Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - We are less than one week away from the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Buffalo Bills hold pick No. 25 and should still have plenty of options left on the board, especially for a team that already has a very good roster and not many holes to fill.
Here's my first mock draft, with help from the mock draft simulator at The Draft Network and comments throughout:
This draft is heavy on the big guys up front, and that's reflected in my first five picks with offensive or defensive linemen going early. Specifically, those who get to the quarterback and those who protect the passer.
The first quarterback comes off the board at pick No. 6 when the Carolina Panthers grab Malik Willis of Liberty University, and then another high-level skill player in University of Cincinnati's Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner the next pick to the New York Giants. Their fellow New Jersey State-mate Jets get the receiver they've been coveting this offseason by selecting Garrett Wilson of Ohio State University.
Notre Dame's Kyle Hamilton and LSU's Derek Stingley, Jr. - two of the top defensive backs in the draft - fall just out of the top-10 and go to the Washington Commanders and Minnesota Vikings, respectively. The Philadelphia Eagles draft a wide receiver in the first round for the third year in a row, grabbing Drake London out of USC.
The seemingly always "all-in" New Orleans Saints snag dynamic University of Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams with the 16th overall selection.
The Eagles are then able to fill another need with another playmaker, but on the other side of the ball, grabbing cornerback Trent McDuffie out of the University of Washington.
The final pick of the Top-20 belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and 39 years after they passed on hometown and University of Pittsburgh quarterback Dan Marino with the 21st selection back in 1983, this time they decide to go that route with Kenny Pickett.
This group of five is loaded with high-end playmakers, including the New England Patriots grabbing terrific University of Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd, who should fit perfectly into Bill Belichick's system.
The Green Bay Packers go with Arkansas wide receiver Traylon Burks to give Aaron Rodgers a major weapon.
Andrew Booth Jr., a player many believe the Bills could be targeting, goes at pick No. 23 to the Arizona Cardinals to help their defense.
With the 25th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select:
Kaiir Elam - Cornerback - Florida
After Levi Wallace left via free agency to the Steelers, the Bills are looking for more help at the outside cornerback position. Elam would not only provide that, but have a chance to start right away.
Elam is fast, running a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He can play man-to-man and is very good in zone coverage. The Bills run a zone heavy scheme and he could fit right into it.
At just over 6-foot-1 and 191 pounds, Elam has the perfect size to play the boundary in the NFL, and help support in the run game when needed. Whereas Wallace was beaten a bit too often on contested catches, Elam excelled in making sure that didn't happen while at Florida.
The 20-year-old wouldn't be guaranteed to start on the Bills from Day 1, because Dane Jackson would have something to say about that. However, Elam, who has great bloodlines – his uncle Matt was a first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2013 – will compete to take that spot right away, and could very well earn it. If not, he'd be a solid depth piece as a rookie.
The final seven picks of the draft are players who could all be selected much, much higher, including the pick right after Buffalo's, where the Tennessee Titans select George Pickens, a wide receiver out of the University Georgia who is rising fast.
However, there are other very talented receivers still there, and the Chiefs, who traded Tyreek Hill this offseason, grab Chris Olave of Ohio State University right before they go to the other side of the ball and select University of Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon, who may have the highest upside of any player at that position.
The Cincinnati Bengals continue to help protect quarterback Joe Burrow by adding center Tyler Lindenbaum of Iowa.
To close out Round 1, University of Mississippi's Matt Corral is the third quarterback taken in the first round, as he heads to the Detroit Lions.
Related
Follow me on Twitter @SalSports
