The Buffalo Bills got their wide receiver on Friday night.
So did the Los Angeles Chargers.
After trading down twice and out of the first round, the Bills opened Day 2 of the NFL draft by selecting Florida State’s Keon Coleman to give Josh Allen another playmaker and help replace Stefon Diggs.
The Chargers, who chose Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt over wideouts Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze with the fifth overall pick, traded up to take Georgia’s Ladd McConkey at No. 34. Justin Herbert will be counting on him to fill the void following the departures of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
Seven wide receivers went Thursday night, tying a record for most in the first round.
After Atlanta moved up to take Clemson defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro and Washington took Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton, New England chose Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk to make it 10 wide receivers in the top 37.
The Bills raised plenty of eyebrows in trading the 28th pick to AFC rival Kansas City, which took wideout Xavier Worthy. Buffalo then dealt the 32nd pick to Carolina and watched the Panthers take wideout Xavier Legette.
But the Bills added a third-rounder and more draft capital and still ended up with a receiver in Coleman, who had 50 receptions, 658 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns last season.
The Chargers swapped picks with the Patriots to get McConkey, who is a polished receiver with deceptive speed.
The most receivers selected in the first two rounds is 13 in 2020.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
