NFL Draft Grades 2018: Buffalo Bills trade up for Josh Allen at No. 7

The Buffalo Bills did what everyone expected them to do, trading up in the 2018 NFL Draft in order to select Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen at No. 7.

It appeared that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were set to select a player at No. 7 in the 2018 NFL Draft, but the Buffalo Bills saw and opportunity to move up with a team who missed out on a player they allegedly wanted. With two quarterbacks still on the board, there was no doubt that the Bills were going to select as quarterback whose first name was Josh.

What we didn’t know was the last name, was it gonna be Allen or Rosen?

There was a thought that they were going to go with the guy most boards had as the No. 2 best quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft in UCLA’s Josh Rosen. However, they swerved many and picked Wyoming’s Josh Allen, who has become a bit of a polarizing player because of the questions surround his accuracy.

After being considered for the No. 1 overall spot, the Bills must feel like they have biggest steal of the first round. Allen’s arm strength it what sets him apart, along with his size as he’s 6-5, 237 pounds with a rocket arm that made scouts drool. He’s been compared to Cam Newton and said to have a bit of Carson Wentz because of his athletic ability.

With the Bills he’ll be able to sit behind free agent acquisition AJ McCaron. This would allow the Allen to be groomed and brought along slowly. The Bills have a running game and defense that would allow for Allen to start comfortably if they needed him to. They didn’t have to mortgage their future in order to get him either (per ESPN):

"“Tampa Bay received two second-round picks — Nos. 53 and 56 — along with the 12th overall pick from Buffalo, which also acquired the 255th pick.”"

With what little they had to give up and the idea that Allen was allegedly considered the better than Rosen by some, the Bills made a fantastic choice. 

Grade: A