Your guide to the Buffalo Bills and the NFL draft

Brandon Beane frequently says the work of building an NFL roster never stops.

That was proved true Thursday, when the Buffalo Bills' general manager signed former Tennessee Titans offensive tackle David Quessenberry to a one-year contract. Quessenberry should have a decent chance of making the 53-man roster as a swing tackle.

Because of that, Beane can cross one more need off his list for 2022. With the NFL draft starting Thursday, he’ll have, tentatively, seven more chances to do the same.

What might those seven picks yield to the Bills? The Buffalo News ran a simulation to find out. This year, we used the mock draft simulator at Pro Football Network. It generates simulated trade offers, and also allows users to make their own trade offers. Here is a seven-round projection for the Bills, with a look at the top-ranked players available at the time the pick was made, along with the reasoning behind it:

First round, No. 25 overall – Traded.

First round, No. 32 overall – Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State.

Reasoning: While on the clock, Detroit offered the last pick of the first round, No. 32 overall, along with its second-round draft pick in 2023. Betting on the Lions being bad again in 2022 is reasonable, so moving down seven spots, hopefully netted a top-40 pick next year in return.

With the final pick of the first round, Hall was the pick. Much has been made about whether it’s smart to draft a running back in the first round. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that’s wise. However, in this case, Hall is a justifiable pick. Devin Singletary is going into the final year of his contract, and while he performed well down the stretch for the Bills at the end of the 2021 season, he hasn’t been able to consistently reach that level of production.

Hall has the chance to help the Bills’ offense reach another level. A two-time, Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, Hall set an NCAA record with a rushing touchdown in 24 consecutive games. He figures to immediately vault to the top of the depth chart.

Best players on PFN’s big board at the time: Minnesota EDGE Boye Mafe, Northern Iowa OT Trevor Penning, Texas A&M G Kenyon Green.

Second round, No. 57 overall – Traded.

Second round, No. 53 overall – Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington.

Reasoning: Five cornerbacks were chosen before the Bills were on the clock in the first round in this projection, making it feel like a bit of a reach at No. 32. Just one more went in the second round before the Packers were on the clock, though, so moving up to get Gordon gives the Bills another potential starter.

Gordon was a first-team All-Pac-12 choice, as was Trent McDuffie, who started at cornerback on the opposite side for the Huskies and went in the first round in this projection. Gordon had 46 tackles, two interceptions and a team-leading seven passes defensed in 12 starts. He has elite physical traits that have led to NFL.com’s scouting report to conclude he could become one of the top playmakers in the game if he improves his route recognition.

The cost to move up four spots was the Bills’ 2023 third-round draft pick.

Best on the board at the time: Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III, Michigan EDGE David Ojabo, Alabama DL Phidarian Mathis.

Third round, No. 89 overall – Traded.

Third round, No. 90 overall – Jelani Woods, TE, Virginia.

Reasoning: The Titans offered a 2023 fifth-round selection to move up just one spot, so that trade was accepted. Woods had 44 catches for 598 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021, being named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference first team. He might not see a ton of playing time behind Dawson Knox and O.J. Howard as a rookie, but both are heading into the final year of their respective contracts, so tight end is a potential big need in 2023.

At 6-foot-7 and 259 pounds, Woods has ideal size at the position. He’s considered to be somewhat of a raw prospect, but has supreme athleticism.

Best on the board: Memphis WR Calvin Austin III, Tennessee DT Matthew Butler; Virginia Tech G Lecitus Smith.

Fourth round, No. 130 overall – JT Woods, S, Baylor.

Reasoning: After Jordan Poyer’s agent went public with his request for a new contract, speculation began about the safety’s long-term future with the team. The Bills eventually aren’t going to be able to pay all their players, and if they decide to walk away from Poyer after this year, picking a safety in this year’s draft would be a good idea. Woods ran a blazing, 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine and has good production over the past two years at Baylor, with nine interceptions. He’s also played both safety spots, which the Bills prefer, and is another excellent athlete, which is certainly a trend in this class.

Best on the board: Oklahoma G Marquis Hayes; Ohio State DT Haskell Garrett; Nevada TE Cole Turner.

Fifth round, No. 168 overall – Micah McFadden, LB, Indiana.

Reasoning: Another forward-looking pick, as Bills middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is entering the final year of his contract. McFadden was highly productive in 2021, finishing as a second-team All-Big 10 pick after making 77 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He was also a two-time team captain. McFadden also projects as a key contributor on special teams, which is a must for backup linebackers.

Best on the board: Baylor WR Tyquan Thornton; Arizona State OT Kellen Diesch; Boston College C Alec Lindstrom.

Sixth round, No. 185 overall – Danny Gray, WR, SMU.

Reasoning: A receiver in the first round would have been nice, but six went before the Bills picked. At that point, waiting until later in the draft made more sense. One of Beane’s objectives this offseason was to add more team speed. Gray ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the combine, and is a former 100-meter state champion in high school. He was a first-team All-American Athletic Conference pick after finishing with 49 catches for 803 yards and nine touchdowns, despite missing two games with an ankle injury.

Best on the board: Georgia RB Zamir White; UCLA S Quentin Lake; Michigan CB Vincent Gray.

Seventh round, No. 231 overall – Jordan Stout, P, Penn State.

A punter! Ok, maybe it’s not the punter everyone wants, but Arizona State’s Matt Araiza came off the board at No. 153 in the fifth round in this simulation. Stout is generally regarded as the second-best punter in the class, and has a legitimate chance of unseating Matt Haack for the Bills’ job.

Best on the board: Virginia Tech CB Jermaine Waller; Rutgers WR Bo Melton; North Carolina LB Jeremiah Gemmel.

Conclusion: In Hall and Gordon, the Bills add two players who should challenge to start immediately. Jelani Woods provides an intriguing project at tight end. JT Woods and McFadden should be special-teams contributors as rookies, while potentially having larger roles on defense in the coming years depending on what happens with the starters in front of them. Gray is a burner, and Stout has a decent chance of making the roster as a seventh-round pick.

The team also added a valuable, second-round draft pick in 2023, and made up in part for trading away next year’s third-round pick by adding a fifth-round selection.

Cornerback has been a position of good fortune for the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the NFL draft.

Seven of the eight cornerbacks Buffalo has drafted in the first round since 1990 turned out to be good players.

Maybe the team will try to continue its success at mining the position this week. Cornerback is the biggest need position for the Bills, and it’s a prime option for them with the 25th overall pick – if a corner they love is available.

The success of first-round cornerbacks is a trend that holds up for the entire NFL.

In the 20-year span from 1999 to 2018, 80 cornerbacks were drafted in the first round. A total of 37 made the Pro Bowl at some point in their NFL careers, an exceptional rate of 46%. There were 25 clear-cut busts among those 80, and 50 of the 80 (62.5%) could be called hits. They had good NFL careers. Another five might be categorized as marginally OK players.

It’s a good track record. Conventional wisdom holds that first-round picks have an approximate success rate of 50%.

“Yeah, I think it’s because of the way these guys can be utilized in the league now,” said ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. “You have one, two, three, four cornerbacks playing on a team. So now if a guy’s not necessarily a lead corner, he’s still going to have a role. So your bust rate is going to drop because of that. You’re going to get contributions from these guys. They’re going to come in and they’re going to play. They’re going to be on the field.”

The 2017 draft class was an exceptional year for cornerbacks. New Orleans took Marshon Lattimore at No. 11, followed by Marlon Humphrey to Baltimore at 16, Adoree Jackson to Tennessee at 18, Gareon Conley to Oakland at 24 and Tre’Davious White to Buffalo at 27. All but Conley have been high-quality starters. Lattimore, Humphrey and White have made the Pro Bowl.

The 2018 class looks good too, with all three first-round corners – Cleveland’s Denzel Ward (selected fourth), Green Bay’s Jaire Alexander (18th) and Minnesota’s Mike Hughes (30th) – playing well. Eight of the 17 first-round corners taken from 2015 through 2018 have made the Pro Bowl.

Mark Dominik, the former Tampa Bay general manager, said pre-draft testing gives NFL teams a better handle on cornerback than some other positions.

“I think the top-end guys coming out of college have a lot of the traits you need,” said Dominik, now a Sirius XM NFL analyst. “We saw Denzel Ward get a big contract. He came in with celebrated ability as a top-end corner. You saw last year Jaycee Horn’s season ended a little early. But Patrick Surtain looks like everything you want him to be. A bunch of those last year it looks like they’ll be hard-pressed not to be top corners.

“My answer would be I think the reason why there might be a better hit rate is the one thing throughout the combine process is when you go to the Senior Bowl, when you go to the combine or individual workouts ... those drills all are set up for athleticism,” Dominik said. “I think that might be the reason why you’re seeing a little more of a hit rate. You can’t hide an unathletic corner.”

The consensus top four cornerbacks in this year’s draft are Louisiana State’s Derek Stingley Jr., Cincinnati’s Sauce Gardner, Washington’s Trent McDuffie and Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr.

Stingley and Gardner seem sure to be taken in the first 15 picks, if not the first 10.

The average of four cornerbacks drafted per year in the first round has held up over the past 10 and 20 years. The average number of corners taken on Day 2 (rounds two and three) is 8.5 over the past 10 years. Last year, 16 were taken in the first three rounds. In 2016 and 2017, 15 were selected.

“I think you’ll see four go in the first round this year,” said former Bears college scouting chief Greg Gabriel. “You see the passing game in college, they’re throwing the ball so much, corners have become more important in the college game.”

Gabriel says that like any position, drafting cornerbacks that fit the defensive scheme is key to the player’s success in the NFL.

“The key is what are they playing,” he said. “Are they playing predominantly one coverage or are they doing multiple coverages? In this year’s draft, some are proficient in man, some in zone. You don’t always get a guy coming out of school that knows how to play all phases of the game, so you’re guessing a little bit. You work your coverages to the strength of the guy you’ve got.”

Each of the top four cornerbacks in the 2022 class has scheme versatility. McDuffie arguably is the best zone-coverage cornerback in the draft class but has the traits to play man, as well.

Obviously, Bills General Manager Brandon Beane could decide there is better value at No. 25 at another position, such as wide receiver or running back.

The next two cornerbacks on the draft board arguably are Washington’s Kyler Gordon and Florida’s Kaiir Elam. Both have scheme flexibility, too.

The Bills like their cornerbacks to be willing tacklers and have long arms. White has exceptional arm length at 32⅛ inches. Clemson’s Booth has good arm length, at 31½ inches. McDuffie's arm is a tad shorter at 29¾. Gordon is 31 inches. Elam is 30⅞ but he’s tall, at 6-foot-1½.

The one cornerback who doesn’t fit the Bills’ physical profile is Auburn’s Roger McCreary, who could be in play when the Bills select in the second round at No. 57. While he has put together an impressive body of work on the field, his arms are just 28⅞ inches. Only one cornerback has been drafted in any round in the last 10 years with shorter arms.

“Ironically, Roger McCreary, who doesn't have that length that you would like, he actually is probably the most similar player to Tre'Davious White,” said NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah. “Now, he's not quite as gifted, but he's a similar type player in terms of he can play press, he can play off, he's got really good awareness and ball skills.”

Besides White, the other cornerbacks drafted by the Bills in the first round since 1990 were: Stephon Gilmore, Leodis McKelvin, Nate Clements, Antoine Winfield, Jeff Burris, Thomas Smith and J.D. Williams. Only Williams qualified as a bust.

Some of the coverage surrounding the NFL draft is absurd.

That’s true of mock drafts, which have a batting average lower than Michael Jordan’s with the Birmingham Barons.

Mock drafts, however, have at least some value. They give readers some idea of who might be chosen in the first round, even if nailing the exact pick is exceedingly difficult. They’re also fun.

That’s the same reason draft grades are so popular. Of course, judging a team’s draft class before any of its members have played one down of professional football is ridiculous. We live in a world of instant gratification, though, so rushing to react to each team’s class is never going to change.

In reality, it’s fair to give those players who are drafted three years to establish themselves as NFL players. In most cases, that’s enough time to have a pretty good feel for who they are.

With that in mind, here is how The Buffalo News would grade each of the picks from Brandon Beane’s 2019 class – his second as the Buffalo Bills’ general manager:

First round, No. 9 overall: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston

Grade: B+

Oliver is exhibit A when it comes to not rushing judgment on draft picks. His first two years in the league maybe didn’t quite live up to the lofty expectations that come with being a top-10 pick, but Oliver turned a corner in 2021.

“I thought he was our best, most consistent D-lineman all year from start to finish,” Beane said at the conclusion of the season. “I think he trended up all year. The game slowed down for Ed this year. He was a huge factor in our success. … Ed really helped the back end with his disruption, having the quarterback get the ball out, or at least get him off the spot, having to throw on the move turns into an incompletion or an interception.”

Oliver’s stats might not jump off the page – he had 41 tackles, four sacks, three passes defensed and one forced fumble last season – but they don’t tell the whole story. He had a few sacks that were called back because of defensive penalties, and his 14 quarterback hits were four more than anyone else on the team. That shows he was in the backfield quite a bit. Coach Sean McDermott has consistently pointed out that defensive tackles in his scheme are not always going to produce big numbers. Oliver, however, became a player that opposing offenses had to account for every week in 2021.

It’s a foregone conclusion the Bills will pick up their team option on his rookie deal for 2023, giving both sides some time to try and work out a long-term extension.

Second round, No. 38 overall: Cody Ford, OL, Oklahoma

Grade: D

To borrow a golf term, Ford is the clubhouse leader for worst pick of the Beane era. It’s bad enough the team used an early second-round draft pick on him, but it looks even worse now that they traded up to do so, giving up a fifth-round pick to the Raiders to move up just two spots. Ford was chosen with the idea he’d be a fixture at right tackle opposite Dion Dawkins. During Ford’s rookie season, he appeared in all 16 games in the regular season and started 15 of them, rotating with veteran Ty Nsekhe. That’s been the high point of his career, though, as Ford has managed to start just seven games in each of the past two seasons. He had a variety of injuries in 2020 before ultimately landing on injured reserve because of a torn meniscus in his knee. By that time, he had been moved inside from tackle, spending time at both right and left guard. He opened the 2021 season as a starter at left guard, but was sent to the bench after a particularly brutal showing against Houston in Week 3. The rest of his starts came in emergency situations as the Bills dealt with injuries and positive Covid tests along the offensive line. Ford is mostly a forgotten man heading into the final year of his rookie contract. He gives the team an experienced backup option with some positional versatility, but has fallen far short of expectations from when he was drafted.

Third round, No. 74 overall: Devin Singletary, RB, Florida Atlantic

Grade: B-

Singletary has had an up-and-down start to his professional career. He gained 775 rushing yards in just 12 games as a rookie, but took a significant step back in 2020, finishing with just 687 yards despite playing in all 16 games. His yards per carry also dropped from 5.1 to 4.4. The 2021 season started reasonably well, as Singletary scored on a 46-yard carry in Week 2 against his hometown Miami Dolphins. He hit a big-time rut in the middle of the year, though, going eight straight games without cracking 45 rushing yards. Singletary, however, found another gear late in the regular season. He had six touchdowns from scrimmage over the final four games, finishing with 323 rushing yards on 76 carries over that time. Then, he scored three more times in two postseason games as the Bills clicked on all cylinders offensively in late December and January. That stretch of football was the most productive of Singletary’s career, and sets up an interesting question for 2022: Can he sustain it? If so, it would help his case when negotiating for a second contract.

Third round, No. 96 overall: Dawson Knox, TE, Ole Miss

Grade: B+

If Oliver is Exhibit A for not rushing young players, Knox is Exhibit B. It was clear from the moment the 6-foot-4, 254-pounder was drafted that Knox had the physical tools needed to play the position, but potential doesn’t always turn into production. It wasn’t until his third season that it really did for Knox. He had a breakout 2021 season, finishing with 49 catches for 587 yards and nine touchdowns – a single-season franchise record for a tight end. Those numbers would have been higher if it were not for a broken hand that cost him a couple of games. Knox played in every situation for the Bills, finishing the 2021 season as the only true tight end on the game-day roster. That speaks to the trust the offensive staff has developed in him as both a receiver and blocker.

Fifth round, No. 147 overall: Vosean Joseph, LB, Florida

Grade: F

Nothing to see here. Joseph spent his rookie season on injured reserve and then was cut at the end of training camp before the 2020 regular season. He never got so much as a sniff with another NFL team and is currently in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. A total miss of a pick.

Sixth round, No. 181 overall: Jaquan Johnson, S, Miami (Fla.)

Grade: C

A team that employs Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde simply doesn’t have much room for a safety – especially considering how durable and productive those two starters have been. As such, Joseph’s playing time has been limited on defense. He has played in 44 career regular-season games, but the bulk of that time has been on special teams. He played 62% of the special teams snaps in 2021 and finished with eight tackles there – fourth most on the team. In limited defensive opportunities, Joseph has 26 tackles and one interception. One sign the Bills do like him came last offseason, though. Instead of signing a veteran safety, they were comfortable with Johnson being No. 3 on the depth chart going into the regular season. That meant if something did happen to Poyer or Hyde, he’d be first in the lineup. For where he was chosen in the draft, Johnson has met expectations.

Seventh round, No. 225 overall: Darryl Johnson Jr., Edge, North Carolina A&T

Grade: C+

It’s never a bad idea to roll the dice on an edge rusher late in the draft. That’s what the Bills did with Johnson, who at 6-6 and 250 pounds had desired measurables. He played in 31 games in his first two NFL seasons, making a pair of sacks and 29 tackles in that time. After the Bills invested heavily in edge rushers over the next two drafts, though, Johnson became expendable. The Bills traded him to the Carolina Panthers last summer, netting a sixth-round draft pick in return. Johnson played in just three games for the Panthers.

Seventh round, No. 228 overall: Tommy Sweeney, TE, Boston College

Grade: C

Sweeney appeared in six games as a rookie, making six catches for 114 yards. He missed all of his second season after contracting myocarditis – a heart ailment – following a positive Covid-19 test. Thankfully, Sweeney made a full recovery and was able to return to the field in 2021. He appeared in nine games, making three starts, and finished with nine catches for 44 yards, including his first career touchdown. Sweeney’s a great fit in the Bills’ locker room – you won’t find a teammate of his with a negative thing to say – but his spot on the roster in 2022 is in jeopardy. By the end of the 2021 season, he was a regular inactive, and the Bills signed former first-round draft pick O.J. Howard this offseason to provide depth and competition behind Knox.

Overall grade: B

A year ago, this grade would not have been nearly as favorable. A year from now, it might look low. The arrow is pointing up for Oliver, Singletary and Knox. Ford is a bust, and the contributions from the four Day 3 selections has been minimal, but overall, Beane can feel reasonably good about the production from his second class. If Oliver and Knox build on what they did last year, he might even feel great about it.

Brandon Beane does not share your angst.

Buffalo Bills fans have been clamoring for a move at cornerback – any move – but so far, the team has mostly stood pat. Levi Wallace departed for the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving the Bills with a potential hole in their projected starting lineup. Siran Neal was re-signed, but he’s been mostly been a contributor on special teams to this point in his career.

As of now, Tre’Davious White and third-year veteran Dane Jackson are atop the depth chart, but with the real games not starting until September, there is time for that to change. Complicating matters is White’s recovery from a torn ACL. While he’s believed to be on track in his rehabilitation, it remains to be seen if he’ll be ready to play in Week 1.

“We’ll continue to address multiple positions now, at the draft, after the draft – whatever it takes,” Beane, the Bills’ sixth-year general manager, said last month. “Anything is on the table, for corner or any other spot.”

While free agency remains a viable option, the available options have been pretty picked through. That’s not to say Beane won’t still look there, but the draft is the biggest remaining tool left for him to improve his roster heading into an eagerly anticipated 2022 season.

Another factor is the salary cap. A free agent or trade acquisition might simply be too cost prohibitive for a team tight up against the cap, whereas it’s a fixed cost for a draft pick.

“My main focus right now is the draft,” Beane said last month at the NFL owners meetings. “We're out of money unless you guys have some here. Other than that, we'll always look. After the draft, we'll be looking. We're never satisfied. We got a lot of positions that I still want to get more depth. We're not just waking up every day saying, 'Where's the corner?' We're looking everywhere and we have a lot of time. We don't play games until September. It's my job to make sure we have the roster ready by then and not April 1.”

The good news is, the draft looks to be reasonably well stocked with cornerbacks.

“The five-year average of cornerbacks taken over the first three rounds is 13.4. This year's class should approach – and potentially surpass – that number, but I wouldn't call this a standout position group,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in his positional preview. “In my estimation, there are more cornerbacks with third-round grades than second-round grades, but overall, the depth and upside look good in Rounds 3 through 5.”

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah described the available talent as a "solid group of corners."

Overall position ranking: 7 out of 10.

Bills view: Jackson stepped into the starting lineup when White got hurt on Thanksgiving night against the Saints and finished the season strong. Did the 2020 seventh-round draft pick out of Pitt do enough to prove he can be a full-time starter? Is White going to be back to his All-Pro level by September? Those are questions the Bills’ coaching staff and front office have to answer.

“Tre’s doing well – he’s working hard in the building, so we’ll start there,” coach Sean McDermott said last month, though the Bills have not provided an expected timeline for White's return. “I don’t want to forget about Tre. Then Dane, we have a lot of confidence in Dane as well, and the work that he’s put in and shown, and the results on the field to this point – albeit a small sample. Then we’ve got the young guys behind him who are working hard and just got through their first year. … Without getting into everyone, we’ve got a lot of confidence in those guys."

While that may be the case, it still might be time to devote some more draft resources to the position. Over the past four years, the Bills have used a pick in the fourth round or earlier on just one cornerback – Taron Johnson in 2018.

Even if the Bills determine White and Jackson are ready to be Week 1 starters, depth is a concern. A drafted rookie would not provide experience in that regard, but he might provide a viable starting option – especially if drafted in the first couple of rounds. For a team with no real holes anywhere else on the roster, cornerback definitely sticks out.

Bills need ranking: 9 out of 10.

The best: Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, Cincinnati.

A 6-foot-3, 190-pounder, Gardner ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. A consensus All-American, Gardner won the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year award after not giving up a touchdown in more than 1,000 career college snaps, according to analytics website Pro Football Focus. In 2021, Gardner allowed just 13 catches for 117 yards – for the entire season. He had three interceptions and three sacks, as well, and is a willing tackler. Overall, Gardner is the complete package and figures to be gone within the first 10 picks, at worst.

"Gardner is the long, rangy cover corner every defensive coordinator is looking for to man the island," NFL analyst Bucky Brooks wrote.

Names to know: Trent McDuffie, Washington; Derek Stingley Jr., LSU; Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson; Roger McCreary, Auburn.

Stingley had an amazing 2019 season with LSU as a freshman, but hasn’t duplicated that level of performance since, leading to some evaluators fearing he has bust potential. He’s also played just 10 games over the past two seasons because of injuries.

McDuffie didn’t test all that well and finished college with just two interceptions and 10 passes defensed, but he’s viewed as an excellent option for teams running a primarily zone scheme, like the Bills. He also could be long gone by the time the Bills are on the clock at No. 25. 

According to PFF, no cornerback in college football played more snaps in 2021 than Booth did without allowing a reception of 20-plus yards. Booth already has had a top-30 visit with the Bills, according to the NFL Network. He’s a willing tackler, which is a necessary trait in McDermott’s defense, and fits the physical profile for the Bills at the position.

McCreary was lightly recruited out of high school, and according to scouts, plays as if he’s never forgotten that slight.

“Trent McDuffie may be the safest,” Zierlein wrote. “The positional growth of Derek Stingley Jr. and Andrew Booth could have a big impact on how we view this crop in three years.”

Sleeper: Zyon McCollum, Sam Houston State.

He’ll have to answer questions about his competition level in FCS, but McCollum had 13 interceptions and six forced fumbles in college, showing good production on the football, and ran a blazing, 4.33-second 40-yard dash. He fits the physical profile teams are looking for and was a team captain who has gotten great reviews for his leadership.

TOP 10 CORNERBACKS

1 Ahmad Gardner*, Cincinnati – Height: 6-3. Weight: 190.

2 Trent McDuffie*, Washington – Height: 5-11. Weight: 193.

3. Derek Stingley Jr.*, LSU – Height: 6-0. Weight: 195.

4. Andrew Booth Jr.*, Clemson – Height: 6-0. Weight: 194.

5. Kyler Gordon*, Washington – Height: 6-0. Weight: 194.

6. Roger McCreary, Auburn – Height: 5-11. Weight: 190.

7. Kaiir Elam*, Florida – Height: 6-2. Weight: 191.

8. Marcus Jones, Houston – Height: 5-8. Weight: 174.

9. Josh Jobe, Alabama – Height: 6-1. Weight: 194.

10. Tariq Woolen, UTSA – Height: 6-4. Weight: 205.

* – Underclassman

The 2022 NFL Draft is shaping up as one of the harder to forecast in recent years.

