Plotting a winning strategy for the Bills in 2024 NFL Draft

The Bills finished last season on a low note, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs once again in the AFC divisional round in Buffalo. The shocking defeat proved that head coach Sean McDermott's team needed more help in returning to its first Super Bowl since the 1993 campaign. 

As Buffalo prepares for the 2024 NFL Draft, Bills fans may recall the team's memorable 2023 draft haul and hope for another class that covers some of the team's weaknesses. 

The Bills select 28th overall in this year's draft but do not have a third-round pick. However, Buffalo has two fourth-round picks and three fifth-round picks. 

At the April 25-27 draft in Detroit, the Bills must focus on drafting the best player available regardless of position. Buffalo must get at least one impact skill-position player to help make the difference against superior teams such as the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens. 

The Bills have one of the league's top regular-season records at 58-24 over the past five seasons but lack playmaking ability outside of quarterback Josh Allen, especially with WR Stefon Diggs now in Houston. 

In 2023, rookie first-round draft pick Dalton Kincaid, a tight end, surprised with a 73-catch, 673-yard season. The Bills took the former Utah star, even with young, standout tight end Dawson Knox, who was already on the roster. The selection of Kincaid is the perfect example of the Bills' strategy of drafting the best player available, which they must continue. 

As the Chiefs age and recover from their long playoff runs, rising stars such as Kincaid and 2023 second-round guard O'Cyrus Torrence will get better, stronger and more polished. 

The Bills have another chance to gain ground on Kansas City, the San Francisco 49ers and the rest of the NFL at the draft. To build momentum, they must avoid what could be a fatal mistake of reaching to fill a need. So, they must follow last year's example and take the best player available in each round. 

Young players like Torrence and Kincaid could comprise a new wave of Bills stars and finally help Buffalo earn its first Super Bowl ring.