With the 2022 NFL Draft only a couple of weeks away, the Bills are in a position to draft for roster strength.
GM Brandon Beane has set the team up ahead of this month’s NFL Draft to take the best players available when Buffalo is on the clock.
Even after a successful offseason of adding talent, there are still there are some areas Buffalo could address on the days of the draft.
The team has nine picks in rounds one through seven, including two sixth-rounders, and they’re slated to pick at positions number 25, 57, 89, 130, 168, 185, 203, and 231.
With that, here are some of the positions we might see the Bills add to with their selections in the 2022 NFL Draft:
Cornerback
Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports
One position that Buffalo did not yet make a move to fill is cornerback, which suggests they may look to draft early at that position.
Levi Wallace has left to sign with Pittsburgh, and star CB Tre’Davious White is working his way back from injury. Bills CB Dane Jackson has been effective and serviceable during White’s absence playing at his position.
So while the Bills will miss their starter while he recovers, it is the former starter and CB2 in Wallace they would be more likely to replace.
During the draft, the team could have an opportunity to add a first-round talent, and could even trade up to select a corner if Beane and company see someone available they view as the best fit.
Especially if they are looking for starter-level talent.
Under Brandon Beane, the team has moved up when needed if they see players they like. If the front office identifies a premium talent at a position of importance they are not shy about going after them.
If they were to take a CB in the first round at 25 overall or move up it could be for a talent like Clemson CB Andrew Booth. Booth recently had a pre-draft visit with the team and might be the Bills target in round one.
With WR Tyreke Hill already on Buffalo’s radar in terms of requiring speedy defensive coverage from his time as a Kansas City Chief, his sudden trade to and extension with the Miami Dolphins could increase that sense of necessity.
For these reasons, another player to keep an eye on should the team pick another position in the first round is Tyrique Woolen out of UTSA, who Draft Wire projects as a second-round selection with perhaps the highest ceiling of any player in this draft.
A receiver-turned-corner, Woolen has the type of physical abilities and athletic traits that may make him a prime target for the Bills. Though he’d require development, that is one of the areas the Bills specialize in.
Given his ingenuity in drafts since becoming the Bills GM, BBB could certainly maneuver a trade to move up or add additional picks in the early rounds to address multiple positions.
And a corner looks likely to be one of them.
Receiver
Looking at how adding pass-catching talent has worked out for Kansas City, it’s easy to see how the right player could only further put the Bills offense among the top in the league.
The team made an addition to the receiver group and addressed the departure of slot receiver Cole Beasley by signing WR Jamison Crowder.
And while the team previously had veteran deep threats outside WRs like John Brown and Emmanuel Sanders, only the newly extended Stefon Diggs and the emergent Gabriel Davis are left in the current group.
That leaves the Brown/Sanders spot open, in what figures to be a depth piece to add talent and an additional outside option.
If receivers like Alabama’s Jameson Williams or Penn State’s Jahan Dotson slide within range of selection in the first round, Buffalo could take one or make a move up.
While the corner position appears more likely early in the draft, there is still a chance the team could add to the receiving corps at some point. Especially given Beane’s eye for identifying starter-caliber talent in later rounds.
One thing to look for would be a receiver who could help to improve the Bills yards after catch numbers as well.
The team has met ahead of the draft with projected day two selection, Alabama WR John Metchie III, perhaps forecasting a selection at the receiver position.
Offensive Line
Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Brandon Beane said following the 2021 season that protecting QB Josh Allen that adding talent to the trenches on both sides of the ball
Projected second-round picks Memphis OL Dylan Parham and UCLA OL Sean Rhyan visited with Buffalo, and Ohio State OT Nicholas Petit-Frere visited with the team as well.
OL Jamaree Salyer of Georgia, OL Kenyon Green of Texas A&M, IOL Zion Johnson from Boston College have all been mock drafted by some members of the media to Buffalo at 25th overall.
Adding to their rotation depth or finding a future starter in the draft figures to be something Beane will continue to do be it this year or in the future, as he looks to give Josh Allen and the run game better protection and time to make plays.
As the team continues to add to and strengthen the line, one of these candidates could find themselves in a Bills jersey come training camp.
Defensive Line
Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Even after adding to the defense in free agency, this is another area the team could look to grow even stronger at.
It was even reported that the Bills worked out several Oklahoma defenders in DT Perrion Winfrey, DE Nik Bonitto, and LB Brian Asamoah.