The lack of sure-fire, top-10 quarterbacks in the class leaves a lot of early picks still up in the air with a week to go before the first round kicks off.

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“I don’t know if I can remember a year with more uncertainty,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said on a conference call Thursday. “The year with Baker Mayfield going No. 1, 2018, that was uncertain. We went into that process, and it was Josh Allen potentially going first, Sam Darnold, and then Baker kind of came out of left field and ended up being the first pick.”

“We’re not sure who’s going to be No. 1 this year,” Jeremiah said. “I would say this is along those lines in 2018 but even more so.”

The Jacksonville Jaguars own the No. 1 overall pick. They have been linked to defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan and Travon Walker of Georgia, along with offensive tackles Ikem Ekwonu of North Carolina State and Evan Neal of Alabama.

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“I talk to teams, and the great example is somebody like George Karlaftis of Purdue,” Jeremiah said, referring to a top edge rusher in the draft class. “There’s teams that think he’s one of the top 15 players. Then there’s teams that think he’s not worth a first- or second-round pick. That’s how all over the board teams are on some of these guys. That’s to me where it’s different than any other draft.”

The last draft with no quarterback taken in the top 10 was 2013, when the first QB off the board was E.J. Manuel to Buffalo at No. 16.

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“It's a really fascinating discussion when you look at this class and where these guys could go,” Jeremiah said of the QBs. “I know some people think we could see a run in the 20s. I know there’s still talk that maybe we see one go in the top 10. So there’s a lot of unknown.”

Obviously, any quarterbacks taken before Buffalo’s pick at No. 25 would be good for the Bills, because it would push another player down the board.

“My thought on the quarterback class is I think there’s some good players here,” Jeremiah said. “But I just have the thought in the back of my mind that says what you don’t want to do is take a quarterback this year and then a year from now at this time be saying, ‘Oh my goodness, we’re right back in the quarterback market again. Is this guy really good enough?’ ”

This is the first a series of profiles of Buffalo Bills draft prospects.

There was no doubt about Isaiah Likely’s pre-draft mission in selling himself to NFL teams.

“Definitely, I’m an all-around tight end,” the Coastal Carolina prospect told The News at the Senior Bowl. “Not only was I effective in the pass game but I can also be in the run game. ... I’m definitely trying to show I can block defensive linemen. I’ve been harping on that.”

The 6-foot-4½, 245-pound Likely is an exciting pass-catching weapon. He’s a big target. He averaged 20 yards a catch as a junior and 15.5 as a senior. He had 14 catches of 20-plus yards last season. He had five career touchdown catches of 50 or more yards. He was a game-breaking target up the seams and downfield for the explosive Coastal Carolina attack.

The question for NFL scouts is: Can he develop into a dual-threat player that defenses will have to respect in the run game as well as the pass game?

If he can’t, then his value is limited to being a “move” tight end, a guy who plays split out from the line of scrimmage as a spread passing game. Is he special enough as a flexed-out tight end? Likely’s tape suggests he plays fast. But he ran the 40-yard dash in a pedestrian time of 4.83 seconds at the Coastal Carolina pro day workout. By comparison, Bills tight end Dawson Knox ran 4.55 out of college.

The Bills could use another tight end prospect. Under coach Sean McDermott, Buffalo always has required its tight ends to be all-around players with blocking ability, not just big slot receivers.

Buffalo used one of its 30 pre-draft visits on Likely. He might be good value for the Bills in the third round, with the 89th overall pick. ESPN’s Todd McShay lists him 88th on his overall prospect list. Pro Football Focus lists him at 108th. CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso doesn’t put him in the top 100, but some mock drafters put him early in the third round.

“He shows a burst to climb the seam, and he attacks the football,” said Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network. “He’s an outstanding leaper to make plays above the rim. ... All in all, Likely might lack ideal size, but he’s a mismatch player with tremendous upside.”

Likely had 59 catches for 912 yards and 12 TDs last season. He had just one drop.

If he’s going to become more of an impact blocker, Likely needs to add a little more weight and power to his frame, if he can do it without losing speed. He showed a willingness to block for Coastal Carolina, but it was mostly as a blocker on the second level, not at the line of scrimmage.

Asked what he’d look for in scouting tight ends, Likely said: “I’d look for if a kid has a competitive nature and a dog mentality. At the end of the day at tight end, you have to be able to pass catch and be able to run block. So you have to know what the receivers are doing and you gotta know what the O-linemen are doing.”

Coastal Carolina ran a spread option offense with a dual-threat quarterback. Likely got a lot of experience running routes like a wide receiver.

“It helped a lot playing for Jamie Chadwell just because he let me play out wide as a receiver, in the slot and also in line,” Likely said. “So he helped me with the route tree, understanding what receivers run and also what tight ends run.”

Likely helped his high school team to two straight state titles. He had a 4.0 average in the fall of 2021. He graduated in December 2021. He’s viewed as a high-character prospect.

“Whoever gets me is going to get everything I’ve got day in and day out,” he said.

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. can’t talk himself into the value of a running back for the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the NFL draft.

Kiper, however, likes the idea in the second round, with the 57th overall pick. He projects the Bills will take Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III in his latest two-round mock draft.

NFL draft preview coverage

The longtime draft analyst rates Iowa State’s Breece Hall as the No. 1 back available and has Walker as No. 2.

What about Hall to Buffalo with the 25th overall pick? You could make a case for it, Kiper says.

“Breece Hall is worthy of being a first-round pick,” Kiper said. “I don’t think he will be because teams don’t need that player. Even if you look at Buffalo, they have Devin Singletary who came on strong at the end of the year. ... If you look at Buffalo in the second round – maybe. If Buffalo didn’t take a running back in Round 1, I have Kenneth Walker going there.”

Hall is a dynamic back who draws comparisons with Indianapolis superstar Jonathan Taylor. He’s 5-foot-11, 217 pounds and he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds. (Singletary is 5-7½, 203 and ran 4.66.) Hall is a proven receiver, with 36 catches last year.

Walker is 5-9, 211 and ran 4.38. He ran for 1,636 yards and 18 TDs last season. He has 19 career catches.

“Walker is a bulldozer with some juice through the hole,” Kiper said. “He wasn't used much as a receiver in college, so that's a question mark. But for a team that needs to take pressure off its quarterback and has excellent receivers, Walker could thrive.”

Kiper projects the Bills taking cornerback-safety Daxton Hill of Michigan at No. 25. Hill is good covering receivers out of the slot but isn’t an outside cornerback. The Bills arguably don’t need a slot cornerback because they just re-signed Taron Johnson to a contract extension last season.

Kiper has Hall going to the New York Jets early in the second round with the No. 38 overall pick.

“I think two running backs will go in Round 2,” Kiper said. “This is not a talented and deep running back group at all. In fact, after the top two running backs, there’s a huge drop-off to the third one, who may not go until the third or fourth round, and you may only have a couple of them there.

“This running back class is very mediocre overall but there are two standout performers at the top,” Kiper said.

This is the 10th in a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL draft. Today’s installment looks at linebacker.

The need to defend spread offenses in space can be seen in the speed of the linebackers entering the NFL draft in recent years.

In the six years between 2013 and 2018, four linebackers ran 40-yard dash times faster than 4.50 seconds at the NFL scouting combine.

In the past four years, 14 linebackers have cracked the 4.50 mark.

“Teams are obsessed with trying to find the longer, rangier, off-the-ball linebackers,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said.

The fastest linebackers in this year’s class are: Montana State’s Troy Andersen (4.42), Alabama’s Christian Harris (4.44) and Georgia’s Channing Tindall (4.47).

There are plenty of fast NFL linebackers who don’t quite crack the 4.5 mark.

Bills outside linebacker Matt Milano is a fast sideline-to-sideline player. He ran the 40 in 4.67 seconds entering the 2017 draft. He also showed his explosiveness with a broad jump of 10 feet, 6 inches, which is among the best in any draft class. Colts All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard ran 4.70 ... and showed his explosiveness with a 10-8 broad jump.

The NFL will be looking for more of those kinds of athletes at linebacker in the 2022 draft.

Overall position ranking: 8 out of 10.

Bills view: Looking solely at the 2022 season, linebacker looms as a Day 3 need for Buffalo. However, middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is entering the last year of his contract. He will be very expensive to retain in 2023 and beyond. If an ideal linebacker is on the board in the second or third round, the Bills could pounce and opt not to make Edmunds one of their "cornerstone" financial players. If no LB they love is on the board, they could hold off on a financial decision on Edmunds. Behind Edmunds and Milano, the Bills have Tyrel Dodson, Tyler Matakevich, Marquel Lee, special teams ace Andre Smith and Joe-Giles Harris.

With veteran A.J. Klein gone, Matakevich is the backup to Edmunds in the middle. Dodson is the incumbent backup to Milano. The Bills could use another speedy prospect.

Bills need ranking: 6 out of 10.

The best: Devin Lloyd, Utah. Lloyd showed he can do it all in 2021. He made 110 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, eight sacks, 10 passes defensed and four interceptions (two for touchdowns). A former high school safety, he is a three-down NFL linebacker who can play the run and cover sideline to sideline equally well.

Names to know: If the Bills are going to pounce on Day 2, a guy to watch is Wyoming's Chad Muma, a 239-pound converted safety who is super instinctive. He's a mid- to late second-rounder. Muma had a formal interview with the Bills at the combine.

There are a bunch of interesting Day 3 prospects. DeMarco Jackson of Appalachian State is a good one. He’s a squatty, long-armed, good athlete who was a high school state discus champ. He has more than 600 special-teams snaps in college, almost 300 tackles and is a two-time captain. North Carolina’s Jeremiah Gemmel is an instinctive three-year starter. Nebraska’s JoJo Domann is a box safety or nickel linebacker who’s great in coverage and might last to the fourth round. Indiana’s Micah McFadden is a two-time captain who had the most pressures in college football the last three years. Cincinnati’s 6-4, 237-pound Darrian Beavers is a hulking prospect who has the kind of big traits the Bills like and he had 700-plus special teams snaps. He’s really good and fighting through contact to make tackles.

Intriguing: Montana State’s Andersen turned heads with his workout numbers and has an amazing story. As a freshman, he starred at both running back and linebacker and was Big Sky Conference freshman of the year. As a sophomore, he was first-team All-Big Sky at quarterback. He returned to linebacker his last two years and was Football Championship Subdivision Defensive Player of the Year. He was Montana's 100 meters champ in high school. His 10-yard split (1.49 seconds) was one of the fastest ever for a linebacker. He has the traits the Bills like, but he’s probably a late second, early third-rounder.

Sleeper: Sterling Weatherford was a box safety at Miami, Ohio, who has length and coverage skills. He could be a priority undrafted signee.

TOP 10 LINEBACKERS

1. Devin Lloyd*, Utah 6-3, 237

2. Nakobe Dean*, Georgia 5-11, 229

3. Christian Harris*, Alabama 6-0, 226

4. Quay Walker, Georgia 6-4, 241

5. Chad Muma*, Wyoming 6-2, 239

6. Leo Chenal*, Wyoming 6-2, 250

7. Channing Tindall, Georgia 6-2, 230

8. Troy Anderson, Montana St. 6-3, 242

9. Brian Asamoah II*, Oklahoma 6-0, 222

10. Jesse Luketa, Penn State 6-2, 253

*-underclassman

This is the fifth in a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL Draft. Today’s installment looks at interior offensive line.

The middle rounds are where to find good prospects for the interior offensive line in the 2022 draft class.

That’s the way it usually stacks up.

Almost half the current starters in the NFL at guard and center – 48 of 96 – entered the league on the third day of the draft, either as picks from the fourth to seventh rounds or as undrafted free agents.

Only 15 of 96 interior line starters were first-round picks. Eighteen were second-rounders, and 17 were third-rounders.

“On Day 2 and early Day 3, you can get quality at the guard position this year,” said ESPN analyst Todd McShay. “I think there is some good depth. I think there’s a lot of depth in Rounds 3 or 4.”

It’s possible only three interior offensive linemen will be taken in the first two rounds. Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum and guards Zion Johnson, of Boston College, and Kenyon Green, of Texas A&M, are the top trio.

A bunch of interior line prospects should start flying off the board in the third and fourth rounds.

Overall position ranking: 7 out of 10.

Bills view: Buffalo fortified its interior by signing quality veteran Rodger Saffold and retaining Ryan Bates and Ike Boettger, who is coming off an Achilles injury. Saffold turns 34 in June and is playing on a one-year contract. Backup Cody Ford is in the last year of his contract and will have to battle to make the roster.

The Bills could use a young, mid- to late-round guard or center who new offensive line coach Aaron Kromer can mold into a starter in 2023. The middle rounds are a perfect place to find that prospect. The presumption is the Bills will lean a little more in the direction of mobile offensive linemen under Kromer than they did under former line coach Bobby Johnson, who slanted in the direction of big, people-movers. On the Bills’ needs list, however, a guard ranks behind cornerback, wide receiver, big defensive tackle and running back.

Bills need ranking: 5 out of 10.

The best: Iowa’s Linderbaum is the top center. He was a six-sport athlete as an Iowa high schooler and was the only person to pin Tampa Bay star tackle Tristan Wirfs in high school. Linderbaum finished in the top five at heavyweight in the Iowa state tournament in his junior and senior years. He arguably is the most athletic offensive lineman in the draft, and he will excel on the move in the NFL. The concern is how he will handle the NFL’s biggest two-gapping defensive tackles. He also has shorter arms.

Boston College’s Johnson arguably is the top guard.

“I think Zion is the best guard in this draft class and I like a lot of them,” said Jim Nagy, Senior Bowl executive director. “I think it’s a pretty good interior line class. Zion’s one of the best stories. He started at Davidson in the Pioneer League, which is non-scholarship FCS. He moved to Boston College, one of the best offensive line schools in the country. He went up there and played great. ... He’s an immediate starter on the inside.”

Names to know: Memphis’ Dylan Parham is a converted tight end who is a tad small at 6-3 and 311 pounds but uses his athleticism to get on defenders quickly. He can play on the move and could shift to center, too. Nebraska’s Cam Jurgens is another converted tight end who is an athletic center. Logan Bruss is next in a long line of NFL-ready linemen from Wisconsin. Kentucky center Luke Fortner has two masters degrees and the quickness to fit an outside zone scheme. Lecitus Smith is a later-round pass-protecting guard with movement skills. Tulsa’s Chris Paul is a smart leader who converts from tackle and will go on Day 3. He helped himself with athletic workouts.

Sleeper: Central Michigan’s Luke Goedeke started his college career as a tight end at Division III Wisconsin Stevens Point. After catching 12 passes as a freshman, he decided to transfer. Wisconsin offered a walk-on spot. Central Michigan offered a full ride. He started at right tackle for the Chippewas in 2019 and 2021 but projects as a guard. He missed 2020 with a knee injury. He’s a Day 3 pick.

TOP 10 INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

1. Tyler Linderbaum*, C, Iowa      6-2, 296

2. Zion Johnson, G, Boston College  6-3, 314

3. Kenyon Green*, G, Texas A&M    6-4, 323

4. Dylan Parham*, G-C, Memphis    6-2, 313

5. Cole Strange, G, UT-Chattanooga 6-4, 304

6. Cam Jurgens, C, Nebraska        6-3, 303

7. Jamaree Salyer, G, Georgia     6-3, 320

8. Logan Bruss, G, Wisconsin       6-5, 309

9. Luke Goedeke*, G, Central Michigan  6-5 312

10. Marquis Hayes, G, Oklahoma        6-5, 318

*-underclassmen

This is the second in a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL Draft. Today’s installment looks at running back.

Options are limited for do-it-all running backs in the 2022 draft class.

“There’s not a single back in this class where I say he’s the next guy who’s going to take the league by storm,” said ESPN analyst Todd McShay.

That’s the glass-half-empty view.

The glass-half-full view? Almost nobody in the NFL cares about having a do-it-all back anymore. The committee approach is the way most teams handle the position, and the 2022 running back crop is loaded with prospects who excel at one element of the game or another.

“I love this running back group,” said NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah. “I don't think there's going to be one that goes in the first round. I think this is a really deep group. I was talking with a personnel director the other day who said, ‘Let's just circle the fourth round.’ You're going to get a great back in the fourth round, especially if you want a bigger back.”

Over the past 10 years, an average of 22.5 running backs have been drafted per year, well under one per team. Last year, there were 19 taken and in 2020, it was 17. There will be great value at running back this year in the third to seventh rounds.

Overall position ranking: 7 out of 10.

Bills view: Buffalo has a need at running back because Devin Singletary is entering the last year of his contract, and the coaches signaled their desire for an impact receiver out of the backfield with the attempt to sign free agent J.D. McKissic.

It’s well established that running backs grow on trees and never should be signed to a second contract unless it’s a cheap one or the back is a Hall-of-Fame talent. Singletary had a nice end to his 2021 campaign but he is replaceable after the 2022 season. To make up for losing McKissic, the Bills signed Plan B option Duke Johnson, who has averaged 51 catches over his six full NFL seasons. That’s not likely to preclude them from drafting someone who could bring juice to the offense.

Adding a difference-making receiver out of the backfield would be a way to help exploit the shell coverages the Bills see, out of respect for Josh Allen’s deep passing ability.

There are a bunch of good pass-catching options to be had in the middle rounds. Excellent receiving backs who could fill a McKissic-like role include Arizona State’s Rachaad White, Notre Dame’s Kyren Williams, Georgia’s James Cook and North Carolina’s Ty Chandler. Later on Day 3, throw in Baylor’s Trestan Ebner, who is good in pass protection, ran 4.43, had 124 career receptions and had only five drops on 156 career targets.

The Irish’s Williams might be a good value with the Bills’ No. 130 pick, if available. He has natural hands, was split out some by Notre Dame and is the best pass-protecting back in the draft class. He’s not electric but he fits the Bills’ character profile, and he even served as a lead blocker on QB runs. Chandler, a transfer from Tennessee, averaged 14.4 yards on 15 catches last season.

Bills need ranking: 7 out of 10.

The best: Iowa State’s Breece Hall is a do-it-all back. He had 82 receptions in the last three years and at least 23 every season. He had 51 rushing TDs the past two years. He has good patience, vision and contact balance. He’s not elite in any category and not sudden. But he’s a three-down NFL starter. He would look good in the Buffalo offense. The question is value. He won’t be available at No. 57. Given the depth at the position, it would be a controversial move to take him in the first round. The other do-it-all back in the class – who will be No. 1 on some team’s boards – is Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III, the Doak Walker award winner as the nation’s top back in 2021. He led the nation with 89 forced missed tackles last year. He runs behind his pads and can pass protect. But he only has 19 career catches.

Names to know: Cook, the brother of Vikings star Dalvin Cook, catches like a wide receiver. He’s a change-of-pace back and a 10-touch-a-game guy early in his pro career. He could go late in the third round.

The best zone-scheme runners in the class: There are a bunch, but at the top are Baylor’s Abram Smith, who is decisive and has good vision, and Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller, who isn’t super explosive but who started as a true freshman and who has vision and patience.

Looking for a runner to get the tough yards? Two of the best are Florida’s 220-pound Dameon Pierce and Alabama’s 226-pound Brian Robinson Jr. Mississippi’s 222-pound Snoop Conner is another.

Sleeper: Pierre Strong Jr. isn’t a deep sleeper because he will be a mid-round pick but he starred at Football Championship Subdivision power South Dakota State. He led FCS with 1,686 rushing yards and had 10 career rushing TDs of 50-plus yards. He ran 4.37 in the 40. He didn’t excel as a receiver.

TOP 10 RUNNING BACKS

1. Breece Hall*, Iowa State 5-11, 217

2. Kenneth Walker III*, Michigan St. 5-9, 211

3. James Cook, Georgia 5-11, 199

4. Isaiah Spiller*, Texas A&M 6-0, 217

5. Rachaad White*, Arizona St. 6-0, 210

6. Kyren Williams*, Notre Dame 5-9, 194

7. Dameon Pierce, Florida 5-9, 220

8. Brian Robinson Jr., Alabama 6-1, 226

9. Zamir White*, Georgia 5-11, 214

10. Abram Smith, Baylor 5-11, 211

*-underclassman

This is the first in a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL draft. Today’s installment looks at wide receiver.

The flood of speed receivers into the NFL is coming again in the 2022 NFL draft.

Eight wide receivers timed at less than 4.40 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine in February, which tied for the most at any combine in at least the last 17 years. A ninth – Alabama’s Jameson Williams – is a certain sub-4.4. speedster, but he has not run for NFL scouts because he’s recovering from major knee surgery.

Last year, 36 wide receivers were drafted, which tied an all-time high, and the past two years have seen 16 and 15, respectively, taken on the first two days of the draft. That’s an uptick on the average of 12 in the first three rounds the previous decade.

“It's a great wide receiver draft,” said NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah. “I feel like we could copy and paste the comments on wide receivers and use it for the next 20 years, because the college game is giving us a ton of these guys every year.”

Expect another 15 wideouts to go in the first three rounds again this year.

“We see receivers that are first-round guys fall out of the first round every year, and part of it's just because we have the sheer numbers,” Jeremiah said. “But if you look at the wideouts that have been taken in the second round over the last handful of years, you're going to see a ton of studs – just look at Ole Miss, from D.K. Metcalf, A.J. Brown to Elijah Moore -- those three wide receivers from one school. ... Deebo Samuel. Every year we see guys with big grades that end up falling into the second round just because of the sheer number of wideouts that we have.”

Of course, finding one that fits seamlessly into a team’s offensive system – especially on Day 3 – still is no sure bet. The Bills made an excellent pick in the fourth round in 2020 to get Gabriel Davis. But a slew of receivers drafted in the fourth round in the past five years have done next to nothing in the NFL – including players fans might already have forgotten – such as J’Mon Moore, Jaleel Scott, Hakeem Butler, Gary Jennings Jr. and Riley Ridley.

Overall position ranking: 8 out of 10.

Bills' view: Buffalo easily could justify drafting a wide receiver in the first two rounds. The Bills need a third outside receiver to replace Emmanuel Sanders and to go along with Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis. While proven veteran Jamison Crowder was signed to replace Cole Beasley, he’s on only a one-year contract. And as Kansas City’s Andy Reid has shown, more speed on offense always is a good thing. An attractive wideout is very likely to be on the board when the Bills draft at No. 25.

It would be hard for the Bills to pass on Alabama’s Williams, even though he probably won’t be 100% for the start of the season, because he’s so elite. It will be a mild upset if he lasts until No. 25. If one of the following three are on the board – Arkansas’ Treylon Burks, Ohio State’s Chris Olave or Penn State’s Jahan Dotson – should the Bills pick one? Burks is 6-foot-2 and 225 and draws comparisons to Titans star A.J. Brown. Olave ran 4.39 in the 40, and Dotson ran 4.43.

Bills' need ranking: 8 out of 10.

The best: The choice here is Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson, who draws comparisons to Diggs because of his burst and acceleration. Southern Cal’s 6-4 Drake London might be the first wideout drafted. He’s No. 2 on this list because we favor receivers who get great separation.

Names to know: If the Bills want to wait until Day 2 of the draft, prospects to consider include Boise State’s Khalil Shakir (a slot WR who ran 4.43), Memphis’ Calvin Austin (a 5-8 slot who ran 4.32), Tennessee speedster Velus Jones (4.31), Alabama’s John Metchie (a Robert Woods type), North Dakota State’s 6-4 Christian Watson (4.36), Kentucky’s Wan’Dale Robinson (a 5-8 slot who ran 4.44) and South Alabama’s 6-1 Jalen Tolbert (4.49). Western Michigan’s 5-9 Skyy Moore (4.41) and Watson probably will go early in the second round.

Big mitts: Arkansas’ Burks has such big, thick hands, he needed to get specially made, size XXXXL (that’s 4X) gloves. Nike’s biggest size is only 3XL. The big hands helped him as a youth growing up hunting in the woods near his home of Warren, Ark. He liked to fish and hunt deer and feral hogs, which he hunted with a knife.

“You have to go out there with dogs, and the dogs find them and we come up behind them and tackle them and take them out,” Burks said of hog hunting during his interview at the NFL scouting combine.

