The Bills pluck long, physical SEC corner
It is NFL Draft day in Las Vegas, which means the final copies of mock drafts are being submitted. A lot of eyes will be on what general manager Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills do in an attempt to fortify a potential Super Bowl roster in 2022. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper has tabbed a recently familiar player to the Bills at pick 25.
Pick 25: Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
Kiper’s take: “I really struggled here because I wanted to give the Bills running back Breece Hall. I just can’t do it, though I’m going to be kicking myself if general manager Brandon Beane takes Hall. Ultimately, Beane could find a good back on Day 2. Buffalo’s need at corner is just too large to use a luxury pick here. Elam is a long, press-man corner with some ball skills.”
Max’s take: Elam has the height (6’1”) and adequate length (30 7/8” arms) to go along with very good testing that would allow him to be the perfect fit in a McDermott/Frazier press-man/zone defense. Elam possesses some stiffness in his mirroring efforts, but the hope is that a zone-based team like Buffalo can help to mask this deficiency as he improves his zone coverage processing. Elam will need to improve his tackling efforts if he is to fall in good favor with McDermott. With Tre’Davious White recovering off a torn ACL, Elam could step in and pay dividends immediately as a large injection of talent to the cornerback room.
Other players selected ahead of the Bills
13 – S Kyle Hamilton
15 – WR Jameson WIlliams
18 – CB Trent McDuffie
21 – S/CB Daxton Hill
23 – OG Zion Johnson
Overall
Kiper seemed torn on whom to select between Elam and Iowa State running back Breece Hall in this mock. Hall has been a buzz name recently for the Bills and Kiper does not seem shocked if he were to be the pick at this spot. Notably, Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., our 2022 SB Nation Writers mock draft selection, falls all of the way out of the first round with rumors swirling of perceived medical red flags after a recent hernia surgery. The Bills will have options in what is shaping up to be a very unpredictable draft year. Elam would be a rock-solid pick at 25 overall. Without a trade, the Bills will be looking at 24 players being plucked off the board before they make a selection. The endless possibilities remain just hours before day one of the 2022 NFL Draft kicks off.
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