As a way to mix things up a week before the 2022 NFL Draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay decided to alternate draft picks to tag team their latest mock draft. With no trades and no collaboration, Todd McShay ended up being in the driver’s seat for all three of the Buffalo Bills’ picks.
Here’s how the picks landed for the Bills:
25. Buffalo Bills
Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
Six receivers are off the board, so I’m looking at cornerback here all the way. Booth — who excels in press-man coverage — would be a perfect replacement for Levi Wallace opposite Tre’Davious White (who is recovering from a torn ACL).
57. Buffalo Bills
George Pickens, WR, Georgia
Pickens tracks the deep ball well, and Josh Allen would have a field day targeting him on vertical shots. One of the top offenses in the NFL just got better.
89. Buffalo Bills
Nicholas Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State
I like this fit because Petit-Frere offers Buffalo some versatility along the line. He could fill in wherever needed as he continues his development.
Bruce’s take:
The biggest question about Andrew Booth isn’t his play on the field but a myriad of injuries (knee, core, neck) that complicate his evaluation. If he has a clean bill of health, it feels like he wouldn’t make it to 25 and if his health proves to be a significant red flag, he could fall out of the first round entirely. That makes the pick difficult to evaluate—but strictly from an on-field perspective, it’s a slam dunk match of need and talent.
George Pickens has some well-documented off-field concerns that make me question whether or not he fits “the process.” He suffered an ACL tear in 2020, but has as much talent as almost any receiver in this year’s class. That type of talent isn’t typically available in the second round and given the recent hits at that position in that range, you’d be hard pressed to be concerned about on-field potential impact from this pick.
Offensive line remains a sneaky need for the Bills headed into the draft even after adding David Quessenberry to a one-year deal. Given that the need is more in the future than right now, taking a developmental tackle like Nicholas Petit-Frere makes sense in the third round after taking athletic freak Spencer Brown in the same round the year before. While Petit-Frere is not that level of athlete (and without hyperbole, few humans are), he shows good length, foot speed and ability to be a contender for a backup tackle spot alongside 2021 fifth-round pick Tommy Doyle, who saw his most action as a sixth offensive lineman in 2021.
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