Sleepers. There’s a bunch. Jequez Ezzard starred for three years at Howard, then spent two years at Sam Houston State, averaging 21.3 yards on receptions and 16.3 yards on punt returns over two years. Northern Iowa’s Isaiah Weston did a lot of blocking on a running team but had 883 receiving yards and ran 4.42 at the combine. Both might be free agents.

Top 10 WIDE RECEIVERS

1. Garrett Wilson, Ohio State  5-11 3-4, 183

2. Jameson Williams*, Alabama 6-1 1-2, 179

3. Drake London*, USC   6-4, 219

4. Chris Olave*, Ohio State 6-0, 187

5. Treylon Burks*, Arkansas 6-2, 225

6. Jahan Dotson*, Penn State 5-10, 178

7. George Pickens*, Georgia  6-3, 195

8. Christian Watson, N. Dakota St. 6-4, 208

9. Skyy Moore, Western Michigan 5-9, 195

10. Calvin Austin III*, Memphis 5-7, 173

*-underclassman

The Buffalo Bills will have an option to draft a cornerback with the 25th overall selection, according to ESPN analyst Todd McShay.

One option. Probably.

McShay thinks Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr. will be on the board and would be a good pick for the Bills.

Like most draft observers, McShay sees the top two cornerbacks being long gone by the 25th pick. They are Louisiana State’s Derek Stingley Jr. and Cincinnati’s Sauce Gardner. McShay thinks the third best cornerback, Washington’s Trent McDuffie, also will be gone.

“I think he’ll be off the board when the Bills pick at 25,” McShay said on a conference call Thursday. “Then I think the realistic option becomes Andrew Booth, the Clemson cornerback. He has good size. Not elite but good size and he’s really athletic.”

Report: Cole Beasley played through three broken ribs during 2021 season for Bills

The veteran wide receiver is now 100%, according to his agent, and would like to continue his career. 

Cornerback arguably would be the top need pick for the Bills in the first round, given that starter Levi Wallace left in free agency for Pittsburgh and star Tre’Davious White is recovering from knee surgery.

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. doesn’t think No. 25 is a good spot for the Bills to take a cornerback. He thinks there will be much better value at other positions, like wide receiver.

Booth has pretty good size, at 6-feet, 194 pounds and with 31½-inch arms. He played 35 games for Clemson with 15 starts. He’s good in run support and looks like a good fit for a team that likes to play a lot of zone coverage, like the Bills. Booth did not work out at the NFL Scouting Combine. He underwent a sports hernia operation recently.

“I think you could get Booth and feel good about it,” McShay said. “I’d say 25 to 32 is the range I expect him to go and is the value that matches up with the player. ... But there are other positions. ... There are some really good players to be had at that range.”

McShay doesn’t see any other corners after Booth being worthy of a first-round pick. He also thinks the Bills could get a viable offer to trade back with a team that might want to move up to get a quarterback. He mentioned Detroit and Atlanta, picking second and eighth, respectively, as teams that probably won’t take a QB with their first pick but might take one with their second selection.

“I think that’s the range where if a team’s trying to move back into the first round get a quarterback ... trading back would not be a bad option if they gate the possibility,” McShay said.

Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams was predictably upbeat about his recovery from knee surgery Wednesday at the Crimson Tide’s pro day workout for NFL scouts.

Williams might have been the No. 1 receiver taken in the NFL draft if he had not suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the college football national championship game on Jan. 10. Now he is viewed as a likely pick in the second half of the first round and a potential target for the Buffalo Bills at pick No. 25.

“Right now I’m 10 weeks out of surgery,” Williams said in an interview with the NFL Network in Tuscaloosa, Ala. “The time scale I was given was about five to seven months. I’m hearing I’m ahead of schedule. With me being 10 weeks out, I’m getting a lot of movement, a lot of good workouts in. I’m in the pool doing a slight jog, doing high knee lifts, just getting back all the motions. Everything is going good this far down the process, and it’s not that far. It’s just the beginning.”

Obviously, Williams did not run the 40-yard dash at either the NFL scouting combine or Wednesday’s pro day. It is believed Williams would challenge to be the fastest receiver in the 2022 draft class.

Tennessee’s Velus Jones, probably a third-round prospect, posted the fastest time of any receiver at the scouting combine, 4.31 seconds.

Williams was timed by GPS tracking at 23 mph on a 94-yard touchdown against Miami in September, according to Alabama. The fastest GPS time in the NFL in the 2021 season was 22.13 mph by Colts running back Jonathan Taylor on a 67-yard TD run against New England.

As a high schooler in Missouri, Williams was a state champion in the 400 meters (48.6 seconds) and the 300-meter hurdles, setting a state record in the latter event (37.4).

The other top Alabama draft prospects who did not run at the combine also didn’t run at the pro day. Receiver John Metchie still is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in the Southeastern Conference title game in December. Metchie is viewed as a Day 2 pick in the draft. Tackle Evan Neal, who could be a top-five overall pick, did offensive line drills but opted not to run the 40.

The Buffalo Bills will be hard-pressed to find a cornerback worth taking late in the first round of the NFL draft, according to ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.

Kiper projects the Bills will take Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson with the 25th overall pick in his latest first-round mock draft.

Kiper predicts three cornerbacks being taken in the top 12 overall. He has Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner of Cincinnati going to the New York Jets at No. 10; Derek Stingley Jr. of Louisiana State going to Washington at No. 11; and Trent McDuffie of the University of Washington going to Minnesota at No. 12. Kiper does not have another cornerback being drafted in the first round.

Cornerback is the only position on the Bills’ roster where there is a starting position open. Tre’Davious White, coming back from knee surgery, might not be ready for the season opener. The other starter, Levi Wallace, signed as a free agent with Pittsburgh. Dane Jackson started the final eight games, counting playoffs, in place of White last season. The Bills surely will add some players to compete with Jackson.

“At corner there’s a lot of mixed opinion after the top three, which are Stingley or Gardner, in no particular order, and then McDuffie from Washington,” Kiper said on a media conference call this week. “The fourth corner is open – wide open. There’s a ton of opinions on who should be the fourth corner.”

Kiper doesn’t see one of the top three cornerbacks falling to the Bills – or even to New England, which picks No. 21 and has a big need at the position. The Patriots lost their best cornerback, J.C. Jackson, to the Chargers in free agency.

“I don’t think so,” Kiper said. “I think you’re looking at Trent McDuffie as the third corner taken, and I don’t think he’ll be there. Then you look – all the other guys are just a little iffy."

Of course, Kiper’s view is but one opinion, albeit a high-profile one.

NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah has a fourth corner, Washington’s Kyler Gordon, being taken 23rd overall. Analyst Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports projects two other cornerbacks going late in the first round – Florida’s Kaiir Elam at No. 29 and Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr. at No. 31.

The Ringer has Booth going No. 14, Elam going No. 21 and Gordon being taken by Buffalo at No. 25.

Still, Kiper said the corners beyond the top three have enough question marks for teams to be leery.

“Andrew Booth Jr. did not have a great year at Clemson,” Kiper said of the 2021 season. “I thought he could be a top-15 pick. He didn’t play like it. ... He’s not a guy I’d take that high. ... Kyler Gordon didn’t test great out of Washington.”

Another cornerback most analysts rate easily among the top 40 players in the draft is Auburn’s Roger McCreary, who has superb coverage skills. However, he is not big – measuring 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds at the scouting combine – and doesn’t have long arms, which the Bills like in cornerbacks.

“Roger McCreary of Auburn is more of a slot corner, but he didn’t play in the slot, so he’s a projection,” Kiper said. “Kaiir Elam out of Florida has length, but there’s too many penalties there. And a sleeper would be Zion McCollum out of Sam Houston State, who’s got great length, and he played well. He’s got incredible ball skills. Zion McCollum in the third or fourth round would be an incredible pick.”

Even if the Bills’ scouts agree with Kiper on the value of cornerback late in the first round, they should have plenty of other chances to fill the position.

The cornerback class is considered very deep, with good options potentially available in the second and third rounds and on the third day.

It's less than two weeks until the 2022 NFL draft, which means there's no shortage of mock drafts. 

At the moment, more analysts are predicting the Bills will use the 25th pick to build up the defense, but the projections diverge from there, with no consensus on whom the Bills might select. 

That's certainly natural, given when the Bills are picking and how much can change during the draft. A quick trade here or an unexpected pick there can shake up things. 

But most analysts have similar views of the outlook for the Bills as a whole: Buffalo is in good shape relative to other teams heading into the draft. The Bills are among the Super Bowl favorites, after all. 

Here is a roundup of the latest NFL mock drafts regarding what the Bills might do at No. 25 on April 28.

Danny Kelly, The Ringer

Trent McDuffie, DB, Washington: "The Bills have few roster holes heading into 2022, but adding more playmaking cornerback talent here is a savvy move. McDuffie is an instinctive playmaker with day-one starting potential opposite Tre’Davious White."

Buffalo News notes: The Bills are thin at cornerback. They knew it would be an area to address during the offseason, and still have a ways to go. If White has any bumps in his recovery from knee surgery, that makes the need for depth at corner even more dire. McDuffie is aggressive and agile. Per PFF, he allowed 16 catches on 296 total passing snaps last season.

Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida: "What pick do you give the team that has the fewest holes to fill in the draft? It's not an easy call, but Elam is a quality corner with outstanding football IQ."

News notes: Again, cornerback is certainly a need. Elam had a stronger season in 2020, when he was first-team All-SEC, but he should be able to build on good awareness and patience in his game. 

Dane Brugler, The Athletic

Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas: "A prevailing draft misconception is the first round is reserved for a team’s top needs on the roster. But smart teams focus on value and adding assets that best impact the roster. Wide receiver isn’t the top need for the Bills, but adding a big slot like Burks who can be worked into the rotation only creates greater conflict for defenses."

News notes: The Bills did tend to wide receiver some during the free agency, but still have a need. This class of wide receivers is strong, and the Bills want quarterback Josh Allen to have a plethora of options. Jamison Crowder signed a one-year deal, and Buffalo could use another pass catcher. 

Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN

Daxton Hill, DB, Michigan: "I just moved Hill way up on my Big Board. NFL teams love his versatility – he played more than 550 snaps at nickelback in 2021 – and think he could play both corner and safety. He might be a slot corner if he ends up in Buffalo, which lost Levi Wallace in free agency and has Tre'Davious White returning from an ACL tear. Andrew Booth Jr. (Clemson) and Kyler Gordon (Washington) are two other corners to keep an eye on. The Bills have one of the best rosters in the league."

News notes: Hill's versatility is notable, even if -- as Kiper notes -- corner is the main area of need right now for the Bills. His speed helps. Hill ran 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine, good for 14th overall. His times in the 20-yard shuttle (4.06 seconds) and three-cone drill time (6.57 seconds) were ranked No. 1 among safeties. 

Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports

Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State: "The Bills jump at the opportunity to land the polished Olave who can play on the outside in Buffalo's supercharged offense."

News notes: Olave's 65 catches last season went for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns in a loaded Ohio State offense. There should be some strong receivers available at No. 25 if the Bills go that route. 

Peter Schrager, NFL.com

Quay Walker, LB, Georgia: "Yes, Buffalo just added Von Miller in free agency. And yes, the Bills drafted pass rushers with their top two picks a season ago. That doesn't mean they're done on D. Walker was yet another combine star from UGA, and he's versatile enough to fit in Leslie Frazier's scheme at multiple spots."

News notes: Walker, who only started in his final season at Georgia, ran a 4.52 at the combine at 6-foot-4 and 251 pounds. That performance likely pushed him into the first round. The Bills have spent plenty of picks and money on the defense, but if that will push them over the edge to reach the Super Bowl, it should be easy to justify. 

Nate Davis, USA TODAY

Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State: "It's strongly worth considering. Buffalo hasn't had a 900-yard rusher since QB Josh Allen was drafted in 2018, and he's had to shoulder too much of the run game's responsibilities. For a team that appears primed for a Super Bowl run, especially amid Kansas City's loss of Tyreek Hill, why not add one more difference maker? Hall (6-1, 220) could be an every-down option whose 4.39 speed could bust many games open while reducing wear and tear on Allen. Hall had 3,526 yards from scrimmage and 46 TDs during his last two seasons with the Cyclones." (NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah also has Hall mocked to the Bills.)

News notes: Hall was among the Bills' pre-draft Top 30 visits, per reports. It could be a little early to take him in the first round, and not likely he's still available when the Bills pick in the second round at No. 57. The Bills aren't going to fully pivot their offense, but Sean McDermott has been consistent about his belief that they need to have a more stable run game. Devin Singletary is in the last year of his rookie deal, and the Bills looked great when he was rolling at the end of the season. 

This is the ninth part of a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL Draft. Today’s installment looks at defensive tackles.

The 2022 class of defensive tackles isn’t the strongest group in the upcoming NFL draft. There are some standouts from a premier Georgia defense, and a few others who broke through this season. But the main knock is that the class lacks depth.

While the 2022 prospects at edge rusher combine high-caliber play and deep options as a group, the defensive tackles class is relatively muted. Still, there are plenty of big guys with notable room to develop.

Overall Position Ranking: 3 of 10.

Bills’ view: The Bills’ defensive tackle group has changed dramatically this offseason. Harrison Phillips is off to Minnesota, Vernon Butler signed with the Las Vegas Raiders and Star Lotulelei is a free agent. The Bills brought back Jordan Phillips and signed Tim Settle and DaQuan Jones. Those three join fourth-year defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who’s coming off a solid season.

"I thought he was our best, most consistent d-lineman all year from start to finish," general manager Brandon Beane said in January. 

"... Grading the D-line, those guys were a big part of what we did, even though we don't have a 15-sack guy or anything like that, a number of tackles for loss. Ed really helped the back end with his disruption, having the quarterback get the ball out, or at least get him off the spot, having to throw on the move turns into an incompletion or an interception," he added.

Settle is entering his fifth year, and Phillips and Jones are older. The Bills could look to add some younger talent, with added time to develop. They could add a big 1-technique prospect if they find one late in the draft. Beane certainly wouldn't count out anything.

"I’m always going to put resources in the front," Beane said in January. "That’s just how I believe it should be built. Don’t ever be shocked if you see us trying to add there, free agency or the draft at any point."

Bills' need ranking: 4 of 10.

The best: Jordan Davis, Georgia.

Georgia's Davis and teammate Devonte Wyatt rise to the top of this class. Davis is massive, and his stout play led to receiving both the Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player in college football) and the Outland Trophy (best interior defensive lineman). He played fewer snaps per game last season, but brings a wealth of experience.

Names to know: Devonte Wyatt, Georgia. Logan Hall, Houston. Travis Jones, Connecticut.

Wyatt is coming off his best year with the Bulldogs, his redshirt senior season. He was first-team All-SEC and forced two fumbles. Wyatt is quick and powerful in the pass rush.

Hall is an interesting prospect, as he’s a hybrid defensive tackle and defensive end. His frame may lend more to the edge, but his versatility means teams can mold him however they see fit. Hall had six sacks and 13 tackles for loss last season.

Jones is huge, even by defensive tackle standards. That size leads to power, but he also moves quickly and can be disruptive. Connecticut didn’t play at all in 2020, so he lost that season, and some of his techniques are still evolving. His 4.5 sacks last season led the Huskies.

Sleeper: Noah Elliss, Idaho.

Elliss has played just one full year, with a knee injury in 2019, followed by a shortened season played in spring of 2021. His fall 2021 campaign earned him All-Big Sky honorable mention for his physical play. Elliss’ father, Luther, was a first-round defensive tackle in 1995, who played 10 seasons, mainly with the Lions.

Top-10 defensive tackles

1. Jordan Davis, Georgia – Height: 6-6. Weight: 340.

2. Devonte Wyatt, Georgia – Height: 6-3. Weight: 307.

3. Travis Jones, Connecticut – Height: 6-5. Weight: 333.

4. Logan Hall, Houston – Height: 6-6. Weight: 275.

5. Perrion Winfrey, Oklahoma – Height: 6-4. Weight: 292.

6. Phidarian Mathis, Alabama – Height: 6-4. Weight: 312.

7. DeMarvin Leal*, Texas A&M – Height: 6-4. Weight: 290.

8. Kalia Davis, Central Florida – Height: 6-2. Weight: 310.

9. Matthew Butler, Tennessee – Height: 6-4. Weight: 295.

10. Neil Farrell Jr., LSU – Height: 6-4. Weight: 325.

This is the eighth part of a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL draft. Today’s installment looks at edge rushers.

The 2022 class of edge rushers is loaded. The group is deep and talented, with as many as four projected to go in the top 15.

“This position group has star-caliber potential, plenty of future starters and quality depth ranging well into the fifth round,” NFL analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his position group rankings. “… What I love about this crop is the diversity of the depth. There are speed rushers, long defenders with traits and pure power players – something for every team and every scheme.”

There’s a lot of upside to players who already frazzled quarterbacks in college. The class provides a good mix of options for different team’s needs, and the top prospects should make an immediate impact on defense.

Overall position ranking: 9 out of 10.

Bills’ view: Far be it from Brandon Beane to pass on a chance to draft an edge rusher he likes.

He took defensive ends Greg Rousseau and Boogie Basham in the first and second rounds of the 2021 draft after taking A.J. Epenesa in the second round in 2020. The young group still has some developing to do, but Rousseau, in particular, has shown really solid growth.

The Bills brought back Shaq Lawson, but are without Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison and Efe Obada. Obada signed with the Commanders; Hughes and Addison are free agents.

With the way AFC teams have built up their offenses, Beane believes in countering by getting players who can get opposing quarterbacks to the ground. The addition of veteran pass rusher Von Miller this free agency is a testament to that need. Now, even with the investment in Miller, the Bills could still add depth, and won’t rule other continuing the defense end streak.

“We're still going to take the best player (available) and especially early in the early rounds,” Beane said in March.

Bills’ need ranking: 6 out of 10.

The best: Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan

Hutchinson, the favorite to be the first pick of the 2022 draft, highlights a strong class of edge rushers. He’s coming off a 14-sack season at Michigan, which set a school record. Hutchinson’s productive senior season came after missing the bulk of 2020 after fracturing his leg. He was relentless in his return from injury, and his intense, physical play was rewarded with the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award, Team AP All-American honors, and the Ted Hendricks Award, given to the best defensive end in college football.

Names to know: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon. Travon Walker, Georgia. Jermaine Johnson II, Florida State.

Thibodeaux is agile and athletic, and he’s coming off a seven-sack season at Oregon. His production may have been lower as he worked through an ankle injury and played in 11 games. Still, he led the Ducks in sacks and in tackles for loss (12). He’s explosive and aggressive.

Walker was part of the star-powered Georgia defense that captured a national championship. His arm length (35.5”) and explosive start help him against the run. Walker started all season for Georgia, registering six sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss and two passes defensed.

Johnson transferred from Georgia to Florida State in 2021, where he tallied 11.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in 12 games. He played two seasons in junior college before Georgia, but his three-stop journey culminated with ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Johnson stood out at the Senior Bowl, and still has room to develop as pass rusher.

Sleeper: Jeffrey Gunter, Coastal Carolina.

Gunter was a three-year starter at Coastal Carolina, with a year at N.C. State in the middle of his time with the Chanticleers. In 2020, he led the FBS in forced fumbles. He’s got quick bursts, but still needs some refining of strategy to match his athleticism.

Top 10 edge rushers

1. Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan – Height: 6-7. Weight: 260.

2. Kayvon Thibodeaux*, Oregon – Height: 6-4. Weight: 254.

3. Travon Walker*, Georgia – Height: 6-5. Weight: 272.

4. Jermaine Johnson II, Florida State – Height: 6-5. Weight: 254.

5. George Karlaftis*, Purdue – Height: 6-4. Weight: 266.

6. Boye Mafe, Minnesota – Height: 6-4. Weight: 261.

7. Arnold Ebiketie, Penn State – Height: 6-2. Weight: 250.

8. David Ojabo*, Michigan – Height: 6-4. Weight: 250.

9. Nik Bonitto*, Oklahoma – Height: 6-3. Weight: 248.

10. Kingsley Enagbare, South Carolina – Height: 6-4. Weight: 258.

* - underclassman

This is the seventh part of a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL draft. Today’s installment looks at tight ends.

NFL general managers looking for tight ends in this year's draft won't be striking too early.

Last year, Kyle Pitts became the highest tight end ever drafted when he went fourth overall to the Falcons. He had a standout rookie season, but his trajectory isn’t going to set a new norm. The 2022 class instead will provide options well into Day 3. 

This year, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks that even without a player of Pitts’ caliber, there are still plenty of worthy prospects.

“I think it's a pretty good tight end draft,” Jeremiah said on a conference call in February. “There's no Kyle Pitts, but there is a ton of depth.”

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein echoed the balance of quantity versus star power. Though he ranked tight end as 10 out of 11 in his ranking of position groups from strongest to weakest, he feels that the depth of this class stands out.

“Teams are going to find depth well into Day 3, but it's a middle-, lower-middle-class crop this season,” Zierlein said.

Overall position ranking: 4 out of 10.

Bills' view: Dawson Knox is coming off a standout season. He set a franchise record for touchdowns by a tight end, even while missing two games with a hand injury. Beane was candid that he wanted to add depth to compete with Knox, and he did.

The Bills added to the tight end room in the free agency, bringing in O.J. Howard. Howard, a first-round pick out of Alabama in 2017, spent five years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He missed some time with injuries, but expects to benefit from a fresh start in Buffalo.

It is all a big jump from where the Bills stood at tight end a year prior, with Beane candidly calling for improvement. If Knox can maintain this level of play and Howard can work himself well into the offense, the Bills aren’t in huge need of drafting a tight end.

Bills' need ranking: 3 out of 10.

The best: Trey McBride, Colorado State.

McBride was the winner of last year’s John Mackey Award, presented to college football's most outstanding tight end. He’s coming off a 90-catch, 1,121-yard, one-touchdown season as the focus of Colorado State’s offense. He easily led the team in receiving yards and receptions, with both numbers more than double his second-most productive teammates in each category.

His lone touchdown in 2021 is of note, but he had nine touchdowns total in the three seasons prior.

Names to know: Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina. Greg Dulcich, UCLA. Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M. Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State.

Likely’s 12 touchdowns last season led FBS tight ends. His 59 catches for 912 yards in 13 starts helped Coastal Carolina on its way to its first bowl win in program history, and those numbers were good on an individual level for first-team All-Sun Belt Conference.

A former walk-on, Dulcich has drawn comparisons to Knox. He switched to tight end from wide receiver at UCLA, and it shows in his pass-catching abilities. He’s expected to keep improving, as his blocking could use more time on task.

Wydermyer had a rough Pro Day, but his physical skills and catch radius help. He had 515 receiving yards, 40 catches, and four touchdowns in 12 starts last year as a junior.

Ruckert had 26 catches, 309 yards and three touchdowns in a loaded Ohio State offense. Buckeyes receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave are projected as first-round picks this draft, meaning Ruckert was underused.

Both Likely and Wydermyer have been brought in by the Bills for top-30 visits, per reports.

Sleeper: Curtis Hodges, Arizona State.

Hodges had limited playing time at ASU, in large part due to injuries, which will be a concern for teams. Still, he stepped up this past season, and teams could eye him for the practice squad. Hodges had 20 catches for 374 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games, with 10 starts in his senior campaign.

Top 10 tight ends:

1. Trey McBride, Colorado State – Height: 6-4. Weight: 246.

2. Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina – Height: 6-4 1/2. Weight: 245

3. Greg Dulcich*, UCLA – Height: 6-4. Weight: 243

4. Jalen Wydermyer*, Texas A&M – Height: 6-4. Weight: 255.

5. Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State – Height: 6-5. Weight: 250

6. Cade Otton, Washington – Height: 6-5. Weight: 247.

7. Cole Turner, Nevada – Height: 6-6. Weight: 246

8. Jelani Woods, Virginia – Height: 6-7. Weight: 259.

9. Jake Ferguson, Wisconsin – Height: 6-5. Weight: 250.

10. Chigoziem Okonkwo, Maryland – Height: 6-2 1/2. Weight: 238.

* - underclassman

This is the 11th in a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL draft. Today’s installment looks at safety.

Safety isn’t traditionally viewed as a premium position.

Over the last three decades, only three have been drafted with a top-five pick: The late Eric Turner went second overall to Cleveland in 1991. The late Sean Taylor went fifth to Washington in 2004. And Eric Berry went fifth to Kansas City in 2010.

Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton could join that rare company.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound team captain, described as a “unicorn” at the position by NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein, started just seven games last season before being sidelined by a knee injury. But the junior was nevertheless named a second-team AP All-American and finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award as the top defender in the country.

