The final rookie deep dive is here! Check out all of the rookie deep dives available here: Rookie Deep Dives, and make sure to use code DL10 for 10% off all memberships!
Deep WR Room In Buffalo
Kaden Prather is the latest addition to the Buffalo Bills‘ receiving room when they drafted the Maryland product in the 7th round. Prather, likely battling for a spot on the practice squad where he can develop his downfield skills, an area the Bills have been lacking in for some time.
The Bills’ current WR room consists of veterans Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Elijah Moore, and Curtis Samuel. Those 5 are virtually locks to make the 53-man roster, while Laviska Shenault Jr. is the clear favorite to be WR6 due to his special-teams contributions. It’s going to take a great camp and preseason filled with highlights for Prather to make the team, and that’s only the players that I view as locks.
The Bills have a total of 12 WRs heading into camp. Jalen Virgil and KJ Hamler are the most notable of the latter 6, and Prathers likely competition is here for a practice squad spot as Hamler is a decent special-teams player himself, so if Shenault were to go down, Hamler is the likely candidate to fill that role.
Prather’s College Stats
Prather started in select games his freshman and sophomore seasons at West Virginia before transferring to Maryland and earning a starting role with the team. In 22 starts with the Terrapins, Prather had 98 receptions for 1290 yards and 9 TDs. The following statistics are available via Chad Reuter, NFL Draft Researcher/Analyst with NFL Media since 2011, as linked in Prather’s draft profile below.
- 2021 (West Virginia): Played in 12 games with 4 starts (12-175-14.6).
- 2022 (West Virginia): Played in 11 games with 9 starts (52-501-9.6, 3 TDs).
- 2023: Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Conference. Played in all 13 games with 10 starts (42-666-15.9, 5 TDs).
- 2024: Started all 12 games (56-624-11.1, 4 TDs).
NFL Combine
Like many of GM Brandon Beane and HC Sean McDermott‘s draft picks, Prather had a high athleticism score. Prather ran a 4.46 40-yard dash, impressive for his 6 3 1/2” frame. He also had a 1.53-second 10-yard split. Among a few other drills, he ranked 28th in athleticism among WRs at the combine, a solid athlete added to the Bills’ WR core.
Expectations
The Bills receiving room competition will be cutthroat this year with absolutely no room for mistakes. The top 5 are locks and with WR6 up for grabs it’s still likely Shenaults due to his special team contributions, with Hamler competing with him.
Kaden Prather will be competing with Jalen Virgil, UDFA WRs, and practice-squad receivers the Bills brought back from last season for the WR7/8 role. His goal should be to make the practice squad so he can learn the system and develop into a nice depth piece in years to come. I predict his stat line to be 0 receptions, 0 yards, and 0 TDs.
What’s to Come!
With the rookie deep dive series ending, a new series begins! Expect to see my training camp series soon as I discuss the latest news, camp battles, roster expectations, and what to expect in the preseason in the next few weeks. The Buffalo Bills’ preseason gets kicked off on August 7th against former Bills OC Brian Daboll’s New York Giants.
If you haven’t already, check out one of our most recent videos on YouTube where we discuss the Washington Commanders’ potential heading into this season!
