A closer look at the positions the Buffalo Bills could target at the NFL combine in Indianapolis:

Positions of need: General manager Doug Whaley will insist on picking the best player available, which is typically a sound strategy. But if Buffalo decides to release Tyrod Taylor before $30 million of his contract becomes guaranteed on March 11, then the Bills will almost certainly draft a quarterback at some point in the April draft. An argument can be made that quarterback should still be a top need even if Taylor stays, but if the Bills decide to pay Taylor, then there are a slew of other positions that can be addressed. The Bills could be hit hard by free agency at wide receiver, they can upgrade at right tackle, they need faster linebackers for new coach Sean McDermott's system and they will need help in the secondary if top cornerback Stephon Gilmore signs elsewhere.

Targets

Deshaun Watson QB, Clemson: Rex Ryan would be wearing Clemson orange in the Bills' draft room if he were still the Bills' coach. Watson led Clemson to a national title and has seen his stock rise in recent months. Could Watson ride the wave all the way to San Francisco with the second overall pick? ESPN NFL draft expert Todd McShay projected Watson to the 49ers in his first mock draft, but ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. believed in each of his first two mock drafts that Watson would fall to the Bills at No. 10. Either way, the Bills would be rolling the dice on a prospect who is rated No. 35 overall by Scouts Inc. and is not a surefire first-round talent.

Mitch Trubisky QB, North Carolina: Kiper has projected Trubisky to come off the board to the 49ers with the No. 2 overall selection, so there is no guarantee the Bills could select Trubisky at No. 10. McShay and Scouts Inc. consider Trubisky to be the best quarterback in the 2017 class, although he is not rated as highly as either of last year's top prospects, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz. There is a downside risk with Trubisky that should give the Bills pause about selecting him high in the first round, but if they release Taylor, they will not be in a position to nitpick.

DeShone Kizer QB, Notre Dame: Kizer is being consistently rated a notch below Watson and Trubisky, which could put him in play for the Bills' second-round pick (No. 43). Scouts Inc. rated Kizer as its third-best quarterback and No. 45 prospect overall. If the Bills do not want to pick Watson or Trubisky at No. 10 -- or if they are already taken -- then they could select the best player available in the first round and hope to pick up Kizer in the second round.