Hamilton is the only safety likely destined to be drafted in the top half of the first round, but a handful of high-impact safeties with upside could go in the late first or second rounds. And there are undoubtedly diamonds in the rough to be had on Day 3.

Overall Position Ranking: 7 of 10.

Bills’ view: The Bills have the best safety tandem in the NFL with first-team All-Pro Jordan Poyer and second-team All-Pro Micah Hyde. But for how long?

Poyer, who turns 31 on April 25 and has one season remaining on his contract, recently hired renowned agent Drew Rosenhaus, who told The Buffalo News he has approached the Bills about a contract extension. Poyer is undoubtedly looking for top money for his position. He was a seventh-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013.

Hyde, 31, signed a two-year extension with the Bills in 2021, keeping him under team control through the 2023 season. He was a fifth-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2013.

The Bills’ roster also includes safeties Jaquan Johnson, Damar Hamlin and Josh Thomas, as well as Siran Neal, who is listed as a cornerback but also plays strong safety.

Bills’ need ranking: 4 of 10.

The best: Kyle Hamilton, Notre Dame.

Hamilton could be one of the first picks in the draft. He has the size, athleticism and demonstrated play-making ability to fit any scheme.

Hamilton had a team-high three interceptions and three pass breakups in Notre Dame’s first seven games but missed the last five with a knee injury.

Names to know: Daxton Hill, Michigan. Lewis Cine, Georgia. Jaquan Brisker, Penn State.

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. has the Bills selecting Hill with the No. 25 overall pick in his latest mock draft, released Wednesday. Hill could be a short-term solution at corner, where the Bills’ secondary has the greatest immediate need, as well as a long-term option at safety.

“NFL teams love his versatility – he played more than 550 snaps at nickelback in 2021 – and think he could play both corner and safety,” Kiper wrote. “He might be a slot corner if he ends up in Buffalo, which lost Levi Wallace in free agency and has Tre’Davious White returning from an ACL tear.”

Cine missed only 11 tackles in 159 career attempts, according to the analytics website Pro Football Focus, which ranks him as the No. 2 safety in the draft class behind Hamilton and a possible late first-round pick.

Brisker is a versatile and hard-hitting prospect comfortable in coverage and against the run. He has been noted for his tone-setting ability, significant tackle radius and closing speed. He’s a potential Day 2 pick.

Sleeper: Smoke Monday, Auburn.

The 6-3, 199-pound senior belongs on the All-Pro name team and could be an impact player as a rookie on special teams. Monday is a two-year starter with an alpha mentality and looks to punish ball carriers. He had nine tackles for loss last season and three career interception returns for touchdowns. He’s a possible late-round pick.

Top 10 safeties

A look at the top 10 safeties available in the NFL draft:

Player School Ht. Wt.

1. Kyle Hamilton* Notre Dame 6-4 220

2. Daxton Hill* Michigan 6-0 191

3. Lewis Cine* Georgia 6-2 199

4. Jaquan Brisker* Penn State 6-1 199

5. Jalen Pitre Baylor 5-10 198

6. Nick Cross Maryland 6-0 212

7. Bryan Cook Cincinnati 6-0 206

8. Tycen Anderson Toledo 6-1 209

9. JT Woods Baylor 6-2 188

10. Verone McKinley* Oregon 5-10 198

* Underclassman

Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr. has some pretty interceptions on his highlight tape.

There’s a one-handed pickoff on a fade pass to the side of the end zone against Virginia last season. There’s a leaping, high-point grab on a deep post pass at the goal line against South Carolina.

“I feel like when the ball is in the air, it’s mine,” Booth said at the NFL scouting combine. “I’m the only one who can come down with it.”

Asked what makes him the best cornerback in the draft – a question frequently posed to top prospects – Booth said: “I’m just ferocious. I feel like when it’s time to attack, I’m there.”

Booth plays the game with an obvious sense of urgency. He goes after it – whether it’s the ball or the ball-carrier. His on-field demeanor is an asset that makes him a first-round prospect in the 2022 NFL draft.

Buffalo Bills 7-round mock draft: Brandon Beane moves up and down the board

Here is a seven-round projection for the Bills, with a look at the top-ranked players available at the time the pick was made, along with the reasoning behind it.

Booth, 21, is among the top candidates to be picked Thursday by the Buffalo Bills at No. 25 overall – if he lasts that long. He would fill the Bills’ big need at cornerback.

Booth is 6-foot and 194 pounds with slightly above average arm length at 31½ inches. He did not run the 40-yard dash before the draft because he’s recovering after undergoing core muscle surgery in March. However, he has top athletic traits. He has quick feet and a fast closing burst. He might have the best ball skills among corners in the draft class.

“He has good size, not elite, but good size, and he’s really athletic,” ESPN analyst Todd McShay said. “The thing I like about him is he can play press-man, he can play off-man, he can play zone. He really is scheme versatile. He allows you to be multiple in terms of what you’re trying to do in the secondary.”

Booth is particularly good in off coverage in zones, coming up and making plays on the ball. Clemson plays a zone-heavy defense. That’s a fit for the Bills’ defense. He would give the Bills two high-end athletes on the boundaries of the defense, joining Tre’Davious White as a starting cornerback.

“Coach V, he threw the whole kitchen sink at us,” Booth said of Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables. “We did everything. I’m pretty comfortable whatever is called, whatever I have to do.”

Inside the Bills: Grading Brandon Beane's second draft class three years later

Here is how The Buffalo News would grade each of the picks from Brandon Beane’s 2019 class – his second as the Buffalo Bills’ general manager

Booth is not as fully developed a prospect as White was when the Bills made him the 27th overall pick in 2017. White made 47 career college starts. Booth has played in 35 games, but has started only 15.

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. wanted more after watching Booth in 2021 and says No. 25 overall might be too high for him.

“Andrew Booth Jr. did not have a great year at Clemson,” Kiper said. “I thought he could be a top-15 pick. He didn’t play like it. ... He had some struggling moments. He’s not a guy I’d take that high.”

Booth played about 40% of the defensive snaps in 2020 before taking over as a full-timer last season. He said he learned a lot in 2021, from good games and bad. He gave up two TD passes last season, both in a double-overtime loss to North Carolina State on Sept. 25.

“I learned – not that I went in underestimating anybody – but you’ve just gotta be on it every play,” Booth said. “Which I am, I try to have that tenacity every play. But it happens to the best. I know the type of player I am.”

While Booth plays tough and is a willing tackler. He needs to play more under control at times vs. the run. Pro Football Focus gave him a missed tackle rate of 24%, way more than the position average.

Asked what it would mean to join a Bills secondary that includes White, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, Booth said: “That would be big ups. Those guys are really doing it at the position. To learn from them and get the swag they bring to the game, just to build my intelligence and my skills for the game.”

The Buffalo Bills have six picks on the third day of the NFL draft.

They have none in the fourth, one in the fifth, four in the sixth and one in the seventh.

“We don’t have a fourth so that’s going to be a long wait to see where it’s going to go,” said Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said.

Beane said he thinks its unlikely the Bills would keep all four of the sixth rounders, if possible.

Here are some players to keep in mind over the final three rounds:

Tight ends: Coastal Carolina’s Isaiah Likely, Texas A&M’s Jaylen Wydermyer and Virginia Tech’s James Mitchell. All made Bills visits. Wydermyer is a physical blocker. Mitchell is more of an H-back, Charles Clay type. Likely is a long, athletic type. His comparison is Gerald Everett. Likely was very effective flexed out in the slot. He’s more of a receiver than a blocker but

Offensive line: Guard Chris Paul of Tulsa, center Dohnovan West of Arizona State and guard Zach Tom of Wake Forest. Paul has made 38 starts and has strong leadership and character traits. Rhyan probably won’t last to the fifth round. He played left tackle but projects as a guard in the NFL. West is a quick interior lineman who can fit a team running outside zone plays. He may not last to late in the fifth round, either.

Safety: Toledo’s Tycen Anderson has 4.36 speed and projects as a special teams demon. Louisiana’s Percy Butler is a free safety with 4.36 speed with upside. He’s raw.

Bills select versatile Baylor linebacker Terrel Bernard in third round of NFL draft

Punter: It’s one spot where the Bills could use competition. Top prospects include Penn State’s Jordan Stout and San Diego State’s Matt Araiza, nicknamed “The Punt God.”

Defensive line: It’s never a bad idea to take a late-round flier on an edge rusher with athleticism. Florida’s Jeremiah Moon is one with good length and traits. He’s coming off shoulder surgery. Notre Dame’s Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa has some similarities to A.J. Epenesa, although he’s not as athletic. On the interior, UCLA’s Otito Ogbonnia is a 324-pound run-plugger. Stanford’s Thomas Booker is a team captain, a three-year starter and a 1-technique late round prospect.

Cornerback: A good fifth-rounder who's a strong zone-coverage corner who has good arm length is Missouri's Akayleb Evans.

Linebacker: After taking Terrel Bernard of Baylor in the third round, linebacker likely moves down the Bills’ list of priorities. Interesting prospects include: Penn State speedy Brandon Smith, Appalachian State’s D’Marco Jackson, North Carolina’s Jeremiah Gemmel. The Bills probably would need to move back into the fourth round to get Smith.

About 15 or 20 minutes after getting the call he'd been waiting years for, Terrel Bernard walked away to a quieter room. The Baylor linebacker was selected by the Bills in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday, at pick No. 89.

"I was just in there with my family going crazy, tearing up, just realizing that one of my biggest dreams is coming true," Bernard said during a video conference with reporters. "So I snuck off into a little room right now, so I’m out here. But yeah man, I’m super excited I can’t wait to get up there.

Bernard (6-foot-1, 224) is a Texas native who played 45 games at Baylor. Bernard, 22, redshirted his freshman season after breaking his foot. He was a three-year starter and was a senior captain.

“The phone call was awesome, man. Just a dream come true, celebrating with my family and things like that,” Bernard said. “I think I can bring just another hardworking piece that’s willing to help anywhere I can, special teams, fight for a roster spot, do whatever I need to do.”

In his college career, Bernard had 320 total tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, three interceptions, 11 passes defensed and three fumble recoveries. His he named to the All-Big 12 first team the past season.

Bernard is coming off a strong end to his college career. He was awarded Sugar Bowl MVP honors, as Baylor took the 21-7 victory over Ole Miss. He had 20 tackles, including two sacks, and a pass defensed.

“I know they play tough, physical football, and I know it’s cold up there, so I’ll be ready for that,” Bernard said of the Bills.

Bernard said from the Senior Bowl to the NFL scouting combine to his Pro Day, he’s been able to get to learn more and more about the Bills, as they got to know him as well.

“Just having the opportunity to talk and present myself and what I can bring to Buffalo,” he said. “It’s been a crazy experience, and I can’t wait to get to work.”

Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said that while Bernard might be undersized, that’s why the Bills were able to get him. Now, they’ll figure out where to use him in Leslie Frazier’s defense.

"He can play both, he can play inside or out,” Beane said. “He's going to be undersized, he's not your proto-type size. ... We like his versality.”

Bernard has seen some of the questions of his size, but he thinks he fits the evolving defenses of the NFL quite well.

“I think you’ve seen a shift kind of within the last few years of the NFL, kind of the run-and-chase style, the more coverage aspect to combat the passing game now, but it’s been crazy being able to just model my game after guys like Matt Milano,” Bernard said. “He’s probably one of my favorite players that I’ve been studying off this whole process, so having the opportunity to learn from guys like him is gonna be amazing.”

Beane noted the Bills had to let go of linebacker A.J. Klein because of salary cap reasons. The appeal of Klein’s game for Beane was that Klein was able to fill in anywhere needed, stepping in last season for both Milano and Tremaine Edmunds. Beane sees some similar flexibility with Bernard and expects him to bounce around the defense a bit. 

“He’s going to be a rookie, but he’s athletic, and he’s versatile,” Beane said. “He’s such a smart instinctive player, and those guys are hard to keep off the field.”

Bernard's self-assessment lines up with that. 

"I feel like I can do multiple things in the run game and then coverage wise as well," Bernard said. "So I think combining those and fine-tuning my skills and working with the great staff up there, I’m excited to see what happens."

Beane won’t rush Bernard, but he’s looking forward to seeing him get involved.

“He's a fun player to watch,” Beane said. “We’re excited to get him in here and see what he can do.”

The Buffalo Bills selected Baylor linebacker Terrel Bernard with the No. 89 overall pick in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday night. Here are five things to know about Bernard.

1. He's known for his leadership. Bernard was a team captain in 2021 and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors. The first line on his scouting report on nfl.com reads "scouts rave about his leadership and character." It also notes that he has a "never-quit attitude despite adversity." It concludes with an anonymous quote from an NFC scout: "If you don't like Bernard, then you don't like smart team leaders who can run. It's that simple."

Said Bills General Manager Brandon Beane: "We really liked him in the process. He was impressive. We have Bobby Babich taking over at linebacker (coach) and we sent Bobby out as we did with some other coaches to work out some of these guys. Bobby came back in and presented and he was one of the guys that he felt really connected. This guy picked it up like that. Some guys are, 'He's going to be able to learn it, but it's going to take some time.' But he's like, `This guy will be teaching it to other people pretty quick. He's got it.'

"I had Sean (McDermott) reach out to their head coach, which we know (Dave) Aranda a little bit. Leslie (Frazier) reached out as well. Aranda could not say enough about this kid's leadership, his work ethic, his habits. He's an alpha leader of that defense. He couldn't say enough good things about him. And we've talked to Aranda before when he had guys at LSU and now at Baylor. He will shoot you straight. He's not just giving you the company line. So we took that. What he said matched what Bobby got, and obviously what we saw on the film."

2. An injury sank his 2020 season. Bernard entered his redshirt junior season with high expectations. He was named to the preseason All-Big 12 first team, as well as several watch lists. He started the season on a tear, leading the Bears in tackles, sacks and tackles for loss through five games. He suffered a torn labrum and fractured shoulder, however, which ended his season prematurely. Despite that, he was a second-team All-Big 12 selection after finishing with 55 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one interception and two passes defensed.

Bills select versatile Baylor linebacker Terrel Bernard in third round of NFL draft

The Bills took linebacker Terrel Bernard out of Baylor in the third round with pick No. 89. Bernard was awarded Sugar Bowl MBP honors, as he tied a Sugar Bowl record with 20 tackles and two sacks.

 3. He made a college switch. Bernard initially committed to Houston, but when former Cougars coach Tom Herman left the school, the linebacker decided to play at Baylor for head coach Matt Rhule, now the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

4. He’s a former three-star recruit. Bernard had a decorated career at La Porte High School in La Porte, Texas. He won all-district honors three times during his career, and as a senior in 2016, he won District 22-6A defensive MVP. The Houston Chronicle listed him as a first-team All-Greater Houston selection, and he as named to the Class 6A All-State second team. The website 247Sports listed Bernard No. 140 on its rankings of recruits from the football-mad state of Texas. ESPN had him a bit higher, ranking No. 106 in Texas.

5. Education is important to him. Bernard was an eight-time recipient of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. He earned an undergraduate degree in health, kinesiology and leisure studies. He’s also working on a master’s degree in sports management.

"Guys that are doing that, generally they're super competitive," Beane said. "They're not just trying to fly by school, do what I can, get a tutor to help me out. They're competitive in everything they do. They're competitive at practice. Those are the guys in the meeting rooms who are competitive -- they're trying to catch the coach drawing up something wrong, 'no, coach, it should be this.' You love that. Guys that just want to be great at whatever they do. Whether they're playing chess. Whether they're in the class room, or whether they're on the football field. It speaks to their character and their values. Obviously, they've got to be good football players, but that's a plus when the character adds to what they are as a player."

The Bills traded down twice in the second round before selecting running back James Cook out of Georgia at No. 63.

Here are five things to know about Cook.

1. A family affair: James Cook is the younger brother of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, a second-round pick in 2017 and three-time Pro-Bowler. The siblings won't have to wait long to meet on the field; the Vikings come to Buffalo this season. “I got to get miced up,” James said Friday. “I got to get miced up. They got to have me miced up.”

2. Florida native: Cook is from Miami and attended Miami Central High School. He was originally committed to Florida State, where Dalvin went, before decommitting and going to Georgia. Cook has trained with Bills running back Devin Singletary.

“I'm just with my family,” Cook said. “I have a son, so he was there. He was the one that was crying in the video. I kind of can't hear you guys' phone call because I was just trying to get my mind off the whole situation, which was waiting for my phone to get called. But you know, for me, this moment right here, it changes life forever.”

3. By the numbers: Cook had 113 carries for 728 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He added 27 catches for 284 yards and four touchdowns. “I’m versatile,” Cook said. “I can separate myself in the backfield and line up out wide and make the deep threats. And take the deep shots and go deep and score touchdowns. That’s what they’re getting in me – a touchdown maker.”

4. Already a champion: Cook started to say Friday that he's ready to win a national championship with Buffalo, before correcting himself to say he's ready to win a Super Bowl. He's already done the former: Cook is coming off a CFP championship with Georgia. Cook had 77 yards on six carries in the title game.

5. Rising stock: Cook was a co-winner of Georgia's Offensive Most Improved Player Award in 2019. To get there, he played in all 14 games his sophomore season, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. But his best season by far was his senior year. Cook had 1,503 rushing yards in his college career, and 728 of those came in his final season.

The Buffalo Bills made everyone wait Friday night.

The team traded down twice in the second round of the NFL Draft before ultimately selecting Georgia running back James Cook with the No. 63 overall pick.

Before doing so, the Bills sent the No. 57 pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for No. 60 overall and No. 180 in the sixth round. General Manager Brandon Beane then sent that No. 60 pick to the Cincinnati Bengals for No. 63 overall and No. 209 overall (sixth round).

Cook is the younger brother of Minnesota Vikings star running back Dalvin Cook.

James Cook, 22, played in 50 career games for Georgia, rushing for 1,503 yards and 14 touchdowns on 230 carries – a healthy average of 6.5 yards per rush. He also had 67 catches for 730 yards and six touchdowns.

Five things to know about Georgia running back James Cook, the Bills' second-round pick

During the Bulldogs’ national championship season in 2021, he played in 15 games with three starts, rushing 113 times for 728 yards and seventh touchdowns. He added 27 catches for 284 yards and another four touchdowns. Against Michigan in the Orange Bowl, he had a career-high 112 receiving yards, helping the Bulldogs make it to the national championship game.

The Bills had tried to sign Washington running back J.D. McKissic in free agency, before he ultimately went back on the deal to return to the Commanders. Nevertheless, that showed the Bills were serious about adding a running back who could be a receiving weapon out of the backfield.

"We see his best skill set as a sub back, but I think he can handle carries too, if we want to give him some more carries," Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said. "We really liked his skill set. Again, similar to the one we saw with McKissic. A guy that's got really good hands. Very instinctive in the pass game. You can run all sorts of guys out in routes. Some, they can't do it, but some guys just have the feel like a slot receiver. It's the feel of what you're getting, whether to sit down in zone or run by your man. He's got speed. If he gets a crease, you saw it, I watched a lot of Georgia football because they were so good, saw them play live twice, you can feel his speed with the ball in his hand."

Cook, 22, is 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds. He ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine, with a 33-inch vertical jump and 124-inch broad jump.

“I’m versatile, you know,” Cook said. “I can separate myself in the backfield and line up out wide and make the deep threats. Take the deep shots and go deep and score touchdowns. That’s what they’re getting in me – a touchdown maker.”

Cook is a native of Miami. He was a top-50 overall recruit nationally after playing in high school for both Central and Northwestern High Schools, earning first-team All-Dade County honors as a senior in his only year at Northwestern.

Cook played as a true freshman for the Bulldogs in 2018, then won the Bulldogs’ Most Improved Player Award in 2019 after appearing in all 14 games, rushing 31 times for 188 yards (6.1 yards per carry) and two rushing touchdowns.

He was in his hometown when the Bills called Friday night.

“I mean, it still don’t feel real yet,” Cook said of receiving that call. “It’s just kind of hitting me. At the end of the day, I’m ready to come in and play football. That’s all I’m ready to do. I’m ready to come in and play football and win games.

“It hasn't hit me yet. It probably won't hit me until the next day. My family, I'm just enjoying the moment right now. Just trying to soak everything in.”

Cook will join a Buffalo backfield that also features Devin Singletary, Zack Moss, Duke Johnson and Taiwan Jones. Singletary is entering the final year of his rookie contract, while both Johnson and Jones are playing on one-year contracts signed this offseason.

“Oh, me and Motor work out. We work out together in the offseason,” James Cook said, referring to Singletary by his nickname. “The whole offseason, yeah. Me and Motor are a one-two punch. We going to shock the world. We going to try to compete for a Super Bowl and win it.”

Cook was the third running back taken. Iowa State’s Breece Hall, a popular pick to the Bills in several mock drafts, was taken with the 36th overall selection by the New York Jets. Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III went to the Seattle Seahawks 41st overall.

Cook is the second player from the SEC drafted by the Bills, following the selection of Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam in the first round Thursday night.

“That's the baby NFL. We ready. Ready to get to work and play football,” Cook said of playing in the SEC. “I'm just blessed just to get in the right system, get around the right group of guys and just ready to get ready to work and being a good leader.”

After the trades, the Bills hold five draft picks on Saturday in rounds four through seven. Those picks are: No. 168 (fifth round) Nos. 180, 185, 203, 209 (sixth round) No. 231 (seventh round).

Brandon Beane moved up in the draft Thursday night, but not dramatically.

The Bills’ general manager traded the 25th overall pick to the Baltimore Ravens along with a selection in the fourth round (No. 130 overall) to acquire the 23rd pick in the first round, which he used on Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam.

It was a modest move, but Beane said afterward the team didn’t have plans to do anything bigger.

“We didn’t talk to a team above 20,” he said. “We didn’t even call or anything like that.”

Across the state, Giants GM Joe Schoen told reporters that he had the parameters of a trade down worked out with two separate teams for the No. 7 overall pick, but that one of those teams backed out once the draft began and the top six picks were made.

Beane was asked Thursday if he called his old assistant GM about making the big move up.

“Us going to seven? No,” the Bills’ GM replied. “No. Zero.”

The Bills decided to trade up in part because Kansas City did so to take Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie with the No. 21 overall pick.

“We did know going into this draft that we thought there was some guys that fit us,” Beane said. “But like anything, you start seeing a run on them and you know, again, the early guys went and then McDuffie goes and it's like … ‘let's go now before someone else.' I was worried more about someone else trading in in front of us, knowing that a lot of people had us pegged for potentially a corner.”

Had Elam been chosen, Beane said he “potentially” may have moved back.

Day 2 of the NFL draft takes on a bit more significance for the Buffalo Bills on Friday because of the fact they traded away their fourth-round pick Thursday in the move to get cornerback Kaiir Elam.

Few, if any, will argue with the decision to give away the fourth-rounder (No. 130), given the fact the Bills filled their only glaring need by selecting Elam.

The Bills own pick No. 57 in the second round and No. 89 in the third round on Day 2, which begins at 7 p.m.

Here’s a look at potential directions General Manager Brandon Beane could go with those picks. There are a ton of options because the Bills do not have pressing needs.

Running backs: Iowa State’s Breece Hall, Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller and Georgia’s James Cook all made top-30 visits to the Bills. Hall probably won’t last to No. 57. The Bills likely would have to trade up – 10 or 15 spots? – to get him, and that would very difficult (see below). No. 57 is right about the perfect value for Spiller. Cook probably will be available with the third-round pick at No. 89.

Guard: Ohio State’s Nicholas Petit-Frere and Memphis’ Dylan Parham had top-30 visits with Buffalo. Petit-Frere is a tackle who projects to guard, and his value is in the No. 57 range. Parham would be a better value at No. 89, but he might not last quite that long. He can not be ruled out as an option at No. 57, either. UCLA guard Sean Rhyan had a Bills top-30 visit. He might be a consideration at No. 89.

Linebacker: Wyoming’s Chad Muma would be a good fit in the Bills’ defense. He’s a converted safety who’s 239 pounds and has good coverage ability. No. 57 probably is his proper value. He's unlikely to last to No. 89. Penn State’s Brandon Smith, who visited the Bills, is a freak athlete who is a candidate at No. 89. That might be a tad high in value for him. Alabama linebacker Christian Harris visited the Bills and is a candidate at No. 57, but would have to fall. He’s rated in the mid-40s by our standard. Other linebackers the Bills have shown interest in and their relative standing on our board: Montana State’s Troy Anderson (mid-60s), Oklahoma’s Brian Asamoah (mid-60s), Appalachian State’s D’Marco Jackson (fourth round, where the Bills have no pick).

