A slot receiver for the future
The Buffalo Bills have made their first pick on Day 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft. General manager Brandon Beane continued his wheeling and dealing, moving up 20 spots from pick 168 to 148 in order to select Boise State wideout Khalil Shakir.
After trading down on Day 2 to acquire a couple of extra third-round picks, Beane could not resist a trade up to get a potential value in Shakir early in the fifth round.
Veteran addition Jamison Crowder should be expected to man the slot wide receiver position in 2022 while Shakir gets the opportunity to learn from a veteran who has had a ton of success in the league. Crowder is on a cheap one-year deal with the Bills. Shakir’s role will be as a developmental slot early on who will have plenty of opportunity to see the field in year one and eventually overtake the starting slot receiver role.
Players like Isaiah Hodgins, Isaiah McKenzie, and Marquez Stevenson will be duking it out with Shakir for opportunities in 2022.
With Crowder a potential stop-gap player, Shakir was a player the Bills quietly needed to add for the possible incumbent. An added bonus to Shakir is that he was a very successful returner in college who averaged 28.5 average yards per kick return and 12.8 per punt return in 2021.
The Bills still possess three sixth-round picks (180, 185, 209) and a seventh-round pick. Look for Beane to potentially address interior offensive line and punter, and potentially tight end as the draft continues to roll on Day 3.
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