You can watch GM Brandon Beane’s full post-draft press conference above.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Bills rounded out their 2023 NFL Draft with three selections on Saturday, bolstering their offense and capping it off with some defense help.
The Bills traded away the No. 27 and No. 130 picks in this year’s draft to Jacksonville to move up two spots and select Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid in the first round. They followed that up on Day Two of the draft by taking Florida offensive guard O’Cyrus Torrence with the 59th pick and Tulane linebacker Dorian Williams with the 91st pick.
On Saturday, the Bills traded down multiple times, but ended up with Florida wide receiver Justin Shorter at pick No. 150, Ole Miss offensive guard Nick Broeker at No. 230 and capping it off with Oregon State cornerback Alex Austin.
In this article, you can get background on each Bills draft pick over all seven rounds, as well as see how the first round unfolded.
Buffalo Bills 2023 draft picks
Round 1, 25th overall (Trade with Jaguars): Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
Kincaid poses a threat as a pass catcher and possesses strong hands and ball skills to go along with quality route running, but is still developing as a blocker and has some injury concerns. This past season, Kincaid posted 890 receiving yards on 70 receptions to go with eight touchdowns and was named a Third Team All-American.
When asked about Kincaid, Bills general manager Brandon Beane described him as a tight end with “elite hands” and a “really good route runner” that could pair with Dawson Knox.
To select Kincaid, the Bills traded the No. 27 pick and No. 130 pick in the 2023 Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars for No. 25.
Round 2, 59th overall: O’Cyrus Torrence, OG, Florida
O’Cyrus Torrence boasts strength and body control and could fight for a starting role as a rookie. He was projected to go in the first round by some analysts.
Standing at 6-foot-5, 330 pounds, Torrence was an All-American in his one season at Florida after playing his first three seasons at Louisiana. He started 37 of 38 games played in his college career. The 23-year-old possesses a massive wingspan of nearly 84 inches and had more flashes as a run blocker than a pass blocker in college. Even with that assessment, he never gave up a sack in his college career.
Round 3, 91st overall: Dorian Williams, LB, Tulane
Dorian Williams is a quick, athletic linebacker who has a noteworthy special teams background, although he lacks in play recognition and anticipation according to analysts.
At 6-foot-1 and 228 pounds, Williams is on the shorter side but was the 2022 Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP, where he put up a career-high 17 tackles. He started 14 games as a senior and accumulated 131 tackles, five sacks and two interceptions.
In his media availability following the 91st pick, Bills general manager Brandon Beane said he anticipates Williams beginning as an outside linebacker behind Matt Milano and a special teams producer rather than immediately starting.
Round 5, 150th overall (Trade with Commanders): Justin Shorter, WR, Florida
Justin Shorter becomes the second Florida Gator selected by the Bills in the 2023 draft.
Shorter is a taller target, standing at 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds, and ran an impressive 4.55 40-yard dash for his size. He was originally a five-star recruit and the top wide receiver prospect in the 2018 recruiting class. He hauled in 577 yards on 29 receptions to go with two touchdowns in nine games last season.
His route running leaves more to be desired according to draft analysts, but he does have potential thanks to his combination of size (height, weight and wingspan). He’s a threat in the intermediate and deep levels of the field, as 75.9 percent of his catches in 2022 resulted in a first down or touchdown, according to Dane Brugler.
Round 6, 205th Overall: The Bills traded pick No. 205 to the Houston Texans for Pick No. 230 and a 2024 sixth-round pick.
Round 6, 215th overall (From Washington): The Bills traded pick No. 215 to the Los Angeles Rams for Pick No. 252 and a 2024 sixth-round pick.
Round 7, 230th overall (From Houston): Nick Broeker, OG, Ole Miss
Nick Broeker started 36 games in his college career with the Rebels, playing his sophomore and junior season at left tackle before being named a Second-Team All-American while playing left guard in his senior season.
At 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, draft analysts say Broeker is at his best as a downhill run-blocker.
Round 7, 252nd overall (From LA Rams): Alex Austin, CB, Oregon State
Alex Austin is a 6-foot-1, 195-pound cornerback who tallied four interceptions, including a pick-six last season, and 24 passes defended in his college career. He notched 21 of his 24 career pass breakups over the last two seasons. He started 30 games in his college career.