Receiver. The Bills had Alabama’s John Metchie in for a visit. No. 57 is just about the perfect value for him. His NFL comparison is Robert Woods. He’s coming off major knee surgery in December. Georgia’s George Pickens would be good value at No. 57, but he has not been tied to the Bills in the pre-draft process. Memphis’ Calvin Austin, a slot-gadget guy who runs 4.35, might last to No. 89. He hasn’t really been tied to the Bills, either.

Cornerback. How about a double-dip at the position, like Beane did at defensive end last year? It would be a surprise if Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr. or Washington’s Kyler Gordon lasted long into the second round. Has Booth's injury history knocked him down on draft boards? The Bills had Auburn’s Roger McCreary and Mississippi State’s Martin Emerson in for visits. McCreary is a value at No. 57. He has very short arms, which goes strongly against the Bills’ profile at the position. But his playing style is remarkably similar to that of Tre’Davious White. Emerson would be more of an option at No. 89. He’s a very good zone coverage cornerback with extra-long arms (33.5 inches; 32 inches is considered long). He has only one career interception.

Safety: Maryland’s Nick Cross was a Bills top-30 visit. He’s a downhill, tough safety in the Jordan Poyer mold (although not as good in the deep half of the field as Poyer). He’s a consideration at No. 89. He may not last that long, but No. 57 is a little early for him.

Tight ends: Coastal Carolina’s Isaiah Likely was a top-30 visitor. He’s a consideration at No. 89. Texas A&M’s Jaylen Wydermyer was a top-30 visitor. No. 89 might be a little high for him. Virginia’s Jelani Woods is another outside candidate at No. 89. Ohio State’s Jeremy Ruckert would be great value if he lasts to No. 89. He might be hard to pass up that late.

Defensive line: The Bills have nine proven defensive linemen, so they’d need to love the value to take one on Day 2. Connecticut’s Travis Jones, a beefy nose tackle, is rated anywhere from mid-50s to the mid-80s. Kentucky’s Josh Paschal would be good value at No. 57. He draws comparisons with Carlos Basham. Western Kentucky’s DeAngelo Malone (243 pounds) is lighter than the Bills prefer at defensive end, but would be good value at No. 89.

Trade up. If Beane wants to move up 10 to 12 spots in the second round, it won’t be easy. The 57th pick is worth 95 points on the value chart. The 47th is worth 124 – a 29-point difference. The Bills’ 89th pick is worth 46 points. Giving that away would get them up to pick No. 42. It might be better to take two picks than move up, especially since the fourth-round pick is gone. The Bills’ fifth-round pick is worth only eight points. So they might have to package that fifth-rounder and next year’s third rounder just to move up 12 spots in the second round. It seems like a tough move. A little move might make more sense. That fifth-rounder, worth eight points, could move the Bills up from No. 57 to No. 54.

One of the players most frequently connected to the Buffalo Bills in the pre-draft process was Iowa State running back Breece Hall.

Why, exactly, that was the case is a bit of a mystery to Bills General Manager Brandon Beane.

“I don't know where the reports come from,” Beane said Thursday night after using the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft on Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam. “I know they don't come from our building. We don't put out smoke screens. Like, it's not something we do. I definitely heard about it, we tracked it. Locally, it seemed to be more receiver or corner. Nationally, it was definitely Breece Hall and I'm assuming a lot of people are kind of studying what other people are saying, too.

"Whatever reason it picked up a trend, and so maybe that's what happened. I'm not sure, but we don't really get into trying to put out smoke screens, I think it's a waste of time.”

Asked if that’s something someone who puts out smoke screens would say, Beane replied: “I don’t lie. I can honestly say we don't put out smoke screens.”

The Bills will still see Hall twice a year. He was chosen by the New York Jets with the 36th overall pick in the second round Friday night. The Jets traded up with the Giants, leapfrogging the Texans in the process. The Giants received the 38th and 146th overall picks to move down two spots.

Beane gave his stock answer when asked if upgrading the running game is a priority.

“If there's a runner there that we think can help us, we wouldn't hesitate to turn it in,” he said. “That's any round. Same as corner. It's got to fit the value for what that player is going to add to our offense. What does that runner do for us? Is he a sub back? Is he a three-down back? Is he a speed back, home-run hitter, but not really between the tackles? How does he hold up in pass pro? So, all those things kind of puts his value where he is on our board, but again, we think there are a lot of positions that we can add to. I don't really rank that as, 'man, we've got to leave this draft with that.'

“You can always add to it. I'm not sweating it. Corner was definitely a higher need, without going through where each position is on the pecking order.”

A year ago, Beane double dipped at defensive end, taking Gregory Rousseau and Boogie Basham in the first two rounds. The GM also wasn’t ruling out that possibility after taking Elam in the first.

“If he's the best player, I'll take him,” Beane said of drafting another cornerback. “I really will, wouldn't hesitate. Again, like last year, I did not intend to draft back-to-back D-ends and back-to-back offensive tackles. So yeah, I mean, if there's a really good corner in the second round tomorrow, we'd take him.”

The Buffalo Bills selected cornerback Kaiir Elam with the No. 23 pick in the NFL draft. The Bills wanted to make sure they got Elam: They traded up with the Baltimore Ravens, sending the No. 25 and No. 130 picks to Baltimore.

Here are five things to know about the Bills’ newest corner.

Bills trade up two spots, draft Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam with 23rd overall pick

1. Football family: Elam hails from a family with a lot of football experience. His dad, Abram, played in the NFL for seven years, after playing collegiately at Notre Dame and Kent State. His uncle, Matt Elam, was a first-round pick of the Ravens in 2013. Kaiir thinks that the opportunity to learn from his family and hear their constructive criticism helped prepare him.

2. Junior year: Elam had a strong season his junior year, where he started 10 games, had six passes defended and one interception. He had a slight dip his senior season, but GM Brandon Beane says it’s something they’ve already tackled through, and that the way he’s used in a defense could get him back toward his junior year production. “His tackling at times was a little bit shaky. We talked to him about it, and part of it, he felt was the way they were asking him to do,” Beane said. “There are some things technique-wise that we’ll have him work on and clean up. But he’s a great young man." Late Thursday, All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman tweeted of Elam, "With that coaching he's going to thrive. Has flaws that are correctable. Look forward to see how this works out."

3. Freshman experience: Elam got involved in the Gators' defense early. As a true freshman, he had three interceptions, four passes defended, and 11 tackles, and he appeared in all 13 games with five starts. He was named to the Coaches Freshman All-Southeastern Conference team for his performance, and those years of experience going up against top receivers helped land him in Buffalo.

4. A number of accolades: In his sophomore season, Elam was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference. Elam was also a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award in 2020, which is given to the top defensive back in college football each season. Off the field, he earned SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll as a freshman.

Your guide to the Buffalo Bills and the NFL draft

5. Florida through and through: Elam is not only a Florida Gator, he’s also a Florida native. He’s from Riviera Beach and attended Benjamin High School. Elam spent draft night at a family friend’s house in Juno Beach, Fla. At Benjamin, he had 71 tackles, nine interceptions and three sacks. He also played wide receiver and compiled 97 catches for 1,490 yards and 15 touchdowns over four years on varsity.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ victory in Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game in January was a bucket of cold water on the Buffalo Bills’ defense.

The Bengals held the Chiefs to 24 points and 375 yards. Just a week earlier, the Bills yielded 42 points and 552 yards to Patrick Mahomes & Co.

The Bills’ defense ranked No. 1 in the NFL. The Bengals’ defense ranked No. 16.

Anyone who watched the Bengals beat the Chiefs could see Cincinnati had a better pass rush than Buffalo and more talent at cornerback (even accounting for the fact the Bills were missing Tre’Davious White to injury).

Give the Bills’ brain trust credit. Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott didn’t kid themselves about their defense. Between mid-January and mid-February there was an honest accounting in the coaches’ offices at One Bills Drive. They overhauled the defensive line in free agency in a big way, headlined by the Von Miller signing.

Now they’ve added a cornerback with elite physical talent in Kaiir Elam with the 23th pick in the first round of Thursday night’s NFL draft.

The Bills have one elite cornerback in White, but it’s a stretch to think he will be ready to play a full game in Week 1 in September. Who knows, but it wouldn’t be a shock if he saw only limited duty the first six weeks of the season.

Taron Johnson is one of the better slot cornerbacks in the NFL. Top 10 for sure, especially given the way his physical skill set suits what the Bills’ defense needs.

On the other side of the field, however, the Bills have been succeeding with a modestly talented overachiever. Make no mistake, Levi Wallace is a good football player. He started 52 games over the past 3½ seasons, and the Bills won a lot of games with him.

Obviously, the Bills could have upgraded from Wallace at any point over the past four years. They didn’t. That’s both a credit to Wallace and a statement of philosophy. McDermott and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier have not viewed No. 2 corner as a top priority from an elite athleticism perspective.

Five things to know about CB Kaiir Elam, Bills' first-round pick

Not anymore. If you’re trying to get over the Patrick Mahomes hurdle and win the Super Bowl, the talent bar is high.

Look at the offensive landscape in the AFC. Six of the top nine QBs in the NFL, or seven of the top 11, are in the AFC. All but one in the AFC are young, including: Mahomes (26), Josh Allen (25), Joe Burrow (25), Justin Herbert (23), Deshaun Watson (26), Russell Wilson (33) and Lamar Jackson (25). The Bills are going to have to get past one, two or three of them every year in the playoffs for the foreseeable future.

Even in the AFC East, the passing talent is impressive. Miami has two of the fastest receivers in the NFL in Tyreek Hill, at 4.29 seconds in the 40-yard dash, and Jaylen Waddle at 4.37. The New York Jets have a 4.35 speedster in Elijah Moore and just added Garrett Wilson, at 4.38.

The Bills needed to add more speed on defense to match the speed they’re trying to stop.

Elam is 6-foot-1½ and runs the 40 in 4.39 seconds. The 6-foot Wallace ran 4.63 coming out of Alabama.

Wallace and Dane Jackson are well suited to play zone coverage. They’re smart, they have good instincts, they react well to the play in front of them. Wallace rarely gets baited on double moves and is as assignment sound as they come.

But Elam has better closing speed. He’s physical early in the down. He’s a good fit to play Cover 3 zone. He can press at the line of scrimmage. He’s arguably the second best corner pressing at the line of scrimmage in the draft, behind only Derek Stingley Jr., who went third overall. Elam gives Frazier more coverage options.

Maybe White doesn’t need to follow an elite receiver as much. Maybe they can mix it up more, where White is playing zone one one side and Elam is playing man, instead of the other way around. Frazier had to be cognizant of protecting Wallace a bit against tougher matchups.

The Bills aren’t a big blitzing defense. If you’re playing catch-up, which is inevitable at some point, you’re forced to blitz to create pressure and leave your corners on an island. A more elite athlete gives the Bills a better chance in those situations.

This isn’t to suggest the Bills’ defense has no work to do.

For one, the rookie surely is going to make more mistakes than the ever-reliable Wallace.

Your guide to the Buffalo Bills and the NFL draft

But this move gives the Bills some peace of mind.

Imagine if the schedule comes out and the Bills are facing three elite QBs in the first four weeks. With no White?

The other nice thing about the pick is cornerback is a big money position. There are 24 players making $10 million a year at cornerback. By comparison,  eight running backs are averaging $10 million a year. So you’re saving money against some of the competition if your No. 2 corner is on a rookie deal and he’s good.

It’s an offensive arms race in the AFC, and there’s no substitute for talent and speed. The Bills added some with Elam.

Bills fans quickly took to social media to reach to the selection of Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam with the No. 23 pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night. 

No way the league let us get Kaiir Elam … it’s over… no team can compete #billsmafia

— SRF (@SmartRaptorsFan) April 29, 2022

Elam and White is gonna be so nasty i'm so happy https://t.co/0sfvyWaBJm

— David (@BiIIsFan40) April 29, 2022

Bills defense is gonna be a problem Greg Rousseau Ed Oliver Daquan jonesVon miller Matt Milano Tremaine EdmundsTre white Jordan poyerMicah Hyde Kaiir Elam

— Michael Marinaro (@Allenformvp) April 29, 2022

Kaiir Elam runs a sub 4.4 forty and adds some much needed speed to this secondary now that Tyreek Hill is in the division. Welcome to #BillsMafia

— Sam Manfredi (@80Manfredi) April 29, 2022

VERY happy with the Elam pick. Bills have done well developing athletic traits. They finally get young and athletic in the secondary.

— Josh Allen Stats (@JoshAllenStats) April 29, 2022

Look I did a lot of mocks, but Elam was clearly the best fit for us and I love it!! https://t.co/fD461iRcmy

— Lance from Lancaster (@LancerN24) April 29, 2022

Elam a bad man

— cody (@CodyCodyholton2) April 29, 2022

I really like the Elam pick. But wow the Jets are having a great draft

— Buffalo Buck (@BuckBuffalo) April 29, 2022

My father is very excited for Kaiir Elam pic.twitter.com/Px4LTcfX05

— Squintin Tarantino (@nickdejo) April 29, 2022

News Bills writers Jay Skurski and Mark Gaughan issue their meter reading on the likelihood of these 10 prospects being the Bills' first-round selection. The higher the number, the more likely the player is to be drafted by the Bills. 

CB ANDREW BOOTH JR., CLEMSON

Mark: He’s physical. He’s an explosive athlete. He has good ball skills. He’s only a one-year starter. He would be a great pick, if he lasts to 25. Meter: 9.0.

Jay: There is some concern he’s just a one-year starter, but Booth otherwise fits the defensive profile and would answer team’s biggest remaining need. Meter: 9.0.

CB KAIIR ELAM, FLORIDA

Mark: Big, physical corner who ran 4.39. Can press. Can play zone. Had 10 penalties in 2021, but Bills can coach the handsiness out of him. Love him. Meter: 8.0.

Jay: Couple of red flags. His 2021 season was worse than 2020, and he isn’t always a plus tackler. Still, he has 4.39 speed and NFL bloodlines. Meter: 7.0.

CB KYLER GORDON, WASHINGTON

Mark: Washington corners are well-coached, physical, good in zone. Gordon is a good athlete, too. No. 25 might be a tad high, but I wouldn’t complain if he’s the pick. Meter: 8.0.

Jay: No. 25 might be a bit early for Gordon, but it seems more reasonable today based on the most recent projections. Has a mentality Sean McDermott would love. Meter: 8.0.

RB BREECE HALL, IOWA STATE

Mark: Reminds you of Colts' Jonathan Taylor, and he’s a great receiver. Intriguing. Immediate impact. But: Good receiving RBs can be had in Rounds 3-5. Meter: 7.0. 

Jay: Devin Singletary is entering the final year of his contract. Cause for concern: Hall has a lot of miles, with more than 800 touches the last three years. Meter: 8.0.

WR CHRIS OLAVE, OHIO STATE

Mark: Best route-runner in the draft class. Creates windows for the QB. Imagine the decision if he and Booth are on the board. But Olave will be gone. Meter: 5.0.

Jay: Leaves Ohio State as the Buckeyes’ all-time leader in TD catches – no small accomplishment. Needs to add some strength. It’s doubtful he’s there at No. 25. Meter: 3.0.

WR JAHAN DOTSON, PENN STATE

Mark: Like him a lot. Similar to Olave, only a tad smaller. Creates separation. Really good in the slot. Tough call if he’s on the board. Meter: 5.0.

Jay: Highly productive at Penn State in 2021, but it’s hard to see what he does all that differently than what the Bills currently have at receiver. Meter: 5.0.

WR TREYLON BURKS, ARKANSAS

Mark: Comparison with the Titans’ A.J. Brown is intriguing. Hard to pass up, but will be selected before No. 20. Meter: 3.0.

Jay: Bills want to add some more run after catch to their offense, and Burks excelled in that area. Arkansas got him the ball in a variety of ways. Meter: 5.0.

LB DEVIN LLOYD, UTAH

Mark: I bet Bills have first-round grade on Lloyd. But Bills should kick the can down the road a year at LB, not pick a redshirt. I want more immediate help. Meter: 3.0.

Jay: Sleeper option solely because he might slip. Addition would make it apparent moving on from Tremaine Edmunds after 2022 is a distinct possibility. Meter: 4.0.

WR JAMESON WILLIAMS, ALABAMA

Mark: Home-run pick. I don’t care if he doesn’t play until November. I wouldn’t trade the 2023 No. 1 to get him. Won’t last past No. 16. Meter: 2.0.

Jay: Torn ACL suffered in January means Williams won’t be ready at the start of the season, but worth the wait. Figures to be long gone by pick No. 25. Meter: 3.0.

DB DAXTON HILL, MICHIGAN

Mark: Good player, but he’s either a deep safety (Micah Hyde) or a slot corner (Taron Johnson). Bills need an outside corner. I don’t see it. Meter: 2.0.

Jay: Pick would be a hint the Bills will move on from Jordan Poyer after 2022. Has positional flexibility, but it’s a stretch to think he could play boundary cornerback as a rookie. Meter: 6.0.

Sean McDermott doesn’t usually have much of a sweet tooth, but draft night is an exception.

The Buffalo Bills’ sixth-year head coach expects to have plenty of nervous energy Thursday night during the first round of the NFL draft.

“It’s good that we have a lot of candy in the draft room,” he said, “so I guess I can satisfy my anxious hunger. … I’ll be doing that through the first 20 picks.”

Welcome to life as a member of the NFL’s upper class. The Bills are coming off a second consecutive AFC East championship season. That’s great, of course – except when it comes to the draft. By advancing to the divisional round of the postseason, the Bills have to wait until the 25th overall pick in the first round before General Manager Brandon Beane can turn in a card – barring a trade, of course.

“You have a good season and you’ve got to wait the next year,” McDermott said. “I'd rather have it that way.”

McDermott then again joked about Beane being the one who can do something to shorten the wait, conceivably by moving up in the draft. For teams picking in the bottom of the first round – which the Bills hope is a reality for years to come – that temptation always will be there.

“I'm probably my own worst enemy with patience,” Beane acknowledged last week.

Because of that, the Bills’ general manager does his best every offseason to fill as many holes on his roster as he can in free agency. His reasoning for that is sound.

“So that I don't have to feel the pressure of, ‘I cannot leave the first round or the second round without player X or position X,’ ” he said.

Mostly, Beane has succeeded in that endeavor. While a strong case can be made the team still has a sizable hole at cornerback, the projected starting lineup otherwise looks just about set.

That opens up a world of options in the first round. Trade up, stay put or trade back all have their merits. This year, that’s amplified given the uncertainty of what will happen ahead of the Bills.

“Knowing your board, having a feel, too, of how the draft is going to fall, I think this year is going to be a little harder,” Beane said. “In past years, we've kind of known where some of these quarterbacks were going and where some other guys might fall. It seems like a crapshoot right now to where the quarterbacks will fall, which will ultimately decide what position players get pushed down to 25.”

While the wait will be stressful, the top of this year’s first round promises to be packed with drama. It’s not just quarterback that features plenty of uncertainty. Even the Jaguars, who pick first for the second consecutive year, are a mystery.

Complicating matters is the true number of players worthy of being first-round picks. It’s a bit of a misconception that, because there are 32 picks in the first round, teams have 32 prospects with first-round grades. In fact, that’s rarely the case.

“A good class for me is 26-27,” said ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay. “I right now have 24 guys with first-round grades. I’ve talked to some teams that have only 16, 17, 18 first-round grades in a given year. Some teams I’ve talked to have 23, 24.”

McShay also grades the entire class without worry about things such as scheme fit or specific traits regarding how a player would fit a team’s culture.

“A lot of those things move players down or take them off the board for specific teams,” he said. “My list is always going to be a little bigger because I’m not playing a 3-4 or a 4-3. I’m just looking at the player and where his value is. This year is not as deep a group in the first round.”

Beane wouldn’t spill exactly how many first-round grades he has this year, but he seemed to indicate he agreed with McShay’s take.

“I don’t have 32,” the GM said. “It’s definitely less.”

That presents an interesting situation for the Bills. Let’s say Beane has 20 prospects with first-round grades. He could sit at 25 and hope one falls to him.

A similar scenario played out last year. Picking at No. 30, the Bills did not have anywhere close to 30 first-round grades, according to Beane. Miami edge rusher Greg Rousseau did have a first-round grade, though, and he made it to Buffalo’s pick.

For that type of thing to happen again, Beane will want to see as many quarterbacks as possible be drafted ahead of the Bills. Buffalo is not in the quarterback market at the top of the draft, and won’t be for a long time with Josh Allen. Any quarterback picked ahead of the Bills moves a position player closer to their pick.

"Brandon Beane is definitely rooting for quarterbacks to go. The more quarterbacks that go, it keeps pushing talent down," said Mark Dominik, the former general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and current NFL analyst for SiriusXM.

But if the quarterbacks don’t go, and Beane’s first-round prospects start to fly off the board, he’ll have to ask himself, do I want to stay put and hope the right player falls? Do I want to get aggressive and move up? Or do I want to hope that the right trade-down opportunity arises?

“I would look at both and it depends on who the player is,” Beane said of the possibility of moving up. “What am I giving up? What's it going to cost me? What pick is it going to cost me? Is it going to cost me a third-round pick, and how strong do I feel about the third round? I'm giving up this player to go up and do this, but it was really worth it. I feel like this is an impact player for us, right now. Or maybe I don’t, and I want to let the board come to me. … If the numbers are getting thin, I'm going to be looking both ways to see which is the best solution for us.”

Any trade involves two willing parties, but it might be a bit easier this year to move up, considering this is not thought to be an elite class of prospects at the top of the draft. Instead, the draft is thought to have good depth, which makes the accumulation of picks a sensible approach. It’s been reported that several teams near the top of the draft are interested in moving down. Maybe Beane sees a good opportunity to get what he views as a potential impact player for a discount on the normal price.

“I'm hopeful that we'll still be able to draft at 25 a player that we have a first-round grade on,” he said. “If it's getting close to our pick, and I’m going, ‘Man, I don't think we're going to, I think we're going to be dipping in the second round,’ then I'll try to move back if I can.”

The bottom of the first round is usually a good spot for that. Quarterback-hungry teams – especially those that might pass on a quarterback earlier in the first round – might be interested in moving up to get their guy at the bottom of the round. That’s because contracts for players drafted in the first round contain a fifth-year team option, which is especially important for a quarterback.

“I think for all the potential inaction up at the top of the draft, I think we could see a lot of action toward the bottom, especially as it pertains to the quarterbacks,” said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. “I think that’s where the value is, if you want to get back into the bottom of the first round, get the fifth year, take a flier on one of these guys. I think we could see some action and some movement there. I think the Bills could have an opportunity to make a move there if they want.”

If Beane elects not to move up and his first-round prospects are gone, moving back is logical. It might not result in a player the team has graded all that differently, either.

“There’s a lot of drafts that once you get by 20, then the next 20 are relatively the same guy,” said Buffalo native Greg Gabriel, a former college scouting director for the Chicago Bears. “If they go 21 or 39, it wouldn’t surprise you. It depends how the team picking has them graded. I call them 20-to-40 guys."

Of course, the least-sexy option might end up being the best one. 

"First round, I think you've got to stand still, because I think you're going to like what's going to come to you," Dominik said. "If the quarterbacks pull off the board, I bet you Brandon sits there and just waits. If the quarterbacks don't peel off the way people expect, then I think actually trading back might be the best option because now you're going to have some of these clubs that didn't take a quarterback may try and come back up there. The more players you can get in that top 60 to 70 players, the better you are."

All of those options are what makes the draft so compelling. That's true even for those intimately involved in the process. 

"We'll just see how it plays out," McDermott said. "I have a lot of confidence and trust in Brandon and his staff, they work extremely hard and I know we'll come out with some good players."

Mock drafters everywhere were feeling pretty good about themselves this time about a year ago.

The first two picks of the 2021 draft – Trevor Lawrence to the Jaguars and Zach Wilson to the Jets – were free spots on the bingo board.

“It’s always nice to start off a mock draft and know that you have the first pick right,” ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said. “That’s a good jumping-off point.”

McShay, in fact, went a perfect 7 for 7 to open the 2021 draft – the most hits he’s had to start a draft in his career.

Don’t expect a repeat performance in 2022. If one word captures the essence of the 2022 draft, it’s uncertainty. That starts with the first overall pick – once again held by Jacksonville.

