How much input does Bills QB Josh Allen, an NFL draft nerd, have on team's picks?
Two words were all Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen needed.
That's it.
That was the extent of the text message Allen sent to Bills general manager Brandon Beane on Thursday, April 27, 2023.
That was NFL Draft night. The message was loud, clear and absent of fat.
"That's all I said," Allen, a self-proclaimed NFL draft nerd, said Wednesday.
With the 25th pick, Beane and the Bills fulfilled Allen's wishes.
Or took his advice.
Or both.
No matter. Point is, they picked Kincaid, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end out of Utah.
"Felt like that 'Draft Day' moment when Kevin Costner opens his thing and it says, 'Vontae Mack, no matter what,' " Allen said, referring to the 2014 movie.
"This was, 'Dalton Kincaid, no matter what.' "
Only this wasn't a movie.
"I'd like to think I have some input in who we get to pick, but honestly, I really don't," Allen said.
Kincaid made 76 catches for 673 yards and two touchdowns last season.
Josh Allen on NFL draft: 'Everyone is a baller'
Allen, the man Tom Brady predicted will be the next quarterback to win his first Super Bowl, said he regularly watches videos of the next wave of prospects. The 2024 NFL Draft, which begins April 25, has been no exception.
Allen said he does player evaluations of his own. He watches their targets. He studies mannerisms.
He gets "a lot of intel" on players from Bills personnel who would know.
"I look at all the highlight tapes on YouTube," he said. "Everyone is a baller on those highlights."
Whether or not the Bills picked Kincaid at Allen's behest or it was a coincidence doesn't much matter.
Josh Allen on Bills' draft plans: 'I don't know'
Beane joked earlier Wednesday he was going to pick a wide receiver in every round.
The Bills' first pick in this year's draft, barring a trade, will be 28th overall.
Allen may or may not send his GM another text message.
For now, he'll continue to evaluate. He'll try to "lean Beane one way or the other."
But Allen's inside "intel" only goes so far.
"There's a lot of talented guys in this draft," he said. "It kind of goes without saying.
"I wish I could tell you we're moving up or moving back or staying put, and who's going to be there when we pick. I honestly don't know."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Does Bills QB Josh Allen, an NFL draft nerd, have say on team's picks?
