One of Joe Brady’s favorite players could be on the outside looking in when 2026 rolls around after an explosive ESPN article ahead of the NFL Draft
ESPN released an article talking about NFL Draft trades and has Buffalo electing to move out of the first round to load up on picks, all while getting rid of one of Joe Brady’s favorite players.
The Buffalo Bills hold the No. 26 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, with plenty of team needs on both sides of the football. General manager Brandon Beane spoke at the annual league meeting, with coaches and owners coming together to talk all things football.
He didn’t shy away from Buffalo drafting a wide receiver high in the upcoming draft to give quarterback Josh Allen some more weapons on offense.
That decision would go over smoothly with Bills Mafia, who have been clamoring for more difference-makers to pair with their superstar quarterback. However, ESPN believes Buffalo will take a different route in the upcoming draft. Not focusing on EDGE, linebacker, or even wide receiver.
Instead, ESPN has Buffalo dropping out of the first round entirely and giving up wide receiver Keon Coleman as part of the move.
ESPN mocks Buffalo trading Keon Coleman to the Titans and trading out of the first round
The ESPN article discusses the Bills’ recent decision to trade their second-round pick to the Bears for wide receiver DJ Moore. With that, they claim that Beane should be looking to move down from No. 26 and add a Day 2 pick.
In the mock draft, the Buffalo Bills would be getting a second-round pick (No. 35) and a third-round pick (No. 66) for sending their first-round pick (No. 26), a fifth-round pick (No. 168), and wide receiver Keon Coleman to the Tennessee Titans.
Taking a quick look at the previous eight drafts for Buffalo, Brandon Beane has traded back only twice. Once in the second round in 2022 and once in the first round of 2024. It’s not out of the realm of possibility by any means, but it’s not a foregone conclusion. In fact, Beane has actually traded up far more than he’s traded back.
Could Keon Coleman be on his way out of Buffalo?
What would make the decision so head-scratching is including Coleman in the trade.
All offseason, new head coach Joe Brady has spoken at great length about how wide receiver Keon Coleman is part of the team’s long-term plans, and how the best thing to happen to the wide receiver was Brady becoming the head coach.
“Keon Coleman is going to be on our football team, and I have no issues with, if there [are] elements that need to be cleaned up from that, those are conversations that we can have,” Brady said. “But Keon knows how I feel about him; how much I love him and the faith that I still have in him.”
ESPN highlighted that exact point and looks at the worth that Buffalo could get back for a player that simply hasn’t worked out in the early stages of his career.
“Though Joe Brady has said that he values Coleman and thinks that the third-year wide receiver can continue to grow in a Bills uniform, ownership publicly trashing Coleman in that memorable postseason news conference tells you how the most important person in the building sees the 2024 second-round pick,” Barnwell wrote. “This trade values Coleman as a fourth-rounder, which feels about right for a player who hasn’t consistently impressed so far as a pro.”
This feels like one of those offseason ideas that sounds intriguing on paper but falls apart the moment you factor in reality. The Bills didn’t spend a premium pick on Coleman to flip him two years later when his value is at its lowest. Especially after Brady went out of his way on multiple occasions to publicly back him.
If Buffalo is going to make a move, it’s far more likely they add to the receiver room and not subtract from it. Certainly not at the cost of a young player the team still believes can develop alongside quarterback Josh Allen.
Trading out of the first round? Maybe. Packaging Coleman to do it? That feels less likely.
Buffalo Bills News
Bills draft plans may have leaked with the latest ESPN article that points to a trend that Brandon Beane has deployed on multiple occasions
The latest ESPN article points to a recurring trend for general manager Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills. In the article, it highlights that Buffalo might trade out of the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft if the board doesn’t fall the way they want it to.