“When you don’t have that clear-cut, elite class, it makes it a little more difficult,” McShay said. “It becomes a little bit harder to anticipate and put together a final mock, because it just depends on which team is on the board.”

Don’t us mock drafters know it. The uncertainty is what makes the draft so compelling, though. With that, here is The Buffalo News’ final projection of how Thursday’s first round might play out:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars. Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia. As of last week, the Jaguars were reportedly considering four players for the top pick, which speaks to the unpredictability of this class. Walker has pulled ahead as the betting favorite, with the idea being his physical tools give him the highest ceiling of any of this year’s edge rushers.

2. Detroit Lions. Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan. This would be a nice scenario for the Lions, who would be able to keep Hutchinson in state. Hutchinson had 14 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss and 64 pressures last season. He’s considered to be one of the “safest” players in the draft, meaning he has a low risk of being a bust. Detroit had just 30 sacks last year, third fewest in the NFL, so this would also fill a need.

3. Houston Texans. Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon. What do you give a team that needs everything? Having a quarterback is the most important thing for NFL teams. Second most important might be having defenders who can bring down the quarterback. Thibodeaux can do that. He’s one of the more polarizing prospects in this class, but he plays a premier position, which should push him up the board.

4. New York Jets. Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati. The Jets’ needs – edge rusher, cornerback, offensive tackle and wide receiver – pair up well with this year’s draft. In this case, with three pass rushers already off the board, the Jets can get the consensus No. 1 cornerback in this year’s class and then fill one of their other needs from the above list with their next first-round pick, No. 10.

5. New York Giants. Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State. There has been a lot of buzz that the Giants, led by Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, are high on Cross. If that’s the case, it makes sense to take him here, ahead of the Panthers at No. 6, because they might also be in on offensive linemen.

6. Carolina Panthers. Evan Neal, OT, Alabama. Mind-blowing fact of the day: The Panthers have had a different starting left tackle at the beginning of every season since Jordan Gross retired in 2013. Neal would finally give them someone to solidify that position. He doesn’t, however, answer the question of who will play quarterback.

7. New York Giants. Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame. It’s been well established that Schoen would like to move down from this pick, perhaps to add another first-round selection in 2023, with the idea being he might need ammunition to go after a quarterback. Unfortunately for him, there doesn’t seem to be much of an appetite for teams to move up. If that remains the case, selecting Hamilton makes sense. Schoen and Daboll have seen in Buffalo what it can mean for a defense to be strong at safety, as the Bills are with Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. Hamilton is another prospect considered to have a low risk of bust potential.

8. Atlanta Falcons. Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State. There is no consensus on the best wide receiver in the class, but Wilson is frequently in that discussion. The Falcons have an obvious need at the position, with Calvin Ridley suspended for the year and Russell Gage having departed in free agency. NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has compared Wilson to Bills star Stefon Diggs.

9. Seattle Seahawks. Ickey Ekwonu, OT, N.C. State. It would be somewhat of a surprise if Ekwonu stuck on the board this long. The suddenly rebuilding Seahawks also need help at edge rusher or cornerback, too, so they have a number of different directions they could go.

10. New York Jets. Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama. The Jets were all in on trying to acquire former Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill, so it’s clear giving quarterback Zach Wilson more help in his second season is a priority. Williams might not do that right away – he’s recovering from a torn ACL suffered in January during the national championship game – but he has speed that has drawn some comparisons to Hill.

11. Washington Commanders. Drake London, WR, Southern Cal. If Hamilton slips out of the top 10, he could go here. With that not being the case in this projection, though, Washington addresses its need at receiver with London, who is one of the biggest targets in the class at 6-foot-4.

12. Minnesota Vikings. Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU. Stingley is another prospect who has a wide range of opinions. Some see the player who dominated the SEC as a true freshman in 2019, while others see the player who dealt with injuries over the past two seasons, missing significant time. The Vikings are a great landing spot for Stingley. He can be tutored by current Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson, another LSU product.

13. Houston Texans. Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, Florida State. For a rebuilding franchise, getting stronger on both lines of scrimmage is a good place to start. With their two first-round picks, the Texans attempt to do that. Johnson can play the run and pass.

14. Baltimore Ravens. Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia. Davis – who is a freak athlete – might not make it out of the top 10. The Ravens have long prioritized stopping the run, and the 6-foot-6, 341-pounder should immediately help. Davis ran a mind-bending 4.78-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine – incredible speed for someone his size.

15. Philadelphia Eagles. Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington. The way the top 14 picks have gone so far is probably not great for the Eagles, who have a need at edge rusher and are rumored to be enamored with Williams at wide receiver. As it is, they take another player considered to have a high floor in McDuffie.

16. New Orleans Saints. Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa. This is one of the more popular mock draft selections – for good reason. The Saints lost Terron Armstead in free agency, and the offensive tackle depth in this class gets thin in a hurry. There could be some action from teams angling to get in front of New Orleans to draft Penning.

17. Los Angeles Chargers. Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State. Keep an eye on the Chargers moving ahead of the Saints for Penning. Since they fall short of that in this projection, it makes sense to give quarterback Justin Herbert another weapon. Olave’s best strength is in the vertical passing game, and Herbert has the arm to take advantage of that skill.

18. Philadelphia Eagles. Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas. With quarterback-needy teams on the board behind them, there is a good chance the Eagles trade out of this pick. If not, they’re contractually obligated to take another wide receiver in the first round.

19. New Orleans Saints. Kenny Pickett, QB, Pitt. Jameis Winston doesn’t seem as if he’s going to be the long-term replacement for Drew Brees with the Saints. Perhaps Pickett can be.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers. Malik Willis, QB, Liberty. The Steelers signed Mitchell Trubisky away from the Bills in free agency, so they’ll be able to allow Willis to sit and watch for a year as he adjusts to the pro game.

21. New England Patriots. Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah. After watching the Bills’ offense pitch a perfect game against the Patriots’ defense in the playoffs, it crystalized the need for New England to get more athletic on defense. Lloyd is a good start.

22. Green Bay Packers. Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State. After trading Davante Adams, the Packers almost have to come out of the first round with a receiver with at least one of their two picks, right?

23. Arizona Cardinals. Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia. The Cardinals are another team that could use a wide receiver, but it feels as if they’d be reaching here. Wyatt should contribute immediately on defense.

24. Dallas Cowboys. Kenyon Green, OL, Texas A&M. Green has the flexibility to play multiple spots up front, which is good news for Dallas, because the Cowboys’ offensive line has several needs.

25. Buffalo Bills. Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson. In the end, the most logical position ends up being the pick for General Manager Brandon Beane. It’s hard to ignore the need in the Bills’ secondary, especially with the uncertainty around when Tre’Davious White will be ready to play coming off a knee injury. Booth was a second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection in 2021 after finishing with 37 tackles, three interceptions and five passes defensed in 11 starts.

The final line of Booth’s nfl.com scouting report neatly summarizes why he makes sense for the Bills: “He needs to play more football, but his ball-hawking instincts, burst to close and toughness in run support will be very appealing for zone teams looking for an upgrade at cornerback.”

That sounds like a prospect who will fit in nicely to Sean McDermott's defense.

26. Tennessee Titans. Zion Johnson, OL, Boston College. Johnson figures to be a Day 1 starter for the Titans, who are a sneaky team that could be in the quarterback market.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Travis Jones, DT, UConn. Jones would line up next to Vita Vea and make the Bucs awfully tough to run against.

28. Green Bay Packers. Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia. Another member of the Bulldogs’ national championship defense goes in the first round.

29. Kansas City Chiefs. George Pickens, WR, Georgia. After trading away Tyreek Hill, it would be a big surprise if the Chiefs ended the first round without taking a wide receiver.

30. Kansas City Chiefs. David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan. A bit of a luxury pick here for the Chiefs, but they can afford that. Ojabo isn’t expected to play in 2022 after tearing his Achilles tendon at Michigan’s pro day, but he would have likely been a top-15 pick otherwise. If his medical report shows he’s recovering well, he could end up being a nice value pick down the road for the Chiefs.

31. Cincinnati Bengals. Dax Hill, S, Michigan. Hill also has the versatility to play some cornerback.

32. Detroit Lions. Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina. The Lions have to find Jared Goff’s eventual replacement, and the last pick of the first round is a good place to look, because it includes the fifth-year option on the rookie contract.

The Buffalo Bills are expected to make their first pick of the 2022 draft quite late Thursday, extending the suspense.

With the Bills picking at No. 25, the team generally having a strong roster, and with the 2022 draft being harder to plot out without obvious landing spots for quarterbacks relative to years past, there’s no overwhelming consensus on whom the Bills might take.

Still, a few players have cemented themselves in the conversation.

The Buffalo News looked at 25 different mock drafts by national analysts. Fourteen of the 25 had the Bills going with a defensive player in the first round, with cornerback being the most projected position. Ten analysts said the Bills will pick a cornerback, given lack of depth and a chance to bolster the roster opposite Tre’Davious White.

Four predicted the team will add another wide receiver, and four said running back, with the latter group all going with Iowa State’s Breece Hall.

Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth was mocked to the Bills in seven of the 25 mock drafts, including by The Buffalo News’ Jay Skurski. The other two cornerbacks mentioned were Kaiir Elam of Florida and Trent McDuffie of Washington. Michigan’s Daxton Hill is listed as a safety, but he can line up at multiple spots.

Iowa State's Hall followed Booth as the most common pick. Four players were selected in two mock drafts: McDuffie, Hill, Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson and offensive lineman Zion Johnson.

Here’s an analysis of winners and losers at One Bills Drive after the dust settled from three days of drafting by the Buffalo Bills.

Winners

Sean McDermott’s culture. Never underestimate the priority the Bills put on getting guys whose personality fits the head coach’s team-first mantra. First-round pick Kaiir Elam has the benefitted greatly from the influence of his father, Abram, a former NFL player. Elam showed maturity beyond his 20 years in the pre-draft process. Third-round pick Terrel Bernard was a team captain for Baylor and lauded by his teammates for his leadership. He has a master’s degree. Second-round pick James Cook, the brother of Vikings star Dalvin, should know what it takes to be a pro. Fifth-round pick Khalil Shakir was a team captain at Boise State.

Said general manager Brandon Beane of Elam: “He’s a great young man. I think he’ll fit our DNA, fit our culture. He is one of the guys we brought in for a 30 visit here, and he was impressive. That really kind of sealed the fate of this guy would fit us if it worked out.”

Leslie Frazier. The addition of Elam gives the Bills’ defensive coordinator more flexibility in coverage. Elam has the length, size and speed to play press coverage. Depending on the matchup, the Bills can use that ability against quick-throwing rhythm offenses to give Von Miller & Co. a fraction of a second more to get to the quarterback. Elam has more recovery speed in man coverage. Once Elam gets comfortable in the NFL, Frazier has the flexibility to be more aggressive in coverage than he could be with Levi Wallace or Dane Jackson in outside coverage.

Josh Allen. Cook is a running back, but in reality he’s more of an addition to the passing game than the run game. He should be an immediate contributor to the offense. He can line up as a receiver in the slot. He should help the Bills’ exploit defenses underneath a little better. Then Allen got more depth at receiver with the pick of Khalil Shakir.

Ryan Bates, Ike Boettger and Cody Ford. There was a lot of speculation the Bills could take an interior offensive lineman on Day 2. Bates’ position likely never was at risk, given the fact the Bills gave him a contract worth $4.2 million a year in March. But Boettger and Ford benefitted from the fact the Bills didn’t draft any interior offensive linemen. A couple guards who visited Buffalo – Ohio State’s Nick Petit-Frere and Memphis’ Dylan Parham – both were picked in the third round. A lot of fans have written off Ford, but he will have a fair chance to make the top nine on the Bills’ offensive line again.

Devin Singletary. It turned out the Bills did not have a first-round grade on Iowa State running back Breece Hall. He went 36th overall to the New York Jets. Yes, Cook may cut into Singletary’s snaps a little, but he’s not a full-service back like Hall or Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III.

Gabriel Davis. As it turned out, the odds that the Bills would take a receiver in the first round were slim. The run on WRs happened fast, and six went in the first 18 picks. Had someone like Arkansas’ Treylon Burks fallen, it might have been hard to pass on him. The Bills’ confidence in Davis is justified, given his massive finish to the 2021 season.

Your guide to the Buffalo Bills and the NFL draft

Losers

Duke Johnson and Zach Moss. The Bills covered their bases after the signing of J.D. McKissic fell through by adding Johnson, the receiving back who has had some good years with the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans. But with the drafting of Cook, Johnson’s only path to a roster spot looks like a preseason injury to one of the Bills’ top backs. Moss still should make the team as the primary backup to Singletary, but Moss’ path to being active most weeks took a hit. The Bills will want Cook active.

Matt Haack. The use of a sixth-round pick on Matt Araiza puts significant heat on Haack, who had a sub-par season in 2021. The expectation is the Bills will want Araiza to win the job because of his big upside. But Araiza is raw, with only one collegiate season as a punter. He will need to prove his consistency in competition during training camp and preseason.

“Matt had a down year, he's a better punter than what he just played last year,” Beane said. “He's got a new focus. So it's competition.”

Tyler Matakevich, Tyrell Dodson or Andre Smith. One of them will be in trouble due to the drafting of Terrel Bernard in the third round. The Bills kept six linebackers last season. With 4.59 speed in the 40-yard dash, Bernard surely will be playing special teams. That’s Smith’s sole role. If Matakevich doesn’t make the team, the Bills will save $2.5 million against the salary cap. Matakevich is 235, Dodson 237. The Bills surely need one of them for the rare occasions they use their base, 4-3 front.

Marquez Stevenson. The sixth-round pick from 2021 probably will have a tough time beating out Shakir, a fifth-round pick. Stevenson might be relegated to the practice squad again.

Potential loser

Matt Milano. The Bills’ star linebacker is only 27 years old. He’s under contract for three more seasons on the contract he signed in March 2021. He’s not going anywhere in the near future. Yet the Bills didn’t draft a linebacker – Bernard – in the third round with the idea he is a career backup. Milano has cap hits of $13 million in 2023 and 2024. Let’s say the Bills love Bernard’s development. They could part ways with Milano a year early. Could Bernard eventually take over for Tremaine Edmunds? Maybe, given the fact Brandon Beane said Bernard can play outside or inside. It seems like a stretch, given Bernard is 224 pounds. Almost surely, the decision on Edmunds is going to be made independent of Bernard. If Edmunds plays like a superstar in 2022, the Bills can keep him. If the Bills don’t want to give him a giant new contract, it’s going to be based on their evaluation of Edmunds, not who might replace him.

The Buffalo Bills finished out their draft on defense.

In the seventh round, Buffalo selected Clemson linebacker Baylon Spector at No. 231. Spector was the eighth pick of the 2022 draft for the Bills.

Spector (6-0, 233) played 53 games during his time at Clemson. During that time, he tallied 210 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, nine sacks, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, three pass breakups and an interception.

The Buffalo Bills bulked up in the sixth round.

Buffalo selected Virginia Tech offensive lineman Luke Tenuta at No. 209 overall Saturday.

Tenuta (6-foot-8, 319) started 12 games last season for the Hokies, 11 at left tackle and one at right tackle. His performance was good for an All-ACC honorable mention nod. 

In 2020, he helped the Hokies run game achieve a school-record 5.58 yards per carry. Virginia Tech's 240.1 rushing yards per game led the ACC that season. Tenuta started nine games at right tackle that year. 

The year before, he started five games at tackle, and played in all 13 games.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

The Punt God is coming.

On Saturday, the Bills selected punter Matt Araiza with the No. 180 pick. Araiza, who is nicknamed "the Punt God," was a standout specialist at San Diego State. 

Here are five things to know about Araiza.

1. He's ready. Shortly after he was drafted, Araiza tweeted "SOMEONE GET ME A TABLE!!" Araiza is from California, and he's excited to be immersed in a culture that revolves around football in Buffalo. Asked about the table jumping at tailgates, he was clear: "I love it," he said. "I love it."

2. He's a lefty. Araiza punts left-footed. He is right-handed, though, which even he notes is an interesting combination for punters. He set an NCAA record by averaging 51.19 yards per punt last season, eclipsing the record set by Texas A&M's Braden Mann in 2018.

3. Versatility is key. Araiza also kicked in college, and he would love to punt and kick in the NFL again. He does prefer punting, even if 2021 was his first season punting full time. He won the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter.

4. A new challenge. Araiza is new to holding, but he has been training lately with Nick Novak and Jake Bailey.

5. Getting ready to graduate. Araiza is graduating from San Diego State on May 15. Balancing the pre-draft process while wrapping up classes has been a challenge, but he thinks it has prepared him for being a professional. 

The Buffalo Bills selected Virginia Tech tackle Luke Tenuta with the No. 209 overall pick in the sixth round of the NFL draft Saturday. Here are five things to know about Tenuta.

1. He has exceptional height, at 6-foot-8, which will fit in well in the Bills’ offensive line room. The Bills have 6-8 starting right tackle Spencer Brown and 6-8 reserve tackle Tommy Doyle.

2. He has experience. He started 26 games over three seasons, 11 at left tackle in 2021 and 15 at right tackle over his three seasons on the field.

3. He earned honorable mention All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in 2021. He played in the East-West Shrine Bowl in 2022 and attended the scouting combine. At his pro day, he increased his numbers in almost every area. 

4. Like many late-round offensive line picks, he’s a developmental project. His height causes some leverage issues, and he will need to learn to use his height more to his advantage at the pro level. While he is very tall, his arms are not particularly long for a tackle (32 7/8 inches). Buffalo’s Dion Dawkins, by comparison, has 35-inch arms. Brown’s arms are 34 3/4 inches.

5. His father, Jon, played college football at the University of Virginia and went onto a career as a college football coach. He’s currently the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach of the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL and spent last fall as a defensive assistant at Virginia Tech. Tenuta’s mom, Dori, was a women’s basketball player for Virginia. He has an older brother, Zach, who is defensive coordinator at Norfolk State and another brother, Matt, who is a minor league professional baseball player.

The Buffalo Bills selected Villanova cornerback Christian Benford with the No. 205 overall pick in the sixth round of the NFL draft Saturday. Here are five things to know about Benford.

1. He has a nose for the football. Benford broke up 47 passes during his college career, including a whopping 25 as a senior. He also had seven interceptions in 2021, part of 14 in his career.

2. He made an instant impact in college. Benford played as a true freshman at Villanova, being named the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Rookie of the Year and earning third-team all-conference honors after he tied for ninth in the Football Championship Subdivision with five interceptions. He also had 49 tackles and six passes defensed in eight starts.

3. Benford grew up in Maryland. He was an All-Maryland and All-Baltimore Metro pick as a senior at Randallstown High School. He had 17 interceptions in high school.

4. Some scouting reports have suggested a position switch. Benford played cornerback for the Wildcats, but the website Pro Football Network’s scouting report suggests he could make the transition to safety at the professional level.

5. Education is important to him. Benford made the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll in three semesters – spring 2022, fall 2020 and fall 2021. He was also named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll list of the fall 2020 semester.

Villanova cornerback Christian Benford was picked early in the sixth round of the NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills.

Benford, 6-foot and 1-2 inches and 205 pounds, played 36 games over four years at the Football Championship Subdivision program. He brings good size to the position, with decent arm length, at 31 inches. He’s known as a physical cornerback who can jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. He had seven interceptions and 18 passes defensed in 2021. He finished his career with 14 interceptions.

Benford was the 185th overall pick, sixth in the sixth round. Before the draft, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds, including a strong 10-yard split of 1.51 seconds.

Given the fact he will be making a big jump from the lower Division I level, Benford could face a tougher transition to the NFL.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

One of the most popular mock draft picks in Buffalo Bills history came to fruition Saturday. 

With the first pick of the sixth round, No. 180 overall, the Bills selected San Diego State punter Matt Araiza. Nicknamed the "Punt God" because of his huge leg, Araiza had 18 punts of 60-plus yards in 2021, including two of 80-plus yards. 

"To be honest, I don’t necessarily love the nickname," Araiza said on a video conference call with Western New York media members shortly after being drafted. "I understand it’s a huge compliment, but I think it’s a little too much. But it’s been a really fun season with the media and I kind of see that continuing to go as the 'Bills Mafia' pours into my stuff now. I’m really excited to be a part of this team and I hope that kind of success with the media continues."

SOMEONE GET ME A TABLE!! https://t.co/mIr2tYt8LT

— Matt (@matt_araiza) April 30, 2022

The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder also kicked field goals and handled kickoffs for the Aztecs, becoming only the second unanimous first-team All-American in school history (joining Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk).

Araiza won the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter in 2021, finishing with an average of 51.19 yards, which broke the NCAA record of 50.98 yards set by Texas A&M's Braden Mann in 2018.

Araiza will compete with Matt Haack for the Bills' punting job. Haack struggled in his first season with the Bills in 2021, but was a trusted holder for kicker Tyler Bass – a part of the punter's job the Bills place a high value on.

Because of those struggles, Bills fans were unusually invested in their team adding a punter in the draft. They were particularly intrigued by Araiza, who becomes the first punter drafted by the Bills since John Nies was chosen in the sixth round of the 1990 draft.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The Bills selected San Diego State's Matt Araiza, aka "the Punt God," in the sixth round of the NFL draft on Saturday. 

Suffice it to say, Bills fans were really happy with that choice. 

Here is a sampling:

we got the punt god 🥷🏾

— Makiツ (@davisforsix) April 30, 2022

First the Bills get Khalil, now they get the Punt God? They can’t keep getting away with this

— Mr. Mom (@ceejayrichards) April 30, 2022

PUNT GOD BILLS MAFIA

— Schu (@tschu_22) April 30, 2022

Bills Mafia getting punt god is so perfect https://t.co/iESnnhwXqD

— Mitchel Summers (@WIBWMitchel) April 30, 2022

Gotta get a Punt God Jersey now!! 😅😅

— Rob Lussier (@hockeyplaya29) April 30, 2022

Dang the #Bills got the big arm in Josh Allen now they get the mega leg in Punt God Arazia!!@GlennGoodberry4 Wowzers

— Codiki (@codiki) April 30, 2022

PUNT GOD IS A BUFFALO BILL

— Spip (@SrirachaSpip) April 30, 2022

Wait we drafted the Punt God? 😂😍 if you’re gonna draft a punter he better be swaggy

— Nicole Becker (@Crazy4OReilly90) April 30, 2022

Punt god 😢 Bills Mafia better cherish him.

— fellow combrad (@2Brad2Furious) April 30, 2022

they got the Punt God W https://t.co/zYDHdGBm9D

— Mattlachi Flynn (@mattlachiflynn) April 30, 2022

PUNT GOD!!!!!!!!!!! The only player I wanted!!!!

— Karlton Speaks (@karltonspeaks) April 30, 2022

How we feeling about the punt god #billsmafia #NFLDraft

— #BillsMafia Brandon (@bharriger28) April 30, 2022

So happy to have @matt_araiza on the Buffalo Bills. Punt God

— Punt God (@christianfrmsyr) April 30, 2022

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The Buffalo Bills made yet another trade in the draft.

On Saturday, the Bills traded up to select wide receiver Khalil Shakir from Boise State in the fifth round with the No. 148 pick. Buffalo traded picks No. 168 and No. 203 to the Chicago Bears.

Shakir (6-foot, 190) earned first-team All-Mountain West honors in 2020 and 2021 at Boise State. 

Yeah, you’re gonna wanna watch some highlights of this guy 😈Welcome to #BillsMafia, Khalil! pic.twitter.com/E1lXLcdijk

— The CAP (@CrowdAssistPod) April 30, 2022

Last season, he played 12 games, starting 11. He had 77 catches for 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns, leading his team in receiving. He also logged 21 carries, and returned kicks and punts in his college career, averaging 23.8 yards per kick return and 7.5 yards per punt return.

"That's something that I believe I can bring to the table, If that's what the Bills need me to do," Shakir said. "I'm not going to sit here and say I want to do this, or I want to do that. I'm going to do whatever the team wants me to do, whatever the organization wants me to do, and I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. I'm going to do it at an elite level."

Shakir said he talked to the Bills a lot throughout the pre-draft process. Shakir attended the Senior Bowl, which has become a fruitful location for future Bills' picks.

"They were one of the first teams that I talked to within zoom meetings and all that," Shakir said. "Kind of doing those pre-draft interviews, and in the back of my head I just couldn't stop thinking about the talks that I had with the Bills. So, I guess it was a match made in heaven. I'm truly excited to get to work."

Shakir left Boise State as No. 5 in school history in catches (208) and No. 4 in receiving yards (2,878). He had 10 games with 100-plus receiving yards. 