Some players that have been popular mock draftees some in the media have projected to Buffalo at pick 25 have been Georgia DL’s Devonte Wyatt and Jordan Davis.
While Buffalo bolstered its DE rotation during last year’s draft and added linebacker Von Miller in free agency this year, they could still add a player who could further enhance their pass rush and/or run-stopping abilities.
Especially considering this year’s draft is deep in terms of pass rush talent.
If they find themselves on the clock and the best player on the board is a pass rusher, don’t be surprised if they add them to their rotation.
Given their track record in selecting defensive players in the first round under Brandon Beane and HC Sean McDermott, it’s a possibility they do so again.
Running Back
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
The long-term status of 2020 third-round pick Zack Moss remains unclear as Devin Singletary took over primary ball-carrying duties last season and thrived.
Then there was the Bills reported interest in trading for star RB Christian McCaffrey.
Buffalo does appear to be looking to find a true pass-catching RB and impact player for their offense. After attempting to sign Washington RB J.D. McKissic to a two-year pact, they pivoted and brought in veteran RB Duke Johnson on a one-year deal.
Georgia RB James Cook, the brother of Vikings RB Dalvin Cook, and Texas A&M RB Isaiah Spiller both fit that bill, and the team has hosted each player on pre-draft visits.
A detail of note is the number of one-year pacts that GM Brandon Beane handed out to free agents this offseason, coupled with the number of deals that are expiring after this upcoming season. It appears Beane may be preparing for payroll maneuverability after the 2022 campaign.
And what’s significant about that in terms of the run game is that developmental RB Christian Wade was recently waived, and current roster RB’s Devin Singletary, Tawain Jones, and Duke Johnson are each slated to become UFA’s after next season. That would leave Moss as the only RB under contract should he still be with the team at that time.
While Singletary would be the likely candidate to remain with the Bills, the receiving running back role does appear to be one they are looking to fill, and that could happen as soon as this year’s draft.
Tight End
Colorado State Rams tight end Trey McBride (85) Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The Bills have two tight ends under contract in 2021 breakout player Dawson Knox and newly signed former first-round pick O.J. Howard.
Both players are slated to become free agents after this upcoming season, and while Knox figures to be part of the Bills long-term plans, Howard may be more of a one-year trial to see how well he fits into the Buffalo offense.
With Ken Dorsey perhaps looking to run more two tight end sets in the passing game, the front office appears to be looking for a TE2 to play opposite Knox.
So far since signing Howard, that has included a reported private workout with the top TE prospect in the coming draft, Trey McBride of Colorado State, as well as pre-draft visits with Coastal Carolina TE Isaiah Likely, and Texas A&M TE Jalen Wydermyer.
If one of these players is on the board, it’s possible the Bills look to land one for position depth and to create a dynamic TE duo for Josh Allen and company.
Safety
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
With Jordan Poyer entering a contract year, switching agents to Drew Rosenhaus, and seeking an extension, the Bills may be thinking about the future of that position on their roster.
They’ve held pre-draft visits with two players at that position so far, Georgia S Lewis Cine and Maryland S Nick Cross.
While Poyer has been part of a steady duo with fellow safety Micah Hyde since the two joined Buffalo, both players are 30+ years old and the team may not have the money to retain both on long-term deals as their contracts near an end.
While Poyer and Hyde have been a big part of Buffalo’s defense and success story under Sean McDermott and Assistant HC and DC Leslie Frazier, the team is both contending for a Super Bowl in the present while also building for the future.
It’s not unreasonable to think the team will look to add players at the safety position this year or next who they can develop at that position in the event either of their current starters is not extended or re-signed.
Punter
Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Punter Matt Haak and the Bills reworked his contract after a lackluster first year with Buffalo.
Originally he inked a three-year deal for $5.45 million last year, and will now make $1.135 million and have the last year of his contract voided, and will become a free agent again after the season.
Punter is a position the Bills have not yet found a long-term solution for and could look to do just that during this year’s draft.
The biggest prize at the position is, of course, Matt Araiza out of San Diego State, who could go as high as rounds two or three.
Behind him, Penn State’s Jordan Stout figures as another potential target.
The Bills lost some of their late-round picks to other teams last year and might look to package them this time around to move up higher or into some of the earlier rounds or to grab talent that will slot in on the depth chart and not fall into excess where there isn’t always roster room.
If Araiza or Stout are available and the Bills have addressed their premium position needs, it’s possible one of them lands in Buffalo.
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