With just under a week to go until the 2022 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills hold the 25th overall selection and will be looking to add an immediate piece to, what looks to be, a Super Bowl ready roster.
This will be my first of two mock drafts that will come out before Thursday's Round 1 of the draft starting at 8 p.m. ET:
With the first five picks in the draft, much of it seems very straight forward.
Even with all the smoke at the top of the draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars need a good clean hit and not a home run. That's where Aiden Hutchinson comes in. He could absolutely become a home run, but on draft night, he will simply be the best player with the best floor for a team desperate for a franchise cornerstone.
Malik Willis going to the Detroit Lions seems set in stone. Once the local talent in Hutchinson is off the board, the Lions should try and strike for their franchise quarterback, who has all the tools to succeed. Plus, a head coach like Dan Campbell may help Willis and the Lions be on the right path to change the culture in Detroit.
The Carolina Panthers are last year's Chicago Bears: A coaching staff in desperate need of a splash move.
But unlike Chicago, who seemingly had a quarterback fall into their laps and one with high upside in Justin Fields, Carolina will take the most “pro-ready” quarterback with very little upside in, what is perceived as, a bad quarterback class.
The New York Jets may walk away the winners of the top-10 of this draft. Getting a legit CB1 in "Sauce" Gardner and finally being able to add to their wide receiver room in Jameson Williams will make a difference, especially after trying their hand at landing both Tyreek Hill and D.K. Metcalf. Both players add incredible upside to a Jets team that might sneak up on people if second year starter Zach Wilson is able to take a leap forward.
With the possibility of the Washington Commander being unable to re-sign wide receiver Terry McLaurin, Drake London makes the most sense, along with the goal of making life as easy as possible for quarterback Carson Wentz.
Kyle Hamilton’s “fall” doesn't last long, as he ends up on a very solid Minnesota Vikings roster that can afford to take a player that may not make the immediate impact a top-10 team would need.
The New Orleans Saints made their trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to likely select a quarterback, but in my mock, they don’t have to. Ridder offers potential while the Saints offer a very good roster that won’t force Ridder to come in too early. Meanwhile, Wilson adds to a surprisingly thin wide receiver room that needs more depth and talent, especially with Michael Thomas returning.
As for the Eagles, they grab a top-10 talent in Johnson, but with the rush on edge players ending, they could afford to wait and allow a high-end player fall to them.
The New England Patriots need to get faster on defense. Devin Lloyd does just that for them, immediately improving what is a very important part of the Patriots identity.
The Green Bay Packers will eventually take a wide receiver, but for now, they grab one of the larger offensive line prospects in Trevor Penning. Standing at 6-foot-7 and 322 pounds, Penning will be able to slot perfectly into one of the tackles spots for a team hoping to avoid a full rebuild.
With the 25th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select:
Chris Olave - Wide Receiver - Ohio State
The Bills have a good wide receiver room, but not necessarily a deep one. If either Stefon Diggs or Gabriel Davis go down with any sort of injury, the Bills will be left with very unproven talent to be their second outside wideout. This isn’t even accounting for the fact that the Bills often run three outside receivers. Isaiah Mckenzie and Jamison Crowder are primarily in the slot, and the Bills shouldn't try to change what already makes those two so dangerous.
Olave offers the Bills the best route running in the class in an offense that is built off wide receiver separation. The 21-year-old stands at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, and recorded an official 40-yard dash time of 4.39. This offers the Bills even more speed, something that will push defenses even further onto their heels.
This pick for the Bills also keeps Buffalo in the AFC arms race that is, seemingly, going on, and it will keep their quarterback's cookie jar more than full.
The first round ends with the Kansas City Chiefs doubling down on defense. With a number of wide receivers available in Rounds 2 and 3, the Chiefs need to address, what was, a brutal secondary that only got weaker with the loss of safety Tyrann Mathieu.
With their second first round pick, Green Bay gets their wide receiver in Jahan Dotson.
Meanwhile, the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals continue to improve their offensive line by selecting Tyler Linderbaum, as they look to make it back to the Super Bowl in a loaded AFC.
Finally, Detroit adds a threat on the edge with George Karlaftis from Purdue, as he falls a little bit more than he might of expected.
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