He was timed in 4.43 seconds for the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. 

Bills draft WR Khalil Shakir, Boise State. Shakir's calling card is Yards After Catch. He's a 3-level weapon. He can run jet sweeps, end arounds, screens. Can punt return. Competitive at the catch point. Speed. Ran 4.43. More of a slot guy

— Mark Gaughan (@gggaughan) April 30, 2022

Kaiir Elam turns 21 years old this week, on Cinco de Mayo, one of the booziest dates on the calendar.

The Buffalo Bills’ first-round draft pick said he hasn’t considered how he’ll celebrate the big day. But if past is prologue, he might just go to bed early.

Besides, nothing could top the scene Thursday night at a family friend’s house in Juno Beach, Fla.

“I’ve never seen him show so much emotion,” his mother, Shayla Davis, told The Buffalo News. “Everything that he’s worked so hard for, it all came to a head at one time.”

Elam, flanked by dozens of supporters, roared as he sprang from his seat on the couch and pulled a blue Bills cap over his head as the reigning two-time AFC East champions traded up two spots to select the University of Florida cornerback with the No. 23 overall pick in the NFL draft.

Buffalo swapped the No. 25 pick and a fourth-round selection with the Baltimore Ravens, which coincidentally selected his uncle, safety Matt Elam, out of Florida in the first round in 2013.

Kaiir’s father, Abram Elam, also played safety in the NFL. He signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent out of Kent State in 2005 and bounced around the league for eight years, starting 71 of 104 career games with the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs. His lone career pick six was a 92-yard interception return against the Bills in 2008.

“This is his moment,” Abram said Friday after Kaiir’s introductory press conference at One Bills Drive. “He took advantage of every opportunity and made the most of it. This isn’t about me. This is him. As a father, this is what you always dream of, your son having more or better than what you set out to do. …

“We always have a saying in the family. They call me ‘The Blueprint,’ but I see him and Matt and they took the plans and they enhanced it. You know what I mean? So they’ve taken it and did their thing with it and made it even better. And that’s what you always want.”

The elder Elam brothers had their reputations marred and playing careers sidetracked by well-publicized legal troubles.

Abram, 40, was convicted of felony sexual battery and expelled from Notre Dame in 2002. He received two years’ probation and community service, but no prison time, then attended community college in Florida and worked as an assistant in a pediatric dentist’s office before returning to the gridiron at Kent State in 2004.

Matt, 30, missed the 2015 season with a torn biceps, never reclaimed his starting role with the Ravens and was arrested twice in a span of three months in 2017. He was first charged with speeding, possession of more than four ounces of marijuana and six oxycodone pills in Miami Beach, then for larceny grand theft and battery after a dispute with his girlfriend over a mobile phone in Palm Beach County. All the charges against him were eventually dropped, but the incidents, combined with ineffective play, ended his disappointing tenure with the Ravens after 41 games.

The former first-team All-America safety most recently played with the D.C. Defenders of the XFL in 2020, the Tucson (Ariz.) Sugar Skulls of the Indoor Football League in 2021 and signed with the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League in January.

“You’ve got to grow up,” he told KGUN-TV last summer. “And you’ve got to learn from those mistakes. When those things come to you again, when those distractions come to you again, you handle it differently.”

The brothers, who have lost three siblings to gun violence, are the president and vice president of TEAM Elam Inc., a nonprofit founded in 2008 with a goal to “show youth that through determination and perseverance, their goals can be accomplished and there is a second chance for greatness.”

Kaiir Elam, who stands 6-foot-1 1/2, weighs 191 pounds, ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine and was widely projected as a first-round pick, did not hire an agent when he declared for the draft, instead relying on his uncle and father to serve as advisers.

“My uncle and my dad, it’s a blessing that they’re in my life because I get to learn from the mistakes they made and the things they didn’t know when they were my age,” Kaiir said Thursday night, “so it allowed me to mature a lot more faster than a lot of people my age, I would say. And I’m just so grateful for them to be in my life because they’re guys who tell me not what I want to hear, but what I need to hear and can teach me.”

'What God gives, he can take away'

Former Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback Eric Kresser was Kaiir Elam’s high school football coach at The Benjamin School, a private college prep academy in Palm Beach County known more for its academics than athletics.

Kresser still marvels at Kaiir’s work ethic as a young teen and shared an anecdote from the student athlete’s sophomore year with The News, only hours after leaving his draft party.

“It was early Sunday and nobody was on campus,” Kresser said. “The gates were locked. I drive up to the field and I’m thinking, ‘Who’s this guy on our field? I’m going to have to call security.’ As I got closer I started to realize, ‘That’s Kaiir!’ He was out there running gassers by himself.

“Over, back. Over, back. Like a 200-yard sprint,” he said. “I pull up to the field and walk over to the fence, and the kid bends over the fence and starts throwing up all over the place. And that part, it’s kind of gross. But to think of a sophomore kid on a Sunday morning, out running gassers till he throws up, by himself, if that doesn’t tell you a little bit about Kaiir, I don’t know what does.”

Kresser, who played behind Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel at Florida and won a Division I-AA national championship with Randy Moss at Marshall, reinforced how impressed he was to find Kaiir sprinting until he ralphed.

“It takes a lot to make yourself work that hard to where you get sick,” Kresser said. “It’s one thing if your coach is in your face, making you do it. But when you’re by yourself, to get to that point, it takes a lot. And you’re talking about a 15-year-old kid.”

Kaiir demonstrated a superior commitment to improvement on a daily basis, Kresser said, working to transform his body from that of a typical high school freshman to a shredded Division I prospect within a year.

He played defensive back and wide receiver for four varsity seasons at Benjamin, recording 71 tackles, nine interceptions and three sacks, as well as 97 catches for 1,490 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also played basketball and ran track.

Kaiir was showered with scholarship offers from major Division I football programs.

He selected Florida, his uncle’s alma mater, over Georgia, Miami and Colorado.

“You just got to chase self-improvement on a daily basis, because what God gives, he can take away,” Kaiir said at his press conference Friday, with his father, mother and 11-year-old brother Aydan, wearing a No. 24 Bills Elam jersey and a team-branded winter cap, watching from the back of the room.

'All business'

Former Florida cornerbacks coach Jules Montinar, now in the same role at Temple, gushed about Elam’s physical attributes, study habits and football IQ, and said the rookie is mentally ready to make the jump to the NFL, using an exchange from last season to prove his point.

“After games, a good amount of football players probably go out to dinner with the family or they’re probably partying that night,” Montinar said. “Sometimes alcohol is involved. Who knows what actually happens? But that happens. Let’s not be naïve.

“I called him up after a game. There was a recruit in town I needed him to hang out with. And he was in bed at like 9 o’clock. He said, ‘Coach, I’m tired, man. I’ve got to get some rest and get ready for next week.’ And those things don’t go advertised. Nobody knows about those type of things. But to me, this guy’s all business. He’s a pro.”

Elam amassed 79 tackles, six interceptions, 26 pass breakups and a fumble recovery in 35 career games with the Gators.

He earned first-team all-Southeastern Conference honors and was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, presented to the top defensive back in college football, as a sophomore in 2020, when he racked up 39 tackles, two interceptions and 11 pass breakups in 12 games.

Last season, he had 29 tackles, a pick and six pass breakups in 10 starts.

“His tackling, at times, was a little bit shaky,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said. “We talked to him about it … there are some things technique-wise that we’ll have him work on and clean up. But he’s a great young man. I think he’ll fit our DNA, fit our culture.”

Elam is expected to replace Levi Wallace as the Bills’ No. 2 starting outside cornerback, opposite 2020 All-Pro Tre’Davious White, who is returning from surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered on Thanksgiving.

Wallace signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in March.

Elam said transitioning from the SEC to the NFL will be a challenge, but it is nothing he can’t handle.

“Everything, I expect to earn it,” Elam said. “There’s no promises. Just because I was drafted in the first round, I don’t think I should be entitled to anything. I think I have to earn everything that’s given to me. I’m sure I will.”

He was tongue-tied when told that Beane compared him favorably with White, the last cornerback the Bills drafted in the first round, with the No. 27 overall pick in 2017.

“Kaiir’s very confident. He knows how good he is,” Kresser said. “But he’s humble. He’s never going to think that the job is done. If they go win a Super Bowl next year, it’s, ‘All right, we’ve got to win another.’ He’s just going to keep working. He’s never satisfied. He’s got a mindset like Tom Brady.”

'Making him a better person'

Elam’s intellectual curiosity and desire for coaching left an impression with the Bills’ GM during the prospect’s pre-draft visit to Orchard Park.

He rattled off several insightful questions:

What has Tre White done to be so good?

What do you see in my game that you like?

What do you think I need to get better at?

“A guy that’s serious and focused and driven to be really good at his craft is what I took from it,” Beane said.

Abram Elam described his son as “a sponge,” said he instructed him to follow the advice of White and All-Pro Bills safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde because “those guys have done well in this league."

He added that “we continue to challenge him as parents, as Shayla is always harping on continuing education, making sure he has his grades and doing things. And my thing has always been making him a better person and better individual because that stuff goes a long way.”

Kresser, who celebrated at Kaiir’s draft party, said Bills fans will likewise be thrilled with the pick.

“The people in Buffalo should be excited,” Kresser said. “They’re getting a kid that they’re not going to have to worry about. There’s no red flags. He’s not going to get in trouble. He’s going to know what he’s doing on the field. He’s going to come in and he’s going to be ready to rock and roll, Day 1, and he’ll be there for a long time. Everybody’s going to be really happy with him.”

Montinar, the cornerbacks coach at Florida last season, was on the road recruiting Thursday night, but took a moment to text his congratulations.

Kaiir wrote back: “Thank you for the development and you pouring into me so much. I got so much better mentally as a player with you being my coach. Can’t wait to get to work. I’m going to be more driven than ever. Three corners went before me. I’ll never forget that.”

Elam’s friends and family began to disperse not long after he was drafted, just after 10:30 p.m.

He had to catch a flight to Buffalo in the morning.

Kaiir shouted at Bills owner Terry Pegula over the phone: “Put the playbook on the plane! Put the playbook on the plane!”

After years of relentless grinding, proving himself and toiling in the shadow of his father and uncle, he too was an NFL player, a first-round draft pick with a clear path to a starting job for a Super Bowl favorite. It was a dream come true.

Rest somehow came easy.

“I slept like a baby,” he said.

The last time the Buffalo Bills drafted an offensive lineman from Virginia Tech, it worked out.

Sort of. 

The Bills selected Wyatt Teller in the fifth round in 2018. The good news is, he's gone on to become an All-Pro guard. The bad news is, that's happened with the Cleveland Browns. 

The Bills traded Teller to Cleveland before the start of the 2019 season, ultimately cutting bait way too soon. That misstep came up Saturday, because the Bills went back to Virginia Tech to draft massive offensive tackle Luke Tenuta in the sixth round, No. 209 overall.

A 2020 fifth-round pick acquired from Cleveland in the deal was part of the package the Bills used to trade with the Minnesota Vikings for Stefon Diggs.

"A lot of love for him. Big kid," general manager Brandon Beane said. "Last time we went to Virginia Tech late, it worked out with Wyatt. I screwed it up, but we found a good player there. Not to say this kid is going to be Wyatt, but we're excited about him."

Beane was asked what he learned from the experience of trading Teller. 

"Wyatt was a young player, had played a little bit as a rookie, and then came back and had a new O-line coach (Bobby Johnson). Going into (offensive coordinator Brian) Daboll’s second year with us, just didn't seem like things were meshing in there. They didn't feel at that time that he warranted to start and we just weren't sure what his role was going to be.

"I just felt like, 'I don't know if it's going to end up working here.' While there's some value, I think we drafted him in the fifth and we got a fifth and a sixth back. I'm like, ‘Let me at least cash in to send him for something else if it doesn't look like it's going to work here.’ And looking back, I should have been more patient and should have let it play out a little longer. Again, that's on me."

It's not every day an NFL GM provides that type of insight into what was ultimately a mistake. 

...

The Bills started the process of signing undrafted free agents Saturday night when they reached an agreement with Penn defensive tackle Prince Emili, a league source told The Buffalo News.

Emili was a first-team All-Ivy League selection as a senior in 2021, starting all 10 games and finishing with 49 tackles, including 13 tackles for loss, and five sacks. He also blocked a kick on special teams. His 13 tackles for loss ranked second in the Ivy League. A 6-foot-2, 300-pounder, Emili is a native of New York City.

...

Three University at Buffalo football players signed with NFL teams as undrafted free agents on Saturday. Linebacker Kadofi Wright signed with the Denver Broncos, the school announced, and the Los Angeles Chargers announced they signed running back Kevin Marks Jr. Defensive tackle Josh Rogers announced he was signing with the Seattle Seahawks.

Wright (6-foot-3, 230 pounds) played five years with the Bulls, finishing his time there with 147 total tackles, five interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, three forced fumbles and seven sacks in 49 games. He was named Second-Team All-MAC in 2019.

Marks (6-foot, 203) left UB as the Bulls’ fifth all-time leader in rushing yards (3,035) and tied for third all-time in rushing touchdowns (33). He played nine games last season, limited due to a lower leg injury, and he had 414 yards and five touchdowns on 108 carries.

Rogers (6-5, 295) started 10 games and had 24 tackles (3.5 for loss) last season. He began his career with three seasons at Texas A&M.

News Sports Reporter Katherine Fitzgerald contributed to this report.

Even when Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane sat down to talk to reporters, he was still thinking about his draft board. 

“I would have loved to probably have one or two more sevenths,” Beane said Saturday once the Bills were done drafting.

In all, the Bills drafted eight players, taking five on Day 3. Before the draft, Beane had emphasized the depth he saw in the class.

On Friday night, after the second and third rounds, he was looking at how long it would be until the Bills picked again. He had traded away a fourth-round pick Thursday to move up two spots to select Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam in the first round, and had a moment when he was worried how the team's board would look after all that waiting.

The Bills were scheduled to go 79 spots between selections, but Saturday, Beane traded up to select Boise State wide receiver Khalil Shakir in the fifth round, moving from No. 168 to No. 148. But after that, Beane found it easier to guess what other teams may do in the later rounds, especially after the early rounds were harder to predict without a typical run on quarterbacks. 

Analysis: After filling his roster's biggest need, Bills GM Brandon Beane was able to draft with freedom

One day and five picks later, he felt much better. 

“I’m excited about some of these late guys, maybe even more than some of the other years,” Beane said. “I think a lot of these guys have a legit chance to make our roster. I know people sometimes are like, well, get rid of your picks, they're not going to make it. I mean, we needed some depth in some certain areas. I feel they all have a legit chance.”

Rookie minicamp will start in two weeks.

Khalil Shakir, WR, Boise State

Drafted: Round 5, Pick No. 148

Buffalo traded picks No. 168 and No. 203 to the Chicago Bears to move up to No. 148 and select Shakir.

“I really like that young man," Beane said. "He’s tough, he’s smart, he’s versatile, and I think with the ball in his hands, he’s pretty good, too. He was sticking out. We just felt like, 'Let’s go get him.' ”

Shakir (6-foot, 190) earned first-team All-Mountain West honors in 2020 and 2021. Last season, he played 12 games, starting 11. He had 77 catches for 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns, leading his team in receiving. He also logged 21 carries, and returned kicks and punts in his college career, averaging 23.8 yards per kick return and 7.5 yards per punt return.

"That's something that I believe I can bring to the table, If that's what the Bills need me to do," Shakir said. "I'm not going to sit here and say I want to do this, or I want to do that. I'm going to do whatever the team wants me to do, whatever the organization wants me to do, and I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. I'm going to do it at an elite level."

Shakir said he talked to the Bills a lot throughout the pre-draft process. He attended the Senior Bowl, which has become a fruitful location for future Bills picks.

Shakir left Boise State as No. 5 in school history in catches (208) and No. 4 in receiving yards (2,878). He had 10 games with 100-plus receiving yards.

He was timed in 4.43 seconds for the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine.

Matt Araiza, P, San Diego State

Drafted: Round 6, Pick No. 180

One of the most popular mock draft picks in Buffalo Bills history came to fruition.

With the first pick of the sixth round, No. 180 overall, the Bills selected San Diego State punter Matt Araiza. Nicknamed the “Punt God,” Araiza had 18 punts of 60-plus yards in 2021, including two of 80-plus yards.

"To be honest, I don’t necessarily love the nickname," Araiza said on a video conference call with Western New York media members shortly after being drafted. "I understand it’s a huge compliment, but I think it’s a little too much. But it’s been a really fun season with the media and I kind of see that continuing to go as the 'Bills Mafia' pours into my stuff now. I’m really excited to be a part of this team and I hope that kind of success with the media continues."

Araiza has also kicked, but Beane said punting will be the focus in Buffalo and that he will compete with Matt Haack.

“His tape is fun to watch,” Beane said of Araiza. “He’s actually trying to run by guys, if you ever go flip his film on, to make tackles.”

Christian Benford, CB, Villanova

Drafted: Round 6, Pick No. 185

The Bills added another cornerback, taking Christian Benford out of Villanova in the sixth round.

Benford, 6-foot 1/2 inches and 205 pounds, played 36 games over four years at the Football Championship Subdivision program. He brings good size to the position, with decent arm length, at 31 inches. He’s known as a physical cornerback who can jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. He had seven interceptions and 18 passes defensed in 2021. He finished his career with 14 interceptions.

“He's played multiple spots, he's played corner, he's played safety, I think he's even played some nickel,” Beane said. “Lower-level competition, but we like it. We brought him in on a 30 visit and he was an impressive young man and will be an asset on special teams, as well.”

Before the draft, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds, including a strong 10-yard split of 1.51 seconds. Benford said he was Villanova’s gunner last season, and he’ll try to make an impact on special teams again.

“Special teams is the most important team,” he said. “I will contribute anywhere they put me.”

Luke Tenuta, OL, Virginia Tech

Drafted: Round 6, Pick No. 209

Tenuta (6-foot-8, 319) started 12 games last season for the Hokies, 11 at left tackle and one at right tackle. His performance was good for an All-ACC honorable mention nod.

“I use my length well,” said Tenuta, who is listed at 6-8 and 319 pounds. “Being a taller guy, everybody is always concerned about leverage issues. But you just got to make sure you bend your knees and play with good pad level. But, obviously, being a taller guy does work to have a lot of advantages in the game, especially at tackle.”

In 2020, he helped the Hokies run game achieve a school-record 5.58 yards per carry. Virginia Tech's 240.1 rushing yards per game led the ACC that season. Tenuta started nine games at right tackle that year. The year before, he started five games at tackle, and played in all 13 games.

Baylon Spector, LB, Clemson

Drafted: Round 7, Pick No. 231

The Bills finished their draft on defense with Clemson linebacker Baylon Spector.

“He's going to bring a little edge to us, and I liked the depth that we've added in that linebacker room,” Beane said.

Spector (6-foot, 233) played 53 games at Clemson, recording 210 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, nine sacks, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, three pass breakups and an interception.

“I kind of play the downhill, physical game of football like a linebacker plays, and that’s what I think I would bring to the table when it comes to that part of an edgy game, edgy feel,” Spector said.

News Sports Writers Jay Skurski and Mark Gaughan contributed to this report. 

It would be a stretch to say Brandon Beane slept well this weekend.

That’s because the Buffalo Bills’ general manager barely slept at all.

Beane, however, felt pretty good Saturday night. That’s because he exited the 2022 NFL Draft feeling like he accomplished his main objectives.

“I’m excited about the guys we got,” Beane said. “I know you sit here every year and you should be excited, or I did something stupid. Hopefully in the fall, it looks like it is exciting as we see some of these guys play and fill out their roles, whether it ends up being starters or key backups or special teams players, whatever it is.”

Beane has every reason to feel good about what he’s accomplished. He’s got the Bills on rock-solid footing, with a roster devoid of holes. Coming into the draft, the only one was potentially at cornerback, where the team lost Levi Wallace in free agency and is dealing with the uncertainty of when All-Pro Tre’Davious White will be ready to play after tearing his ACL on Thanksgiving night last year.

Beane took care of that in the first round by moving up to select Kaiir Elam out of Florida.

Elam was the fourth cornerback off the board in the first round. By the time the Bills were scheduled to pick at No. 57 overall in the second round, four more cornerbacks had been chosen. Had the Bills not chosen Elam when they did, there is a good bet he would have been picked before No. 57, as well, meaning Beane might have been looking at drafting the ninth cornerback.

“You look and you work hard to get your value right, but that's one of those positions -- we talked about it as a staff -- that if you start looking back historically, we were looking at some of the names that were going in the first round, in the second round and early in the third, and we were like, 'man, some of these guys that got taken, we weren't necessarily as high on,’ ” Beane said. “I was like, ‘the guys we really want, we better put them up here, because they're going to go.’ ”

With the card for Elam turned in, Beane was able to approach the rest of the draft with a certain freedom.

“I did feel a lot better after Thursday night and felt like, at this point, we don't have to force anything,” he said.

With the biggest positional need taken care of, Beane went to work filling out depth in other areas. On Friday, he added a pass-catching running back – Georgia’s James Cook – to give the offense an element it has lacked. He also acquired a backup for weak-side linebacker Matt Milano in Baylor’s Terrel Bernard.

On the third day, he added another potential weapon for quarterback Josh Allen with the selection of Boise State receiver Khalil Shakir. Heck, Beane even had the luxury of using a draft pick on a punter – making Bills mock drafters everywhere happy – when he took San Diego State’s Matt Araiza with the first pick of the sixth round.

The work for Beane never ends. He was anxious to leave the podium Saturday to get back to the Bills’ draft room as the team started its pursuit of undrafted free agents.

“The job between now and when we show up at St. John Fisher is to try and make this team as competitive as possible – every single position,” he said. “So we're not done. We're not going to go to 90 (players on the roster) today or tomorrow. There will be more veterans on the street. We'll continue to kind of circulate through the waiver wire at this point.”

True to his nature, Beane maneuvered his way around the board frequently, trading up twice and back twice. He did so without having to worry himself about the most important position. Having a franchise quarterback in Allen signed long term likewise provides freedom, or as Beane termed it, “stability.”

“If you’ve got your quarterback and you’ve got your head coach, that’s the two most important things,” he said. “You’ve got to be really good there if you want to be championship level. We’ve got a good quarterback, and we’ve got a good head coach. I would just say it helps you in anything. You see what goes on, all the maneuvering in the offseason for these guys. Obviously, the contracts that they require – I’m glad that we have Josh and I look forward to having him for many years.”

As long as they do, the Bills will be on the short list of Super Bowl contenders. That’s something that shouldn’t be taken for granted. It wasn’t so long ago that draft weekend meant talking yourself into a quarterback who had no business going in the first round. Or it meant trading away a first-round pick to move up just five spots to draft a wide receiver to help that quarterback – and then benching him for good four games into that wide receiver’s rookie season. The E.J. Manuel-Sammy Watkins era didn’t work out, like so many other before it and a couple more after it.

It remains to be seen if this one will, in terms of reaching its ultimate goal. If we’re being honest, this weekend’s draft might even be considered a bit boring – in the most complimentary way possible.

We won’t know for at least a couple years whether these picks ultimately pan out, but it’s easy to see the logic behind each of them. The Bills didn’t do anything sexy this weekend, but they didn’t have to. They already look good.

The Buffalo Bills selected Clemson linebacker Baylon Spector at No. 231 in the seventh round. Here are five things to know about Spector.

1. By the numbers: Second on Clemson’s defense in 2021 with 85 tackles (4.5 for loss). Also had 2.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in 11 games, with 10 starts. For his career, he is listed with 210 tackles (22 for loss), nine sacks, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 53 games.

2. Star turn: Had 19 tackles against North Carolina State, the most by a player in the Dabo Swinney era, and the most for a Clemson player since John Leake had 21 against Maryland in 2002. The 19 tackles included nine solo spots. His previous career high had been 13.

3. Finding the QB: He had 32 quarterback pressures last season, according to analytics website Pro Football Focus. That was fifth among ACC linebackers.

4. Tiger family: Spector’s father, Robbie, was a Clemson wide receiver from 1988 to 1990, and his brother, Brannon, is on the current roster and was a teammate of his brother’s for three seasons. Blair, their sister, was a Clemson cheerleader.

5. Up to speed: Has pretty good speed (4.60 seconds in the 40; 12th among linebackers who ran at the NFL scouting combine) and athleticism. He was a backup weakside linebacker and then started for two years, including being named to the All-ACC second team in 2020. The question is where he fits at this point on the Bills’ roster? The answer could be the practice squad.

