Getty Bills running back James Cook rushes for a touchdown against the Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card playoff game at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2023.
With the 2023 NFL draft set to kick off on April 27, the Buffalo Bills are working hard to figure out which player they should select with their first-round pick. On Tuesday, April 11, NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero reported that Boston College star Zay Flowers is heading to Orchard Park this week for “dinner and a visit,” news which caught the attention of Bills running back James Cook.
Cook, the Bills’ second-round pick from the 2022 NFL draft, is expected to have a bigger role on offense next season with Devin Singletary out of the picture and earlier this month, announced that he’s tossing out the No. 28 he wore during his rookie season and will switch to his old college number, No. 4.
The Georgia alum was excited to see Flowers, who’s universally expected to be selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, make a visit to Buffalo, but under one condition. Cook tweeted, “🔥🔥.. I got 4️⃣ though.”
Flowers wore No. 4 during his tenure with the Eagles and would have to switch jersey numbers should he become the Bills’ No. 27 overall pick. However, based on his comments about possibly playing in Buffalo at the NFL Combine, during which he met with the Bills’ new receivers coach Adam Henry, Flowers likely won’t mind.
Boston College WR Zay Flowers said playing with players like Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs is “something he’s dreamed of”
Flowers added it would be amazing to have Diggs as a mentor #Bills
The 22-year-old, who recorded 78 receptions for 1,077 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games last season, called the prospect of playing with top-tier talents like Allen and Diggs “a dream come true.”
ESPN Insider Predicted Flowers Would Be the Bills’ First-Round Pick
While several top receiver prospects are having formal visits with the Bills, ESPN Insider Jordan Reid told News 1 Buffalo host, Jon Scott, that he predicts the team will select Flowers in the first round.
Scott tweeted on March 4, “I’ve asked @Jordan_Reid for some #Bills draft predictions the last few years we’ve met at the #NFLCombine. In 2020 he told me about a great Day 3 WR target named Gabe Davis. Last year his 1st round target was Kaiir Elam. Today — Boston College WR Zay Flowers. Lock it in!”
Finish the sentence:
Zay Flowers will be drafted by ____
While Flowers’ height seems to be keeping him a lower pick in mock drafts, NFL.com‘s Daniel Jeremiah wrote that the 5-foot-9 prospect would “be a lock for the top 15 if he were two inches taller,” ESPN‘s Mel Kiper expects “the dynamo off the slot” to be the first receiver off the board at No. 17.
Flowers showed up to the NFL Combine with an added 13 pounds of muscle. The 182-pound receiver recorded a vertical jump of 35.5 and a broad jump of 10’7 and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42.
The Bills Are Looking for a Solid WR2
GettyStefon Diggs #14 of the Buffalo Bills walks off the field at Soldier Field on December 24, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois.
Even after signing wide receivers Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty in free agency, the Bills are highly expected to draft a playmaker in the first few rounds. Isaiah McKenzie signed with the Colts after his sudden release, Cole Beasley remains a free agent, and last season proved it’s hard to rely on Gabe Davis to back up Stefon Diggs.
Buffalo is still searching for “that one significant piece that can put them over the top,” The Athletic wrote last week. And if they don’t land DeAndre Hopkins, “An early-round receiver could be a priority to help the short-term and long-term health of the position.”
While Fox Sports analyst Henry McKenna predicted the team drafts Tennessee standout Jalin Hyatt with their No. 27 overall pick, a wide receiver who recorded 67 catches for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns during the 2022 NFL season, and whom the Bills met with on Monday. Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is also slated to visit Buffalo, per NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport.
The NFL Insider reported on Tuesday that the Bills are also meeting with USC standout Jordan Addison, among many others.