The Buffalo Bills are in one of the most favorable positions in the NFL draft, as the team is in a perfect place to trade up or down if they so choose and there are a number of suitors who could come calling for their pick, including the Chargers, Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers.
The Bills also are in a favorable position because if they so choose they cans it tight and select a quarterback for the future in Matt Barkley or Ryan Nassib. While reports have come out that the team is looking at Nassib since he was the quarterback for new coach Doug Marrone at Syracuse, but a new report on NFL.com says that the Bills actually have USC quarterback Matt Barkley rated higher than Nassib on their board.
While the news could be a smokescreen on teams like the Jets who may want Nassib, it seems fairly genuine since Barkley left as the all-time leader in passing in the Pac-12 and the team also had him in for a workout in the lead up to the draft. Barkley worked out at the USC pro day for the first time after being injured during the season last year and the Bills were impressed at what they saw and it wouldn't be a stretch to see him taken with the number eight pick.
The Bills worked out a number of quarterbacks, including Tyler Bray and Landry jones from Oklahoma along with EJ Manuel and each of those names could be selections in the draft. The Bills signed Kevin Kolb during the offseason after release last year's starter Ryan Fitzpatrick, but that won't prevent them from taking a young thrower, as Kolb had an awful season last year and could end up as the backup depending on what goes down. Kolb signed only a two year deal, so he could be a stop gap for whatever quarterback they try to develop.
It is likely that the Bills are using the interest as a decoy for teams ahead of them as many do before the draft, but Peter King (who may be the best football reporter in the country) said the team is "seriously targeting" Barkley and he could be the selection at number eight since he has a stronger arm. The two players faced off in 2022, with Barkley besting Nassib with 324 yards and five scores, but that likely will not factor into the decision.
The Jets could trade up since they have two first round picks to steal Nassib, but that would just add to their already filled roster with Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow and the funky bunch they have there. Barkley wowed the team with his throwing ability and football IQ and that could be the reason they take him in the top 10 where he could be the first quarterback off the board.