The Oregon State product has a high football IQ and uses his length to defend receivers, but doesn’t have the speed to keep up in man-to-man coverage as effectively, according to draft analysts. He projects best as a zone coverage corner, which makes him a better fit for the Bills.
NFL Draft first round tracker
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | Carolina Panthers (From CHI) | Bryce Young | QB | Alabama |
| 2 | Houston Texans | C.J. Stroud | QB | Ohio State |
| 3 | Houston Texans (From ARI)* | Will Anderson Jr. | Edge | Alabama |
| 4 | Indianapolis Colts | Anthony Richardson | QB | Florida |
| 5 | Seattle Seahawks (From DEN) | Devon Witherspoon | CB | Illinois |
| 6 | Arizona Cardinals (From DET)* | Paris Johnson Jr. | OT | Ohio State |
| 7 | Las Vegas Raiders | Tyree Wilson | Edge | Texas Tech |
| 8 | Atlanta Falcons | Bijan Robinson | RB | Texas |
| 9 | Philadelphia Eagles (From CHI)* | Jalen Carter | DT | Georgia |
| 10 | Chicago Bears (From PHI)* | Darnell Wright | OT | Tennessee |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans | Peter Skoronski | OG | Northwestern |
| 12 | Detroit Lions (From ARI)* | Jahmyr Gibbs | RB | Alabama |
| 13 | Green Bay Packers (From NYJ) | Lukas Van Ness | Edge | Iowa |
| 14 | Pittsburgh Steelers (From NE)* | Broderick Jones | OT | Georgia |
| 15 | New Yorks Jets (From GB) | Will McDonald IV | LB | Iowa State |
| 16 | Washington Commanders | Emmanuel Forbes | CB | Mississippi State |
| 17 | New England Patriots (From PIT)* | Christian Gonzalez | CB | Oregon |
| 18 | Detroit Lions | Jack Campbell | LB | Iowa |
| 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Calijah Kancey | DT | Pittsburgh |
| 20 | Seattle Seahawks | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | WR | Ohio State |
| 21 | Los Angeles Chargers | Quentin Johnston | WR | TCU |
| 22 | Baltimore Ravens | Zay Flowers | WR | Boston College |
| 23 | Minnesota Vikings | Jordan Addison | WR | USC |
| 24 | New York Giants (From JAX)* | Deonte Banks | CB | Maryland |
| 25 | Buffalo Bills* (From JAX) | Dalton Kincaid | TE | Utah |
| 26 | Dallas Cowboys | Mazi Smith | DT | Michigan |
| 27 | Jacksonville Jaguars (From BUF)* | Anton Harrison | OT | Oklahoma |
| 28 | Cincinnati Bengals | Myles Murphy | DE | Clemson |
| 29 | New Orleans Saints (Orig. SF) | Bryan Bresee | DT | Clemson |
| 30 | Philadelphia Eagles | Nolan Smith | Edge | Georgia |
| 31 | Kansas City Chiefs | Felix Anudike-Uzomah | Edge | Kansas State |
What positions do the Bills need to address in the draft?
The glaring hole on the Bills’ roster is middle linebacker following the departure of Tremaine Edmunds in free agency. Beyond that, other needs on Buffalo’s roster come from a lack of competition/depth and concerns about certain positions’ future, not immediate holes.
Alongside linebacker, other positions the Bills could look to target throughout the draft include wide receiver, offensive tackle, defensive tackle and safety.
Buffalo Kickoff Live NFL Draft shows
The Buffalo Kickoff Live crew will bring you coverage before and after the NFL Draft this week, providing insight on all things Bills.
The Buffalo Kickoff Live Draft Recap airs at 10:30 p.m. Sunday on the CW23 and at 11:35 p.m. on WIVB.
The BKL team consists of News 4’s Josh Reed and Heather Prusak, WROC’s Thad Brown, Sal Capaccio from WGR 550, Tim Graham from The Athletic and Matt Parrino from Syracuse.com.
The Buffalo Kickoff Live Draft Preview show aired Wednesday, and you can watch the full broadcast here.
