Buffalo Rumblings
Beane’s best draft selection helped to turn a once-dreadful Bills franchise completely around.
While it may take some time for a pick in the NFL Draft to be considered a “hit,” general manager Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills have an impressive hit list. Like everyone in his position, Beane has his fair share of misses, which were shared in these pages via last week’s column. Fortunately for Bills Mafia, there are plenty of picks in the Beane era that can be celebrated.
As I mentioned last week, a significant sample size is needed for someone to be considered a hit. O’Cyrus Torrence has been a very nice player for the Bills, but two seasons is not enough time to judge a player as a hit or a miss. Hopefully as he continues to develop, we could see Torrence on this list next year.
In fairness to the magnitude of this selection, Josh Allen could get an article all to himself. Beane deserves credit for his confidence in selecting Allen — who was arguably the most polarizing prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft. I remember how fans, media members, and draft pundits spent countless hours evaluating the quarterback prospects, with Allen traditionally being thought of as a massive project.
Beane also deserves credit for making two trades to maneuver into the top ten. In a masterful move, Beane packaged Cordy Glenn and pick 21 in the first round, sending them to the Cincinnati Bengals for pick 12. It was a curious trade for the Bengals, as Glenn was coming off two injury-plagued seasons in 2016 and 2017. Beane had to make one more trade on draft night, packaging picks 12, 53, and 56 — sending them to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for pick seven. The rest is history, as Allen continues his stellar career with the Bills.
A mainstay in Buffalo’s secondary, Taron Johnson has been an integral piece of the team’s defense. It took a couple of seasons for Johnson to blossom into a star shortly after being benched in the 2020 season. Johnson was named second-team All-Pro in 2023, and continues to shine for the Bills as a former fourth-round pick
When the Bills selected Brown in the 2021 NFL Draft, many fans were blown away by his size (6’9”, 3ll pounds) and his athleticism (a perfect 10 RAS score). While seen by many as a project in the post-COVID era, Brown became a starter at right tackle following Cody Ford’s benching in 2021. Despite some early struggles, Brown has developed into one of the most dependable tackles in the NFL. Brown was awarded for his production with a four-year, $72 million contract extension prior to the 2024 season.
While the 2022 NFL Draft...
