#BillsMafia better be prepared for a late night Thursday
The NFL Draft is a spectacle, a live television ratings bonanza. Fans of all 32 teams anxiously check in to see how their respective team will use its draft picks to address holes on the roster.
Barring any trades, the Buffalo Bills possess eight draft picks in this week’s annual NFL Draft, which begins with Round 1 Thursday evening and runs through Saturday afternoon at the Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, NV. It’s the first time Las Vegas is playing host for the draft.
After falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, the Bills have pick No. 25 in the first round. If Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane stays pat and doesn’t deal away the team’s first-round pick, the Bills will make history when they turn in their selection to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
This will be the first time in the 55-year history of the NFL Draft the Bills will be picking at No. 25, though the team did hold the 25th selection in the 1961, 1964, and 1966 AFL Drafts before the AFL-NFL merger.
For Bills fans wanting to stay up Thursday night to see whether Beane uses the team’s first-round pick on a cornerback, running back, interior offensive linemen, wide receiver, or a different position, you might want to take a nap during the day or enjoy an extra cup of coffee, because Day 1 of the draft will be a late one.
Thanks to some expert research conducted by Bills sideline reporter and WGR 550 Bills beat reporter Sal Capaccio, none of the last three drafts have seen pick No. 25 made before 11 PM Eastern:
- In 2019, the Baltimore Ravens drafted WR Marquise Brown at 11:04 p.m.
- In 2020, the San Francisco 49ers drafted WR Brandon Aiyuk at 11:16 p.m.
- In 2021, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected RB Travis Etienne at 11:20 p.m.
The Bills hold the 25th selection in Round One Thursday night. The last three years that pick has been made at:
2019 – 11:04pm
2020 – 11:16pm
2021 – 11:20pm
Plan accordingly. #NFLDraft #BillsMafia— Sal Capaccio (@SalSports) April 25, 2022
In 2018, Hayden Hurst went to the Baltimore Ravens at 10:52 Eastern, so it’s been trending later and later. In 2017, the Cleveland Browns took Jabrill Peppers at 11:02.
In the history of the draft, Buffalo’s only other selections at pick No. 25 were:
- Tackle/center/linebacker Stew Barber, 1961 AFL Draft (125 career games, three interceptions for 30 yards and one TD, five-time All-AFL)
- Tackle Randy Jackson, 1966 AFL Draft (105 career games, 97 starts)
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