Mock Draft II: Cornerback proves too tough to overlook for Bills at No. 25

That’s not to say that the Buffalo Bills’ general manager finds them to be completely useless, though.

“People do talk, and so you do listen to some of it,” Beane said this month. “When it gets closer, people can’t help themselves.”

We’ve arrived at “closer.” The first round of the draft begins in a month, and with the first wave of free agency over, team needs are in much clearer focus.

Beane and his staff even get into the mock game, not so much with the purpose of trying to accurately predict every one of the 24 picks scheduled to be made before the Bills are on the clock with the No. 25 overall selection, but rather to provide a consensus of sorts of which prospects are considered likely to be taken in the first round.

“We found that if you do 50 mocks and you've got a player that's in 49 of those 50 in the first round, that he's got a 97% chance he's going somewhere in the first round,” Beane said. “So that helps us at the bottom kind of when we're doing our mocks of who should be available and who shouldn't be available. … If no mocks have this guy in the first round on anything, then when we do our mock draft, let's don't take him at pick 20. That's probably not realistic. So there is some value to it. I just don't think people have really a good idea exactly where that player's going to go once you get out of top five.”

Nevertheless, we’re going to give it a shot. Here is The Buffalo News’ second crack of the pre-draft season in projecting how the first round will unfold April 28:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars. Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan. The Jaguars invested in the offensive line in free agency, which allows them to add perhaps the most NFL-ready prospect with the top pick.

2. Detroit Lions. Malik Willis, QB, Liberty. Everyone saw the huge throw at Liberty’s pro day, but that was just one example of why Willis is viewed as a rising prospect. He’s won people over with his personality, and his physical traits just might result in him shooting this far up the draft board.

3. Houston Texans. Evan Neal, OT, Alabama. Neal played right tackle with the Crimson Tide at times, and would likely start his NFL career there with Laremy Tunsil remaining on the Texans’ roster. That would be a solid tackle pairing for whoever lines up at quarterback.

4. New York Jets. Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame. The Jets lost team leader Marcus Maye in free agency. Hamilton would be a nice replacement.

5. New York Giants. Travon Walker, DL, Georgia. A great showing at the NFL scouting combine has pushed Walker so far up mock drafts that some even have him going at No. 1 overall. That would be a nice get for new Giants General Manager Joe Schoen with his first pick.

6. Carolina Panthers. Kenny Pickett, QB, Pitt. There might not be a more quarterback-starved team in the league. With that being the case, don’t be surprised if Pickett comes off the board here, even if some analysts might consider that a reach.

7. New York Giants. Ickey Ekwonu, OT, N.C. State. There are reports Schoen would like to trade one of his first-round picks for a first-rounder next year. If he’s unsuccessful, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him build both lines of scrimmage. Bills General Manager Brandon Beane talks a lot about being strong up front on both sides of the ball, and it would make sense that Schoen is philosophically aligned with that idea.

8. Atlanta Falcons. Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State. With Calvin Ridley suspended for the season, the Falcons are desperate at receiver.

9. Seattle Seahawks. Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon. It sounds weird to say, but the Seahawks need help all over their roster. Thibodeaux was once thought to be in the running for the No. 1 overall pick. He’s slipped a bit from there, but staying in the Pacific Northwest would be a nice result for him.

10. New York Jets. Drake London, WR, USC. Plain and simple, the Jets need to get better weapons for quarterback Zach Wilson. London is a start.

11. Washington Commanders. Sauce Gardner, CB, Cincinnati. It would be a bit of a surprise if Gardner slipped out of the top 10. Washington would be thrilled if it happened, though, because the Commanders’ secondary was a mess last year.

12. Minnesota Vikings. Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU. A run on cornerbacks here wouldn’t be good news for Bills fans hoping to address that position later in the first round. Stingley is one of the more polarizing prospects in the draft, with some thinking he’s a top-10 talent and others seeing him slip.

13. Houston Texans. Jordan Davis, DL, Georgia. Pick any position on the roster and the Texans have a need there. Davis strengthens the interior of the defensive line, which should hopefully free up others to make plays around him.

14. Baltimore Ravens. Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, Florida State. NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Johnson going seventh in his latest mock draft, so No. 14 isn’t out of the question. The Ravens thought they were going to have a reunion with edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, but that fell through, so they address the need in another way.

15. Philadelphia Eagles. George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue. We’ve reached the Philadelphia portion of the first round. With their first of three first-round picks, the Eagles add an edge rusher to pair with Haason Reddick, whom they signed in free agency.

