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Buffalo Bills 2023 NFL draft picks, depth chart, analysis

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The 2023 NFL draft was held Thursday through Sunday in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

ESPN provided pick-by-pick analysis of each of the Buffalo Bills' selections:

Analysis of every pick | Updated depth chart

Round 1, No. 25 overall: Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah

My take: The Bills added a big weapon for quarterback Josh Allen in the middle of the field and a tight end to pair with Dawson Knox, whom the team signed to a four-year extension last year. He is the first Bills offensive player drafted in the first round since Allen in 2018. General manager Brandon Beane emphasized Kincaid’s “elite hands” and that he should be viewed as more of a receiving weapon. Bills tight ends combined for just 57 receptions in 2022 (ranked 29th).

When will he be expected to get regular playing time? Relatively quickly or the Bills wouldn’t have given up a fourth-round pick to get him. Leading up to the pick, Beane said that he was anticipating Kincaid being off the board, but the team felt so strongly about the 6-foot-4, 246-pound tight end that they decided to make the move to add him. The Bills feel that Kincaid will add a dimension to their offense that they don’t currently have, although it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Bills slowly add him in as they often do with rookies.

What we're hearing about Dalton Kincaid: "There's always the card telling you as a player what to do, 8 yards here, there, but sometimes the defense changes, and this guy's got great feel, great instinct," Beane said. "You guys saw it from a different position. Cole Beasley, great feel, this guy, in a different body type, does that, but he's, I would say the No. 1 one thing about him, elite hands, good route runner, separation ability at the top of the route."


Round 2, No. 59 overall: O'Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida

My take: The Bills add help to the interior offensive line with Torrence, who played almost all of his snaps over the last three seasons at right guard, but also has experience at left guard. Continuing to invest in the offensive line is key after quarterback Josh Allen was sacked 33 times last season, his most since 2019. Torrence allowed just two sacks in his collegiate career. But Torrence will particularly help with run blocking. Bills guards had the 20th run block win rate last year, while Torrence had the fifth-lowest blown block percentage on designed runs in the FBS among players with at 1,000 snaps at guard over the last two years.

Will he start as a rookie? That’s the big question with Torrence. Last year’s starting right guard, Ryan Bates, is signed through 2025 and the Bills added left guard Connor McGovern on a three-year, $23 million deal in free agency this year. Torrence has the talent and will have the opportunity to compete for a starting role -- ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid ranked Torrence as his top guard -- but playing time will not be guaranteed with Bates and McGovern on the roster.


Round 3, No. 91 overall: Dorian Williams, LB, Tulane

My take: Instead of adding a middle linebacker in the first two rounds to address the hole left by Tremaine Edmunds' departure in free agency, the Bills added Williams to bolster depth at weakside linebacker and special teams. General manager Brandon Beane said Williams would play his first season at outside linebacker, but that there was potential for him to move later in his career. Beane described him as a "tackling machine" and said that he seems him at minimum "earning a jersey."

Key stat: Williams was one of two FBS players with at least 125 tackles and five sacks in 2022 (Cincinnati’s Ivan Pace Jr. was the other). Williams joins a 2023 Tulane draft class that has had multiple players selected in the first three rounds for the first time in the common draft era.


Round 5, No. 150 overall (from Washington): Justin Shorter, WR, Florida

My take: The Bills are continuing a trend of investing in the offensive side of the ball, and with Shorter, the offense is adding a wide receiver with a combination of speed and size, which was not previously on the roster. The 6-foot-4, 229-pound (33 3/4-inch arms) wideout becomes the biggest wide receiver on the team and also ran a 4.55 40-yard dash at the combine. He has struggled with contested catches (six catches on 18 contested targets last season), which will need to be worked on to help make the 53-man roster, but he only had three drops in three seasons with Florida -- the Bills led the league in drop percentage in 2022 (6.2%).


Round 7, No. 230 overall (from Houston): Nick Broeker, G, Ole Miss

My take: After trading the team’s late round picks three times to move back on Day 3 and picking up two 2024 sixth-round picks in the process, the Bills addressed the offensive line again, adding depth with Broeker. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman was a three-year starter at Ole Miss with two years at left tackle and this past season at left guard. The Bills prioritize versatility with the team’s lineman -- he also played right guard at the Senior Bowl. Broeker did not give up a sack in 2022 but did have 13 blown run blocks last season (tied for the sixth most in the FBS).


Round 7, No. 252 overall (compensatory pick from Tampa Bay via L.A. Rams): Alex Austin, CB, Oregon State

My take: The Bills addressed the offensive side of the ball with four of the team’s first five picks but finished out the draft class by adding to the team’s secondary with Austin. The corner has speed — he ran a 4.55 40-yard dash at the combine — and size (6-1, 191-pounds) and can play different coverages, in addition to having the ability to play inside or outside. He fits what the Bills are looking for in a corner. Last year, the team drafted two cornerbacks that saw significant playing time in Kaiir Elam and Christian Benford, but with Tre’Davious White back healthy after his torn ACL in 2021, Austin could be competing for a roster spot -- which would most likely include being a special teams player.