4 Stefon Diggs replacements the Buffalo Bills need desperately to not waste Josh Allen

Thankfully, it wasn't April Fool's Day when it went down because Buffalo Bills fans might not have believed it had that been the case. But the Bills have finally pulled the trigger on trading wide receiver Stefon Diggs, sending him to the Houston Texans. Even more on the theme of April Fool's is the draft pick compensation as Buffalo gets only a 2025 second-round pick while sending 2024 sixth-round pick and 2025 fifth-round pick to Houston along with Diggs.

Wide receiver was already considered a need with Diggs on the roster. But now that the depth chart looks like Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir along with most likely career backups, the Bills need at wide receiver is truly dire. They have to make some moves before the 2024 season begins, because wasting Josh Allen, one of the truest franchise quarterbacks in the NFL, would be criminal.

Moving into Week 1 with this receiving corps would indeed be wasting Allen. So what can the Bills do, especially almost a month into free agency? These four players could ostensibly come in and replace Stefon Diggs, even if they aren't similar players.

4. Bills can turn up the speed by drafting Xavier Worthy

Xavier Worthy is the true speed demon of the 2024 NFL Draft, breaking the NFL Combine record in the 40-yard dash as he ran it in 4.21 seconds. That speed is also evident in all of his film with the Texas Longhorns as well. Whether it's streaking down the field on a 9-route or blowing defenders away down the sidelines after catching a screen, he's a true weapon.

The biggest concern with Worthy is his size. He weighed in at just 165 pounds and that lack of strength is also, unfortunately, evident on his film. Worthy can get pushed around at times, often goes down on first contact, and frankly needs to put on some more bulk if he's going to be an every-down player at the NFL level.

You can't teach the type of elite physical traits that Worthy possesses though. Moreover, pairing him with the big-armed Allen could create some real magic as a vertical threat in the Bills offense while Buffalo has also shown a recent affinity for run-after-catch weapons. It would be with question marks, to be sure, but Worthy could definitely step in and make a big impact with this team in particular.

3. Drafting Adonai Mitchell could be the Bills best option from Texas

For as alluring as Xavier Worthy is, he's actually not the best Texas prospect at wide receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft. That distinction belongs to Adonai Mitchell, who transferred to the Longhorns from Georgia this past season and is among my personal draft crushes in this year's draft.

Mitchell checks the boxes in droves. He's 6-foot-4 with a sturdy frame but has elite explosive traits, running a 40-yard dash in the 4.3-second range at that size and showing off in the jumps with a 39.5-inch vertical and an 11-foot-4 broad jump. And in his best moments throughout his college career, you can see all of that on the film. He's a ball-winner who also can make defensive backs look completely silly with his size and speed combination.

The big flaw with Mitchell, which admittedly I'm less worried about than some others, is that he simply was inconsistent. There are multiple times when he takes plays off (particularly when he's not getting the ball) and it's painfully obvious on the field. But that's something that NFL coaching can ultimately (or at least hopefully) quell.

When you look at the physical profile and upside of Mitchell, it's that of a clear-cut top wide receiver. The Bills need that without Stefon Diggs, and he could be worth the risk.

2. Odell Beckham Jr. is the best (and only) free agent the Bills should consider

Trading Stefon Diggs on April 3 is an interesting choice for the Bills if they were always open to moving to him. Yes, the club is absolutely hamstrung when it comes to the salary cap, which is why Diggs joins the likes of Mitch Morse, Tre'Davious White and more as departures this offseason. But with Diggs gone, the options available to them in free agency are limited.

Bluntly, there probably isn't a long-term replacement for Diggs available on the open market right now. Having said that, there is one stopgap option who could make some sense to step into that role, which would be Odell Beckham Jr.

After a wholly pedestrian season with Baltimore, OBJ's price tag should fall dramatically from the $15 million-plus that he got last offseason. Having said that, he did show with the Ravens that the juice is still in the tank and he's an ultra-versatile piece that could very much mirror the role that Diggs played with Allen in this offense.

This probably shouldn't be anything other than a one-year deal, whether outright or by way of the guarantees in the contract, but Beckham seems like an easy fit in the offense who might just fit into the Bills' price range given the receiver's situation.

1. Brian Thomas Jr. should be the top target for Bills replacing Stefon Diggs

Maybe because of playing alongside Malik Nabers at LSU, maybe because he's ostensibly in his own tier in the 2024 draft class, it feels like Brian Thomas Jr. gets overlooked far too often as a potentially elite wide receiver who will come off of the board in the first round in April.

Thomas ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine while weighing in at 6-foot-3, 209 pounds. Looking at weight-adjusted speed scores, that's actually more impressive than Worthy's record-breaking mark because Thomas was a mere 0.12 seconds slower while being 44 pounds heavier. But like Worthy, the explosiveness for Thomas is glaringly obvious on the tape from LSU.

He can burn down the field and has real nuance to his game in breaking off routes to accelerate and get open on a variety of different vertical-type routes. He's also strong and an underrated red zone weapon. There is also the potential that Thomas could showcase even more after-catch ability in a different NFL offense.

Thomas may require the Bills to trade up slightly in the first round if they want to grab him, but he would be worth it. He should be their top option to replace Stefon Diggs as things currently stand.