16. Philadelphia Eagles. Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State. If it feels as if the Eagles take a wide receiver every year in the first round, well, it’s because this would be the third consecutive year of doing so. Jalen Reagor is looking like a bust, though, so Olave could be a replacement, or at least a running mate for DeVonta Smith.

17. Los Angeles Chargers. Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa. More protection for star quarterback Justin Herbert is a good thing.

18. New Orleans Saints. Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss. After missing out on Deshaun Watson, the Saints re-signed Jameis Winston. That feels like a short-term fix at quarterback, though, and Corral provides some hope for the future.

19. Philadelphia Eagles. Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah. The Eagles don’t have a history of spending first-round picks on linebackers, but there is a clear need at the position, and with three first-rounders to use, they might do things a bit differently this year.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers. Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington. The Steelers signed Levi Wallace in free agency, but we know here in Buffalo that doesn’t necessarily take a team out of the cornerback market.

21. New England Patriots. Nakobe Dean, LB, Alabama. Wide receiver could be in play here, but the Patriots need to get more athletic on defense. Dean would accomplish that goal.

22. Green Bay Packers. Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama. They might have to wait for him at the start of the season as Williams recovers from a torn ACL suffered in January’s national championship game, but the potential payoff is big. If Williams didn’t get hurt, he’d likely be a top-10 pick, and clearly after trading away Davante Adams, wide receiver is the Pack’s No. 1 need.

23. Arizona Cardinals. Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas. After losing Christian Kirk in free agency, the Cardinals find a potential replacement at slot receiver. Burks lined up in multiple positions in college.

24. Dallas Cowboys. Kenyon Green, OL, Texas A&M. Green played four of the five positions on the offensive line for the Aggies in 2021, giving the Cowboys some options up front.

25. Buffalo Bills. Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson. Beane’s goal in free agency is to fill as many holes on his roster as possible, leaving him open to drafting the best player available. So far, he’s fallen short in that pursuit this offseason. With Wallace leaving for Pittsburgh, the Bills have a sizable hole in their projected defensive lineup. The same might be true at guard, depending on what the Bills decide to do about Ryan Bates’ offer sheet with the Bears. Drafting for need isn’t ideal, but it’s not as if this is a huge reach. Booth is ESPN’s No. 30-ranked prospect, while CBS Sports has him ranked at No. 16. Jeremiah isn’t quite as high on him, ranking him No. 31 on his top-50 list.

The point is, this is about the range Booth might find himself drafted, and he makes sense for the Bills. He’s a willing tackler, which is a necessary trait in Sean McDermott’s defense, and fits the physical profile for the Bills at the position. He didn’t have a great 2021 season, but it’s entirely possible the Bills aren’t bothered by that. Had he put together a better season, the chances of him being available at No. 25 would likely decrease, and it’s a good bet the Bills feel like they can coach up Booth, given what the team got out of Wallace during his time in Buffalo.

There is an argument to be made for a wide receiver. Continuing to give quarterback Josh Allen every available weapon is logical. In this scenario, however, five receivers have come off the board, compared to just three cornerbacks at this point.

There is still time for things to change, but for now, it’s hard to look at the Bills’ cornerback depth chart and think the position doesn’t cry out for need in the first round.

26. Tennessee Titans. Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State. Cross might very well not last this long, but he’d be a good fit for the Titans, who have a hole at right tackle, if he does.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Zion Johnson, G, Boston College. The surprising retirement of Ali Marpet opened up a clear need on the interior of the offensive line.

28. Green Bay Packers. Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota. After cutting Smith in a salary-cap move, Green Bay needs to hit on a cost-controlled replacement.

29. Kansas City Chiefs. Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State. After the shocking trade of Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, it’s a good bet the Chiefs take a receiver in the first round as part of rebuilding their passing attack.

30. Kansas City Chiefs. David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan. Ojabo unfortunately suffered a torn Achilles tendon at pro day and will likely miss his entire rookie season, but he was a clear-cut first-round talent before getting hurt and the Chiefs might very well be willing to wait for him in 2023.

31. Cincinnati Bengals. Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa. The Bengals have made a bunch of moves to address their offensive line this offseason, but there’s no such thing as too much protection for Joe Burrow. Linderbaum is viewed as one of the safest prospects in the class.

32. Detroit Lions. Daxton Hill, S, Michigan. After getting a quarterback for the offense with the second pick, the Lions get a quarterback for the defense with the final pick of the first round, and stay in state to find him.