The Buffalo Bills drafted several rookies who could step up immediately on the offensive side of the ball in 2024.
After trading down twice and moving out of the first round entirely, Buffalo selected wide receiver Keon Coleman to open the second day of the draft. Coleman, 21, is expected to start as the Bills’ X receiver in 2024. The rookie from Florida State also has the ability to play in the slot. With the departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis this offseason, Coleman could receive plenty of targets out of the gate on offense.
Fifth-round pick Sedrick Van Pran-Granger is another rookie who could contribute out of the gate. Following the release of Mitch Morse, Buffalo announced that Connor McGovern would be moving from left guard to center. Pran-Granger projects best to center in the NFL, but he could compete for the left guard spot this summer against the likes of David Edwards and Alec Anderson.
While Coleman and Pran-Granger could shine as rookies, NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter believes fourth-round pick Ray Davis may have the biggest impact of all of the Bills’ offensive rookies. In an article projecting his 2024 NFL All-Rookie Team offense, Reuter named Davis as one of his two running backs along with Trey Benson.
Here is what Reuter wrote about Davis in his NFL All-Rookie Team projection:
Davis could be the thunder to James Cook’s lightning in the Bills offense, giving Buffalo a more powerful one-two punch than it had with Cook and Latavius Murray in 2023. The rookie will thrive in the red zone, taking some of the pressure off quarterback Josh Allen, who ran for 15 scores last season (Cook had just two rushing touchdowns). Defenses filling the box against Davis on early downs could be surprised by his ability as a receiver out of the backfield.
Davis has the chance to play a big role in Buffalo’s offense this season, but a returning Ty Johnson could prevent the rookie from playing significant reps out of the gate. Johnson was a bright spot on Buffalo’s offense and emerged down the stretch as the team’s No. 2 back one season ago.
READ MORE
NFL analyst names 2 Buffalo Bills to 2024 All-Breakout Team
Buffalo Bills release 2024 training camp schedule: Dates, times, ticket information
Buffalo Bills-themed sand sculpture destroyed in Western NY: ‘This is a crime’
Southwest adds direct flights for Buffalo Bills road games in 2024
Talk about the Bills
Be sure to check out and subscribe to “SHOUT! The Buffalo Football Podcast” with beat writers Matt Parrino and Ryan Talbot. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly updates about Bills news in your inbox. Check out the links below.
Newsletter | YouTube | APPLE | SPOTIFY | FACEBOOK | TWITTER