Josh Allen had a specific goal in mind when asked two weeks ago how he could improve his game.

“I think, myself especially, making sure I'm on time, making the right reads and giving our guys good enough balls to get some more RAC,” the Buffalo Bills quarterback said.

“That's one thing I think, on offense, run after catch wasn't very high last year,” Allen said. “But again, that's me putting the ball where it needs to be and allow our guys to catch in a good position to make a run after the catch. So working on that, that's been one of my biggest takeaways in this offseason and trying to work on just ball placement and allowing our receivers to do that.”

General Manager Brandon Beane obviously was on the same page with Allen during the NFL draft.

The Bills selected running back James Cook in the second round and wide receiver Khalil Shakir in the fifth. Both are outstanding with the ball in their hands and have the potential to boost the Bills’ yards after catch production.

The Bills ranked 20th in the NFL in yards after catch last season at 1,757 yards, according to Stats Perform, the sports data company. Kansas City ranked first at 2,700 yards. The NFL team average was 1,981 yards.

It was one of the few below-target aspects of a Bills offense that ranked third in the NFL in scoring and fifth in yards gained.

"It’s something you want ... we don't want to have, nine, 10, 11 plays” all the time, Beane said. “We like that at times to control the game. But sometimes you want that quick score or that chunk play. ... If you're gonna pick on our offense a little bit, that's probably one of the things you could pick on is some chunk RAC plays, get it in somebody's hand, a receiver, running back, tight end, whatever it is. And that was an area, especially from the running back position that we thought we could improve.”

That’s why the Bills targeted Washington running back J.D. McKissic in free agency. He wound up staying with the Commanders.

Defenses last year showed more respect for Allen’s big-play passing potential by using more zone shell coverages to protect deep. Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes saw the same kind of defensive tactics.

By the end of last season, Allen was managing this approach brilliantly. Think of the Week 16 road game at New England. Allen looked like Tom Brady getting the ball quickly into his underneath receivers’ hands so they could get maximum yards. Allen continued it in the playoffs against the Patriots and Chiefs.

However, for a lot of the season, the Bills had some struggles exploiting defenses that dared them to be patient.

Cook, the Georgia running back picked 63rd overall, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds. He makes sharp cuts and has quick acceleration. He’s only 199 pounds and he wasn’t a workload back for the Bulldogs. He never had more than 12 carries in a game. However, the Bills are not drafting him to be a lead dog in the running game. He is a change-of-pace back and a weapon in the passing game who can line up wide or in the slot.

In the Bills’ master plan, Cook can be a “Destroyer of Light Boxes” by gaining extra yards on checkdowns, screens and underneath throws.

“We thought he'd be a great fit, for Josh, a guy that we talk about RAC,” Beane said. “We talk about it a lot of times with receivers more than running backs. But this guy is a RAC player for Josh. Get the ball in his hands and make a guy miss. And then he's got the wheels to take it all the way.”

Shakir is a 6-foot, 196-pound receiver from Boise State who ran 4.43 in the 40. He was drafted 148th and his testing numbers were comparable to those of Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore, drafted 54th by Kansas City. Shakir had a 34.5-inch vertical jump, a 10-4 broad jump, a 4.21-second short shuttle and a 7.28 3-cone drill. Moore ran 4.41 with a 34.5-inch vertical jump, a 9-9 broad jump, a 4.32 short shuttle and a 7.13 3-cone.

Shakir is good with the ball in his hands. He played primarily in the slot but did see some action outside. Shakir probably has a long way in his route running before he starts creating the kind of instant separation that the Bills got from slot receiver Cole Beasley. But the Bills don’t need to force him onto the field. Shakir is firmly behind slot receiver Jamison Crowder on the depth chart. Crowder is playing on a one-year contract.

Beane thinks Shakir brings some RAC to the table, as well.

“Yeah, I do,” the GM said. “He’s got some straight-line speed. I think if he gets the ball and has a step, he’s not going to be the easiest guy to track down.”

Beasley’s contributions to the Bills can’t be overstated. He was a security blanket for Allen. He ranked No. 2 in the NFL in catches from the slot each of the past two seasons. The majority of his catches came vs. zone coverage, which by its nature, means he usually wasn’t catching it on the move. Still, run after the catch was not Beasley’s best trait.

The Bills are working hard on getting more in 2022.

Here is how Buffalo News sports reporters who cover the Bills grade the team's draft: 

Jay Skurski

Logical. Sensible. Reasonable. Take your pick – any of those words provide a description of the Bills’ 2022 draft class. General Manager Brandon Beane had one primary objective early in the draft, which was to land a cornerback capable of competing for a starting job. Florida’s Kaiir Elam is that player, although moving up to secure him with the 23rd overall pick did cost Beane a fourth-rounder. That’s not a crazy price to pay to get a player who might be an opening-day starter on a Super Bowl contender.

After that, Beane had plenty of flexibility. He traded down twice in the second round, which showed he must have had several players he would have been good with drafting in that spot. Ultimately, in taking Georgia running back James Cook, he added a player who figures to add a pass-catching threat out of the backfield that the offense didn’t previously have.

The one real head-scratching pick Beane made was Baylor linebacker Terrel Bernard, and that had less to do with the player and more to do with where he was drafted. Bernard wasn’t viewed as a third-round prospect in many pre-draft rankings, but a legitimate backup to Matt Milano was a roster need, and Bernard certainly checks the “culture” box that matters to the Bills. If he can produce on special teams as a rookie, that’s a win.

Funny as it sounds, the Bills’ pick that may have been received best by the team’s fan base was that of a punter. Matt Araiza, “The Punt God,” isn’t a finished product, but he’s got a huge leg and is a fascinating prospect. It’s telling how deep the Bills’ roster is that the team’s fans weren’t only OK with Beane drafting a punter – they were actually clamoring for it.

My favorite pick of the draft is Boise State wide receiver Khalil Shakir in the fifth round. Beane said he would have taken Shakir with the 130th pick in the fourth round that he traded to Baltimore in the move up for Elam, so getting him in the fifth round was a big bonus. Shakir can be brought along slowly. The Bills taught Gabriel Davis every receiver position as a rookie in 2020, and taking the same approach with Shakir would make sense.

As with every draft, it will take a couple of years, at minimum, to get a feel for what these players can end up becoming. For now, though, each of them can be easily justified by Beane – not that he hasn’t already earned the benefit of the doubt. Grade: A-

Katherine Fitzgerald 

The Bills' draft was reasonable and methodical, which doesn’t necessarily mean it was wildly notable. That’s fine, and it’s a testament to all Beane has done to put the team in a strong position heading into the draft.

There were few glaring needs, though Beane joked that he was hearing from neighbors about the need to draft a cornerback for weeks. So he did. I like the Elam pick, and while I was curious in real time about trading up from No. 25 to No. 23, given the rest of the Bills’ haul, I think it worked out. The reasoning was sound too, from the team’s perspective; Beane said that Elam was the last player that they had a grade on for the first round. More so, I think the group of guys they got, paired with all the free agency work, has the Bills in a solid place.

Araiza is a fun pick, and I am interested to see how that pans out. Shakir is strong from where the Bills projected him, to where they still got him. I’m excited to see how they use Cook. Beane mentioned the comparison to J.D. McKissic in terms of versatility, signaling how significant that could be in whatever offense Ken Dorsey is cooking up. I like they were so adamant about getting a player with a skill set like this, and they stuck to that plan for weeks.

It’s clearly too early to say how any of these picks will pan out, but in a peculiar draft, I think they did well. Grade: B+

Mark Gaughan

I’ve never seen a Bills draft like this one in the sense that the team felt the need to address so few starting lineup positional needs. It’s a statement on what the Bills did in free agency and where they stand as a contender. The second-round pick never is going to be a full-time starter. I could be wrong, but I don’t see a path to a starting job for the third-round pick for the next two seasons.

Nevertheless, I like the draft, and it’s hard to significantly question Beane after the results of the past three seasons. You have to like the Elam pick. The Bills needed an elite talent at No. 2 cornerback to contend with all of the big-time passing weapons in the AFC overall and the AFC East, in particular. The receiving talent that the Dolphins and Jets have assembled is scary. Some of us rated Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr. a tad higher than Elam, but no draft analysts outside the NFL have a good handle on the draft’s medical reports. The Bills didn’t have a first-round grade on Booth. Fine. I wrote in The News’ draft preview “I love Elam.” There’s no quibbling with his physical tools or his personal makeup.

While Cook may not start, he should be an immediate contributor. He helps Josh Allen. Gotta like that.

In the third round, guys who we knew (or thought) were on the Bills’ radar and were on the board at pick No. 89 included: guards Sean Rhyan of UCLA and Dylan Parham of Memphis, Maryland safety Nick Cross, Ohio State tight end Jeremy Ruckert and Georgia linebacker Channing Tindall. All went later in the third round. Terrel Bernard was a surprise. Obviously, the Bills loved him more. He has almost identical size and speed to Matt Milano and impeccable character traits. Look at it this way: If Milano went down for even two weeks, it would be a big problem. Now, on paper, it is not a problem. The league is trending toward smaller, faster linebackers. The Bills’ second- and third-round picks put them on the leading end of strategic trends.

I had Shakir as the 12th best receiver. He was the 21st receiver taken, in the fifth round. Good-case scenario: He takes over for Jamison Crowder in the slot in 2023. The punter is an intriguing talent, and it’s always good to take a developmental cornerback. Grade: B+

Jason Wolf 

Love the selection of Florida cornerback Elam with the No. 23 overall pick in the first round. This guy has all the tools to succeed, from size to speed to experience in the SEC to years of tutelage from a father and uncle who played in the NFL. And he means business – those who know him best rave about his work ethic.

Elam’s addition to the roster addressed the Bills’ most glaring deficiency, with Levi Wallace leaving in free agency and Tre’Davious White returning from reconstructive knee surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered on Thanksgiving.

I’m less enthused about the Bills giving up a fourth-round pick to move up two spots to draft Elam. That could have been a real player. Notable Bills the team drafted in the fourth round or later include Matt Milano, Gabriel Davis, Taron Johnson, Siran Neal and Dane Jackson. Stefon Diggs, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde were Day 3 picks, albeit by other teams.

But since Elam was the last available guy the Bills had assigned a first-round grade, I get it. With their roster, it was better to be aggressive than sit back and potentially lose out.

Second-round pick Cook, the running back from Georgia and brother of Dalvin Cook, is an exciting addition who should have an immediate impact. Same goes for fifth-round pick Shakir, the slot receiver from Boise State.

Third-round pick Bernard, the linebacker from Baylor and Sugar Bowl MVP, looks like a Milano clone, which could make him an ideal backup as a rookie and future starter.

And Araiza, the Punt God, is the splashiest selection of a sixth-round pick in recent memory. Who else is looking forward to the punting competition in training camp? Everybody? Grade: A

Matt Araiza did the unthinkable for a punter during the 2021 college football season.

He created a draft buzz.

The San Diego State redshirt junior did so by setting an NCAA record with 36 punts of 50-plus yards in 2021, including 17 that went at least 60 yards and even two that traveled at least 80(!) yards.

Along the way, he even earned himself an unforgettable nickname: The “Punt God.” Araiza won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter and was a first-team All-American, while being named the Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Year.

All of that made Araiza an attractive NFL prospect – especially here in Buffalo. Matt Haack struggled for the Bills last season in his first year with the team, ranking 25th in the NFL in gross punting average at 42.9 yards. Araiza, meanwhile, set an NCAA record with a 51.2 average in 2021.

As a result, several Bills mock drafters had Araiza coming to Western New York in their seven-round projections, sometimes as early as the fourth round. Araiza’s NFL.com scouting report even speculated that because of his “elite power and field-flipping ability” that Araiza could become the highest-drafted punter since Todd Sauerbrun went 56th overall in 1995. That proved to be overly optimistic.

Araiza lasted until the 201st overall pick – the first one in the sixth round. He was the third punter taken, followed by Penn State’s Jordan Stout with the 130th overall pick in the fourth round to Baltimore (the pick the Bills sent to the Ravens to move up for Kaiir Elam in the first round) and Georgia’s Jake Camarda to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 133rd overall pick in the fourth round.

“The people who know me know that I take a lot of things very personal,” Araiza said of sliding down the draft board. “Yeah, we’ll just say that I’ll have a lot of motivation to dominate this season.”

A draft-day tumble

So, why did Araiza slip?

In simplest terms, he’s a work in progress.

Although his leg strength is obvious, punting in the NFL is about more than just bombing the ball as far as possible. Araiza has plenty of work to do when it comes to hang time, directional punting and pinning teams inside their own 20-yard line. According to punting stats kept by Greg Hart and posted on social media, Araiza’s average hang time was just 3.92 seconds, which was behind both Stout and Camarda. Additionally, Araiza placed 37% of his punts in short-field situations into the end zone for touchbacks – a number that will need to come way down in the NFL, especially considering the Bills have a potent offense that can move the ball.

“I think every aspect of the pro level I need to continue to work on,” he said. “I'm by no means a complete player yet, but I'm excited to get into the building and work with the staff and work with the other teams and get ready to just help the team as much as we can on special teams.

“That's maybe one of the things that I'm most excited for is that I know that I have so much to learn and so much to get better at. I think that was my biggest upside as a player, going into this draft, is that I don't believe that I've really scratched the surface of what I'll be able to do, so I'm really excited about getting to Buffalo and getting to work."

It’s not a surprise Araiza has things to continue to improve. He was a full-time punter in college for only one season, which is remarkable considering all that he accomplished. Araiza came to San Diego State as a place kicker. After redshirting in 2018, he made a school-record 22 field goals and was perfect on extra points in 2019, while also ranking sixth in the Football Bowl Subdivision by placing 78.5% of his kickoffs in the end zone for touchbacks.

“When I was a true freshman, there was a senior place kicker and a junior punter, both of them veterans, both of them had played before,” Araiza said. “I ended up kicking first. It's pretty rare to let someone do both, so it became somewhat of an uphill battle to punt because I was labeled as a kicker, but the truth is I like punting a lot more, so I'm excited that I got this last season to show that and kind of rebrand myself as a punter now.”

Araiza said that, to his knowledge, no player has ever punted, kicked and handled kickoffs for an NFL team, so that’s a long-term goal. For now, though, he’s thrown himself entirely into punting.

“I understand that at the NFL level, there are 32 punters in the world that get to play and 32 kickers in the world that get to be a starter, so I understand it's kind of a one step at a time process. My first goal is to be a starter as a punter and a holder. That's more on my mind right now,” he said. “I've mostly put field goals to the side, at least for this pre-draft process, because I had more things I needed to change about my punting game. I needed to add hang time and add direction and become more of a pro-style punter. So I definitely had more work to do in the punting department.”

Araiza is a left-footed punter, but throws right-handed. Beane said punts that come from left-footed punters can sometimes be a bit tougher for returners to field.

A new responsibility

One other area Araiza will have to brush up on – and it’s a big one for the Bills – is as a holder. Since he kicked in both high school and college, he has no game experience as a holder. He spent the pre-draft process training in his hometown of San Diego with former Chargers kicker Nick Novak. He held for Seahawks kicker Jason Myers in those training sessions, so he’s been able to learn exactly what veteran kickers are looking for in the hold.

The Bills kept Haack last season mostly because, in their eyes, he’s an “elite” holder for kicker Tyler Bass, so it’s a part of the job that should not be overlooked.

“I'm very confident in my hands, I'm confident in myself as an athlete and I'm someone who cares a lot about the success of my team. I think all of those qualities will translate well to holding,” Araiza said.

Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said he’s confident that Araiza has the skills to hold in Buffalo, but he’ll have to prove that, just like he’ll have to prove he can punt directionally, and for both distance and accuracy.

“Every kicker that I've ever seen, they always want it a certain way, it's not the same,” Beane said of the art of holding. “Some of them like the ball more up, some like it more angled, Tyler could tell you way more than I can about all that but it's always kind of the kicker will kind of describe how he wants it.”

The Bills did not have a ton of pre-draft contact with Arazia in the process. Special teams coordinator Matt Smiley conducted a Zoom call with him. Beane, however, paid close attention to the punters at the NFL scouting combine, Araiza included.

“There were several, and a few got drafted, that you heard the difference when the ball hit their foot, you saw the difference,” Beane said. Araiza “can do a lot. He can kick off, he can kick field goals, if we need him. Obviously, we’ve got Tyler here to do that. But it’s nice.”

Beane confirmed the Bills will use Araiza exclusively at punter, but there is some comfort in knowing that if something were to happen to Bass in a game, Araiza could step in.

“I tell you what, his tape is fun to watch,” Beane said. “He’s actually trying to run by guys, if you ever go flip his film on, to make tackles. We’ll probably have to tell him some of these guys might hurt him so let’s don’t do that here. He plays with an edge. We have a sticker we put on guys if they’re just a violent player, called a ‘Rambo’ sticker. We’re like ‘This may be a punter that we should put the Rambo on.’ ”

Another thing Araiza will have to prove is he can handle the elements in Buffalo. He’s coming from the idyllic climate of San Diego to what can be swirling winds inside Highmark Stadium.

“I’m kind of excited for that challenge,” he said. “I love it. I think the biggest job in the NFL is to out-punt the player across from you. As long as I can bring better field position to my team than the team we’re playing against, that’s kind of my goal. I think leg strength and athleticism are two things that help a lot in the conditions. Those are two things I pride myself on and two things I’ll continue to work on. So I’m excited and I’m confident I’ll be able to do well in these conditions.”

As a draft pick, Araiza will have – forgive the pun – a leg up over Haack in the competition. He won’t be handed the job, though.

“Matt (Haack) had a down year. He's a better punter than what he just played last year,” Beane said. “He's got a new focus. So it's competition. And Matt knows that and we talked about that with Matt when we brought him back, ‘Hey, we're gonna bring in competition, either a veteran or somebody in the college draft or free agency that doesn't get drafted.’ ”

Enter Araiza, who will graduate from San Diego State on May 15 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.

“It feels great and I don't even think it's completely set in yet,” he said of being drafted by the Bills. “I'm excited. I'm grateful. I feel incredibly motivated right now. I had somewhat of a short list of things that I was hoping to end up with, qualities of a team that I would end up with, and being a Super Bowl contender was absolutely up there, so I couldn't really ask for anything more.”

Right after he was picked, Araiza tweeted “SOMEONE GET ME A TABLE,” a shout out to what has now become a Bills Mafia tradition.

“I’ve only played football in Southern California, where football is pretty good here, but it’s not the main priority of the residents,” he said. “I never played football in a place like Texas or Buffalo where it seems to mean a lot more to the people, to the fans, so I’m really excited for that aspect of being a Bill.”

Perry Tuttle loved the people of Buffalo, if not our winter weather.

“I like to say that if I could take Buffalonians and put them in the South, I would have a pretty good life,” he says. “The people there were nothing but good to me.”

The Bills selected Tuttle in the first round of the NFL draft 40 years ago this week. He played just two seasons here, bounced around to a couple of other NFL teams, then blossomed for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“I don’t like to use the word ‘bust,’ but I left knowing I didn’t give the Bills what they invested in me as a No. 1 draft pick,” he says. “That was hard for me.”

Still, he learned things here that helped him years later: How to handle fame — and how to drive in snow.

“Let me tell you,” he says, “that came in handy in Winnipeg.”

He had seen snow growing up in North Carolina, but nothing, of course, like what Buffalo gets.

“Where I’m from, if there is even a rumor of snow everything shuts down,” he says. “So we get the first big snow of the year in Buffalo, and I stay home. Then I get a phone call from Chuck Knox, and he says, ‘Are you coming to work today?’ ”

Tuttle, who was living in East Amherst, told the coach that he figured practice had been called off.

“I said, ‘It’s snowing on my side of town.’ And he said, ‘It’s snowing in Orchard Park, too.’ And then he told me he was fining me $500 for being late plus $50 for every five minutes after that.”

Tuttle struggled to get out of his neighborhood, but then “to my surprise, once I got on the highway, it was all clear. I couldn’t believe it.”

The next time it snowed, he got out there and drove — and crashed into a delivery truck. “Totaled my 380SL Mercedes,” he says. “At least no one was hurt.”

Tuttle is still fondly remembered at Clemson University for catching the touchdown pass that clinched the 1981 national championship in a win against Nebraska at the Orange Bowl. Recently the ACC Network interviewed him for a documentary on Clemson’s first national title team, he says.

Today, at 62, he and his wife, Loretta, live in Charlotte, N.C., where he is a speaker, author and entrepreneur. He is also a chaplain for the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets and a leadership coach who counsels pro athletes — often about the perils of fame.

“The thing no one prepares you for is how to handle fame,” Tuttle says. “I was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. I thought fame was going to be my friend. I learned that I couldn’t be me 100% of the time. I had to be Perry Tuttle, No. 22, 100% of the time.”

Tuttle wore No. 81 for the Bills, but he was No. 22 at Clemson and in Winnipeg in honor of Bob Hayes, the Dallas Cowboys' speedster of the 1960s who was his favorite player growing up.

“Even today, at 62 years old, there is fame attached to my name,” Tuttle says. “I don’t mind it now, but it is hard to handle at 22. No one ever taught me that. I learned a lot the hard way.”

Tuttle had 24 catches and three TDs for the Bills across the 1982 and 1983 seasons. He had brief stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons and then wound up in Winnipeg.

“I caught 88 balls my first year” there, he says. “Six NFL teams wanted me to sign with them after that. But I didn’t want to leave.”

He stayed six seasons and helped the team win two Grey Cups, catching 321 passes for 5,817 yards and 41 touchdowns. The first two of his six children were born there.

“The people in Winnipeg are a lot like the people in Buffalo,” Tuttle says. “They aren’t judgmental. I love the South, but sometimes people in the South prejudge you. I was a country bumpkin when I came to Buffalo. And the people there accepted me for me.”

How the Bills came to draft Tuttle is a classic story of treachery gone wrong. The weeks leading up to the NFL draft resemble a leaguewide poker game — everybody is bluffing and holding cards close to the vest. And Tuttle is one reason why.

The Philadelphia Eagles held the 20th overall choice of the 1982 draft. The Bills had the 21st pick. Knox was friends with Dick Vermeil, coach of the Eagles. Here is how Vermeil recounted, years later, what he thought was a friendly pre-draft conversation with Knox:

“He said, ‘What are you going to do in the first round?’ And I said, ‘I’m planning to get the wide receiver out of Clemson.’ ”

And then, as the story goes, Knox said: “Oh, we’re not interested. We have no interest at all.”

The Denver Broncos were on the clock with the 19th choice when Knox swapped first-round positions with them. (The Broncos also got the Bills’ fourth-round pick.)

So how did that game of first-round leapfrog turn out for the Bills? Well, Tuttle played those two seasons in Buffalo. The Eagles, meanwhile, took wide receiver Mike Quick, of North Carolina State, with the next selection — and he made the Pro Bowl five times in nine seasons, catching 363 passes for 6,464 yards and 61 touchdowns.

Quick also made one of the most memorable catches in Eagles history: Lackawanna legend Ron Jaworski hit him for a 99-yard TD in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons, in 1985. Only 12 other players in NFL history have caught 99-yard passes, and this one might actually have been the longest — a Falcons punt had put the Eagles an inch from their own goal line. Jaworski threw a quick slant to the 20, and Quick quickly covered the last 80 yards.

“He ended up being an All Pro,” Vermeil said, “and the other kid only played a couple of years. He bombed out.”

Funny that Vermeil should put it that way: Tuttle would go on to catch bombs for the Blue Bombers. He is fondly remembered in Winnipeg and at Clemson — and barely remembered in Buffalo. Even so, the story of how he came here is well remembered around the league.

“If I was told once about the Perry Tuttle/Mike Quick incident, I heard it 10 times,” Polian told me a few years ago. “It made an impression on me.”

Tuttle says he never knew the story of how the Bills got him until we talked by phone the other day. “This is the first time I’m hearing that,” he said. “But it makes sense. I got a call from my agent that day that the Philadelphia Eagles were looking to draft me.”

Tuttle ran the 40 in 4.4 seconds, and Quick in 4.6. That might have been the difference in where they were selected.

“We had them rated equal, but we had Tuttle rated one notch ahead,” Vermeil said. “The Bills jumped ahead, and we ended up with the All Pro.”

For all of that, Tuttle remains grateful for his time in Buffalo.

“More than anything, football has given me a stage to stand on all these years later,” he says. “And Buffalo was a big part of that. It’s a stage I still get to speak from. I want Buffalo to know I really do appreciate my time there. I count it as a great privilege.”