2018 NFL Redraft: Lamar Jackson saves the Cleveland Browns

7. Buffalo Bills: Sam Darnold, QB (Josh Allen, QB)

This redraft pick will cause some controversy. At this point, you’re either a believer in Darnold, or you aren’t. Ditto for Josh Allen, who the Bills used the seventh overall pick on in the real draft. I’m a firm believer that Darnold possesses Pro Bowl potential, but playing with the New York Jets and battling mononucleosis last year caused him to underachieve.

No one debates that the Bills should take a quarterback here. Unless the team truly planned on starting A.J. McCarron, Buffalo was always going to draft a quarterback with this pick. However, the quarterback they should take is a hotly debated question with fans prepared to stake their claims and duel to the death on Twitter over who’s right.

I’m leaning toward Darnold based on some of the serious issues Allen displayed in college and his first two NFL seasons. Despite possessing a cannon for an arm, Allen is one of the worst deep-ball passers in the league. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Allen completed only 24.1% of his deep passes despite taking deep shots at the sixth-highest rate in the league.

PFF also claims Allen had the “the highest rate of uncatchable, inaccurate passes on those targets,” which makes you wonder if the Bills will even pick up his fifth-year option. PFF ranked Allen 32nd on their 33-man list ranking the league’s quarterbacks by their deep passing.

Take away Allen’s ability to scramble and he’s one of the five worst starters in the NFL. On the other hand, Darnold is a better pocket passer who simply needs to eliminate foolish decisions. It wouldn’t hurt if the Jets surrounded him with weapons either. However, the Bills put young playmakers around Allen, and Darnold could accomplish more with their team than Allen has.