It’s never too early to guess whom the Bills might select in this year’s NFL Draft.
That is certainly the case if you are ESPN’s draft guru Mel Kiper Jr, who released his initial first-round mock projections for the 2022 NFL Draft before the Bills had played their final game of the postseason.
Interestingly enough, Kiper Jr. pinpointed the cornerback position and predicted that the Bills would select Washington CB Trent McDuffie.
Here is what he had to say on the pick:
Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
Buffalo doesn’t have many holes on its roster, but Tre’Davious White’s season-ending knee injury in November put the focus on its cornerback depth. This late in the first round, teams are hoping for rookie starters, but they’ll also take high-upside prospects who could grow into starters in time. McDuffie can cover wideouts outside or from in the slot, so the versatility is a plus. He was very good in man coverage for the Huskies. I also thought about a guard here, and the Bills’ running backs were disappointing again in 2021, even though Devin Singletary had a couple of good games to end the season. This is a little too high for a back on my board, but we could see risers after the combine, so keep an eye out.
Those following last year’s pre-draft coverage might recall that Kiper Jr. also protected the Bills would select a CB in his final mock selection ahead of last year’s draft.
Without knowing where the team would land in the selection order at the time, he chose based on their being at 27th overall based on projections from ESPN’s Football Power Index. The Bills, however, would secure the 25th spot in the first round for the first time in franchise history.
The team has nine total picks, including two selections apiece in the sixth and seventh rounds. Given GM Brandon Beane’s collecting of draft capital and maneuvering of trades, it would be no surprise to see him use some of those assets to move up in a round to take a player he feels is worth doing so for.
Currently, Kiper has McDuffie ranked sixth in this drafts cornerback class.
Some other CB’s the draft analyst projects to go earlier in the first round that could also be targets should the Bills elect to move up include LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr., Cincinnati’s Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, or Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr.
Free-agent Levi Wallace, who was serviceable while sharing the CB load in the absence of number-one corner Tre White in the wake of a season-ending injury, could be in line for offers from other teams.
While he and Dane Jackson played well down the stretch, the absence of talent like White’s was felt in matching up with the speed and talent of teams like Kansas City.
With their CB1 recovery timeline from surgery to repair a torn ACL unknown, that could be all the reason for Buffalo to make a move to add a complimentary talent to that position group.