It’s the offseason again, and that means it’s time for the return of “Mock Mocking or Mock Marveling.”
Buffalo Bills fans understand that mock drafts are thought exercises. Very rarely are they intended to be predictive before the week of the actual NFL Draft is upon us, and mock drafts before free agency are especially volatile. They are intended to generate not just clicks, but also individual reactions to a multitude of different possibilities.
Mock drafts are also much better after free agency has slowed down. Prior to contracts being signed and trades being made, mock drafts can sometimes be exercises in fans yelling about which needs are more important using only their team’s first-round selection as ammunition. Thought exercises after needs have been partially or fully addressed can be of narrower focus. But that doesn’t stop the mock drafts from coming early in the offseason and in this instance, we’re reviewing a pre-free agency mock draft that’s sure to get some people in Bills Mafia buzzing with its potential impact.
Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network released a mock draft on Saturday, February 17 and here’s who he had the Bills taking in the first round:
This article series is titled “mock mocking or mock marveling” for a reason. It’s about the gut and initial reaction that I have to the player being selected for the Bills in the selected mock draft — and in this case, the coin lands on “marveling.”
When I outlined the needs for the Buffalo Bills going into the 2024 offseason on a recent pod, I didn’t say “wide receiver.” I said “wide receivers who can be explosive down the field and with the ball in their hands.” I interpret the need as much more qualitative than just a roster position. And Brian Thomas Jr. fits the Bill(s).
