Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia

Buffalo gets its receiver who can help fill the void of Stefon Diggs’ departure. While his college stats aren’t terribly impressive, McConkey stood tall in big games throughout his career at Georgia.

This article series is titled “mock mocking or mock marveling” for a reason. It’s about the gut and initial reaction that I have to the player being selected for the Bills in the selected mock draft — and in this case, the coin lands on “marveling.”

Incorrectly labeled as a “slot only” player by some despite playing over 70% of his snaps out wide (per Pro Football Focus) during his tenure at Georgia, McConkey comes into the NFL with far more route running polish than some of his peers for immediate impact. His route pacing and understanding of space are excellent — and his strong athletic showing displayed at the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl impressed throughout the week.

On an appearance with Kay Adams on “Up and Adams,” McConkey said that he had met with the Bills “a couple times” already:

Ultimately, the Bills may decide they want a wide receiver who comes in with more development already in the rearview mirror than ahead of them. If that’s the case, McConkey would be a fit late in the first round as a prospect with late Day 1, early Day 2 grades from many draft analysts. If this is the pick for the Buffalo Bills, I’ll feel good about the high floor given the skills already displayed and also his fit with Josh Allen given the quarterback’s displayed effectiveness with receivers who exhibit separation quickness and route-running nuance.

…and that’s the way the cookie crumbles. I’m Bruce Nolan with Buffalo Rumblings. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @BruceExclusive.