Wide receiver Stefon Diggs had a dramatic decline at the end of the previous campaign, and according to an insider, the Buffalo Bills may be searching for a new No. 1 for Josh Allen in the upcoming campaign.
The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer projected that the Bills would select a large target with their first-round pick, someone who would counteract Diggs’ decline and combine with two other young pass-catchers to create a new offensive core.
Flexible Wide Receiver Selected by the Bills in Mock Draft
Iyer projected that LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. would be selected by the Bills with their No. 28 overall selection. He wrote that the 6-foot-4, 205-pound pass-catcher would have the potential to develop into a “classic” No. 1 receiver for the Bills.
“Gabe Davis is a pending free agent and Stefon Diggs is showing signs of decline at 30 years old, but the Bills have two good key young targets for Josh Allen in Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid,” Iyer wrote. Thomas would provide Allen with the traditional large-framed No. 1 because of his strength, physicality, hands, and ability to run routes.
In their scouting report, Bleacher Report highlighted Thomas’s enormous potential and said he could be a valuable asset to a team that enjoys throwing the ball down the field, like the Bills do with Allen at quarterback.
“Thomas has the big-play ability to be an effective NFL weapon. Players with his size, speed, and quick burst are hard to come by, the report said. Thomas is still a young receiver in his growth and development, but he has a lot of positive traits to work with even though he might not be the most complete receiver just yet. The ideal situation for Thomas would be a vertical offense that makes use of his field-stretching skills.
Stefon Diggs is still ranked #1 by the Bills
The Bills have stated that Diggs will remain their No. 1 receiver for the upcoming season, despite the expectations of other insiders that they will use their first-round pick on a receiver who has the ability to develop into one. After hitting a brick wall around the halfway point of the season, the former All-Pro wide receiver finished the final seven games of the season without a touchdown. He had been playing well through the first nine games of the season, on track for more than 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns.
In the team’s divisional round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, late in the fourth quarter, Diggs failed to catch a deep pass from Allen, demonstrating his inability to perform well under pressure.
Despite the errors, general manager of the Buffalo Bills Brandon Beane expressed optimism that Diggs would recover and be back as the team’s top receiver for the upcoming campaign.
“Stef is our number one receiver. According to Beane, via ESPN, “I firmly believe that, not wavering off of that.” “.. To prevent teams from bracketing him or, you know, locking him down in various ways to take him away, we must continue to have weapons available. They are aware that you will desire him. Stef is still capable of playing, and he would be the first to tell you if he could once more play with that deep ball. Because he is so competitive, he will put in a ton of work during the offseason. Even though there are many concerns about Stef’s performance or other factors, I still rank him as the top receiver.
