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2014 NFL mock draft: Mike Evans to Buffalo Bills at No. 9

In need of a big, physical presence in the passing game to speed the development of EJ Manuel, Mike Evans might be the perfect fit for the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills continue to rebuild under head coach Doug Marrone. Last year Buffalo drafted quarterback E.J. Manuel and gave him a pair of wide receivers in Marquise Goodwin and Robert Woods. The Bills also brought in linebacker Kiko Alonso, one of the bright spots of a solid defense.

Buffalo has been busy in free agency, adding a pair of linebackers in Keith Rivers and Brandon Spikes, along with cornerback Corey Graham and offensive lineman Chris Williams. Most recently, wide receiver Mike Williams was added via a trade. But he's not the true No. 1 wideout this team needs. Could this pick fill that role?

Team Player Pos. Ht Wt Class
9. Bills Mike Evans, Texas A&M WR 6'5 231 SO

"Priority No. 1 for the Bills in 2014 is to make sure that they are doing everything possible to develop E.J. Manuel into a bona fide NFL starting quarterback. In this scenario, they could arguably do that by taking either of the Texas A&M players: Evans, which I've done here, or tackle Jake Matthews, who would shore up a sore spot at right tackle. I'll take the stud receiver prospect over the stud tackle prospect every time, and especially in this case -- even if the tackle might be a slightly better prospect.

Evans' unique physical traits are a perfect fit for what Manuel needs in a receiver; his huge catch radius and rare ability to play the ball in the air will be massively beneficial for a quarterback who is not great with ball placement. He's a perfect fit for the Bills' West Coast-flavored passing attack that takes its deep shots off of play-action. Evans could quickly become Manuel's go-to target in Buffalo."

Matthews is the better prospect. He won't make as big of a positive impact as Evans. As a rookie, Manuel completed only 58.8 percent of his passes because of some accuracy issues. Having a player like Evans, who can attack the ball and bring in bad throws, would push that percent over 60. He would give Buffalo a red zone target and another player who can get vertical. Sound choice given the board.

Up next is Sean Yuille from Pride of Detroit at 3 p.m. to make the choice for the Lions to finish off the top 10.

Top 5 players remaining

# Player Pos. College Ht. Wt.
3 Jake Matthews OT Texas A&M 6'5 305
8 Eric Ebron
TE North Carolina
6'4
250
9 C.J. Mosley
LB Alabama 6'2 234
10 Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix S Alabama 6'1
208
11 Taylor Lewan OT Michigan 6'7 309

2014 SB Nation NFL writers' mock draft results

Bills picks

Rd # Team Player Pos. College
1 9 Buffalo Bills Mike Evans WR Texas A&M
2 41 Buffalo Bills