The Buffalo Bills internally viewed the 2024 offseason as a transitional one, an opportunity for the team to part ways with some key veterans on the roster and reset their competitive window, giving young contributors opportunities to develop into prominent roles . That idea played out in the early weeks of the 2024 season as, in addition to second- and third-year players seeing significant time on both offense and defense, several members of the team’s 2024 NFL Draft class were thrust into significant early roles.

With Buffalo at 6-2 about halfway through the season, now is a good time to look at the team’s 2024 class and evaluate its members through eight games. With that, here’s how the Bills’ rookies are going through the first part of the campaign.

Disclaimer: For the sake of fairness, players who have not recorded any snaps will not receive grades. This means that Edefuan Ulofoshio, Daequan Hardy and Travis Clayton will not appear on this list.

Keon Coleman has been everything he’s been advertised to be so far, especially over the past two games, as he’s caught nine passes for 195 yards and a score. While not as statistically impressive as his Week 7 outing, his Week 8 performance at Buffalo was perhaps his best yet as a pro as he consistently showed physicality, contested catching ability and red-zone expertise that made him attractive. to the draft laws in the period leading up to the draft. His touchdown in the first quarter against former Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen can personify this idea; Buffalo has long lacked a player who can go up and win aerial battles in the end zone, and Coleman’s ability to do so greatly expands what the Bills offense can do not only for the rest of the 2024 season, but the following years. His not-poor, rather pedestrian production in the first few weeks of the season keeps this from being an A+, but if he can build on his last two performances going forward, he’ll be a home pick.

Note: A

Related: Bills defensive signal caller battles back-to-back ‘frustrating’ injuries.

Cole Bishop is a player that the Buffalo brass consider a long-term piece and a future starter; that being said, his play as a rookie was not stellar. The shoulder injury in training camp and the resulting lack of reps in the preseason robbed him of crucial playing time at a key stage in his development, and so he was expected to struggle when thrust into the starting lineup , when starting safety Taylor Rapp suffered a concussion in Week 4. He looked like a player making his first career start in Week 5 against the Houston Texans, a first-quarter miscommunication with cornerback Rasul Douglas leading to a touchdown 67 meters Nico Collins. He became more comfortable as the game progressed, but only got a few reps since Rapp’s return to the lineup. It’s far too early to hit the panic button on Bishop; the sample size is far too small, and he showed some promise, namely his Week 2 breakout against the Miami Dolphins. That said, it’s tough to give the rookie anything more than an average grade right now, despite his upside.

Grade: C

Third-round pick DeWayne Carter, like Bishop, showed some early growing pains in his initial reps, but steadily improved as the season progressed. Head coach Sean McDermott said the rookie was in line for a “pivot” in the pre-campaign, and it showed as the season progressed, with Carter playing between 46% and 54% of the team’s defensive snaps from Weeks 4–7. He flashed numerous impressive plays, including a goal-line stop against Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry in Week 4 and a fourth-down stop against the Tennessee Titans in Week 7. He recorded five quarterback pressures and seven run stops, per PFF, before going down with a wrist injury in Week 7 that required surgery and landed him on injured reserve. He’ll look to build on his strong foundation early in his definitive comeback, and the Bills will want to see their Lightning string together more consistently; That said, it appears that Carter has the makings of a long-term NFL defensive tackle.

Grade: B+

Buffalo drafted Kentucky cornerback Ray Davis on Day 3 in hopes that he could serve as an immediate backup to Pro Bowler James Cook, and the 24-year-old has been exactly that so far. He currently ranks third among rookie running backs in yards with 242 and is also eight of nine targets for 79 yards (his most impressive catch being a 42-yard reception in Week 6). He won over fans with his physical brand of play and bold storyline, with many in the Bills Mafia calling for the rookie to receive an increase in playing time and see the team’s backcourt develop into a true two-headed monster. Whether Davis sees an increase in snaps to close out the year remains to be seen, but through eight games, a few things are clear: He has the goods and looks like he’ll stick around in the league in at least a complementary way. role for a bit.

Grade: A+

Related: How the Bills can win the AFC East title in the coming weeks

Fifth-round pick Sedrick Van Pran-Granger technical qualifies for the list because he saw a handful of snaps in garbage time, but giving him a grade seems unfair because he played in just 27 offensive snaps in four games. He didn’t allow a pressure on three runs, per PFF, but was only adequately qualified as a run blocker; that said, the sample size is far too limited to properly evaluate. The multiple-time college football national champion can still be a long-term piece on Buffalo’s offensive line, and we’re taking the easy way out by giving Van Pran-Granger an incomplete.

Grade: Inc.

Javon Solomon fell to the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft despite leading the nation in catches last season with 16, his lackluster presence seemingly the only reason he fell to day three. He has proven that notion correct in his limited opportunities this season, recording five tackles, four quarterback hits, two sacks and a forced fumble on just 39 defensive snaps. He’s buried on the depth chart behind Greg Rousseau, AJ Epenesa, Dawuane Smoot and the returning Von Miller, but he’s proving to make an impact when given an opportunity. He may never develop into an all-down lineman, but it’s hard not to be encouraged by his upside given his early impact in a limited role.

Grade: A-

Tylan Grable’s pro career got off to a promising start with his strong preseason, a stretch that allowed him to usurp Ryan Van Demark on the depth chart as the team’s first-choice depth tackle. He played just seven snaps before suffering an abdominal injury in Week 3 that landed him on injured reserve. He’s an athletic standout who showed enough in the offseason to position him as an interesting developmental piece, but again, his regular season sample size is too small to be fairly graded.

Grade: Inc.

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