Michigan defensive back is taken by the Bills in the first round of Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest mock draft. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Mel Kiper Jr. released his latest mock draft on Wednesday.
In his two-round mock for the 2022 NFL Draft, Kiper Jr. sees the Buffalo Bills addressing both sides of the ball. The Bills currently hold the No. 25 and No. 57 picks in the first two rounds.
With his first round pick, the ESPN NFL draft expert has Buffalo selecting one of the most versatile defensive backs in the draft.
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.
In Round 2, Kiper Jr. stayed in the state of Michigan and added a running back to Buffalo’s offense.
Bills fans would be thrilled with these two picks, right? Buffalo would address its hole in the secondary with Daxton Hill in Round 1, then get a starting-caliber late in Round 2. Walker is a bulldozer with some juice through the hole. He wasn’t used much as a receiver in college (just 19 career catches), 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.
The Bills could use a cornerback for the reasons Kiper mentioned, but Hill may not be the best option due to fitting best as a nickelback. Buffalo already has an excellent nickel cornerback in Taron Johnson so Hill might have trouble finding playing time. Booth Jr. (Pick 29), however, would be a good fit.
Running back is also a possibility for Buffalo. The team is doing their due diligence on backs as they have hosted Breece Hall, Isaiah Spiller and James Cook on top-30 visits. Buffalo does not have a bulldozing back so Walker III could fit into the offense with Devin Singletary being as the team’s top back and Duke Johnson serving as a receiving option out of the backfield.
2022 NFL Draft: Jaguars first overall pick odds, predictions; Hutchinson not a lock for top pick
Bills pre-draft visitor Isaiah Spiller saves day at Buffalo International Airport
Source: Buffalo Bills hold private workout with 2022 NFL Draft’s top tight end
Source: Bills host UCLA OL Sean Rhyan on top-30 visit
Source: Bills hold private workout with trio of Oklahoma Sooners star defenders
Bills’ Stefon Diggs eager to prove his worth, ‘back chasing again’ after signing new deal
Bills 2022 NFL Draft top-30 visitor tracker: CB Andrew Booth Jr., RB James Cook among recent visits
Be sure to check out and subscribe to “Shout! The Buffalo Football Podcast” with beat writers Matt Parrino and Ryan Talbot.
Facebook | Twitter | APPLE | SPOTIFY | GOOGLE | YOUTUBE
Sideline gear | Gameday masks | Livestream schedule | Bills gear
Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.
Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 5/1/2021).
© 2022 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.
Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.