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Even though Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said he’d bet on the team trading down, it did the opposite in order to land an offensive playmaker on the draft’s first day. However, the Bills didn’t give up their No. 27 and No. 130 picks to the Jacksonville Jaguars to snag a wide receiver at No. 25, as most analysts expected. Instead, Buffalo swerved to pick Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid.
Found ourselves a playmaker. 😈 #NFLDraft
As fans and analysts processed the surprise selection, Bills starting tight end Dawson Knox reacted quickly on social media.
“This is where the fun begins,” he tweeted. The GIF was retweeted by quarterback Josh Allen and it racked up nearly 7,000 likes.
Knox signed a four-year, $53 million extension last year, and Beane made it clear that Knox has no reason to worry about the veteran’s role diminishing with the selection of Kincaid, who spent two seasons at San Diego before transferring to Utah, where he led the team with 70 receptions, 890 yards and eight touchdowns last year.
“He’ll be a rookie; it’s gonna take him time,” Beane said of Kincaid, per Syracuse.com. “I think that [Kincaid’s role in the offense] is to be determined. I think it’s just another weapon for [offensive coordinator Ken] Dorsey. Dawson is gonna still be very involved. Dawson is a clearly better inline blocker, still a receiving threat. So I don’t think Dawson is gonna be going anywhere.”
One person absolutely crushed by Buffalo jumping to land Kincaid was NFL analyst Skip Bayless. The commentator tweeted after the selection was made, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I WAS ONE PICK AWAY FROM DALTON KINCAID — AND BUFFALO LEAP-FROGGED MY COWBOYS AND STOLE HIM RIGHT OUT FROM UNDER JERRY’S UPTURNED NOSE. DEVASTATING.”
Brandon Beane Compared Dalton Kincaid to Cole Beasley, Which the Former Bills WR Did Not Like
GettyFormer Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley.
The Bills were in the market for a solid WR 2, a versatile receiver who can also play the slot, but they selected Kincaid, who is 6-foot-4 and 242 pounds with 10 1/4-inch hands. Beane compared him to former Bills receiver Cole Beasley.
“Elite hands,” Beane said. “Really good route runner, good feel setting up guys inside. There’s always the card telling you as a player what to do, eight yards here or there, but sometimes the defense changes. This guy has got a great feel, great instinct. You guys saw it from a different position, Cole Beasley, great feel. This guy with a different body type does that. But I would say the number one thing about him, elite hands, good route runner, separation ability at the top of the route.”
Beasley saw tweets about the comparison and attempted to shut it down, tweeting, “Please don’t compare me to any tight end. Lol… I think every WR gets offended if they’re compared to tight ends…” One fan responded, “Why? Because he’s going to have a better career than you did? Or because he can do what you did, only with a 6’4” 250lb body?” to which Beasley clapped back, “Sounds good. Haha.”
After receiving some pushback for his comments, Beasley, who recently claimed that he’d be the “best slot” receiver on the Bills roster “by a long shot” should he return next season, tweeted, “I didn’t criticize the rookie. I just said don’t compare me to a tight end. Dude could be great. We just aren’t similar. The end… Also saying Josh was the #3 qb in the league isn’t a shot at him. Also has the potential to be the best easily.”
Dalton Kincaid Is Confident He Can Play the Slot
LET’S GOOOOOO‼️
Kincaid, who played wide receiver in high school, is confident he can be the versatile player that Buffalo needs.
“I feel like I’m just kind of diverse in what I can do,” said Kincaid. “I feel like you can line me up in the slot, in-line, you can spread me out. So I feel like one of my strengths is being able to do all that. And then, with that comes having to learn all that. So I like to pride myself on being smart. So I feel like that kind of ties in with what I do well on the field.”
Beane also said he wouldn’t have traded up in Kincaid wasn’t still on the board. “Anytime you can add a weapon for your quarterback and your offense, you don’t pass that up unless there’s just someone clearly better,” Beane said.
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Dawson Knox’s Reaction to Bills’ Unexpected 1st-Round Pick Goes Viral