The Buffalo Bills have made both of their picks in the two-round 2022 NFL Writers Mock at SB Nation. (We made the first pick on April 11 and the second pick on April 27, for the record.) We had a really great mix of need and player land in our laps and we feel incredibly fortunate to run up with our draft card and make both of the selections.
As always I had my trusty triumvirate of NFL Draft experts at my side—Dan Lavoie, Andrew Griffin, and Bruce Nolan—to advise me on all things relating to the NFL’s annual selection meeting.
We had a full post on the first-round pick, which you can read here, and we were even willing to move up to select our player but in the end, we didn’t have to. No trades were allowed, but we did explore that opportunity and could have used Day 3 picks to do it.
Each pick was made by the SB Nation blog around our network of fan-run websites. Buffalo Rumblings made the Bills picks.
First round
- Jacksonville Jaguars/Big Cat Country: Aiden Hutchinson, DE, Michigan
- Detroit Lions/Pride of Detroit: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
- Houston Texans/Battle Red Blog: Kyle Hamilton, Safety, Notre Dame
- New York Jets/Gang Green Nation: Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
- New York Giants/Big Blue View: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
- Carolina Panthers/Cat Scratch Reader: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
- New York Giants (via CHI)/Big Blue View: Sauce Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
- Atlanta Falcons/The Falcoholic: Jermaine Johnson, EDGE, Florida State
- Seattle Seahawks (via DEN)/Field Gulls: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
- New York Jets (via SEA)/Gang Green Nation: Drake London, WR USC
- Washington Commanders/Hogs Haven: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
- Minnesota Vikings/Daily Norseman - Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
- Houston Texans (via CLE)/Battle Red Blog: Travon Walker, DE, Georgia
- Baltimore Ravens/Baltimore Beatdown: Charles Cross, OT, Miss. State
- Philadelphia Eagles (via MIA)/Bleeding Green Nation: Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
- New Orleans Saints (via IND/PHI)/Canal Street Chronicles: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
- Los Angeles Chargers/Bolts From the Blue: Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
- Philadelphia Eagles (via NO)/Bleeding Green Nation: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
- New Orleans Saints (via PHI)/Canal Street Chronicles: Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
- Pittsburgh Steelers/Behind the Steel Curtain: Devonte Wyatt, DL, Georgia
- New England Patriots/Pats Pulpit: Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan
- Green Bay Packers (via LV)/Acme Packing Company: George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue
- Arizona Cardinals/Revenge of the Birds: Zion Johnson, IOL, Boston College
- Dallas Cowboys/Blogging the Boys: Kenyon Green, IOL, Texas A&M
- Buffalo Bills/Buffalo Rumblings: Andrew Booth, Jr., CB, Clemson
- Tennessee Titans/Music City Miracles: Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Bucs Nation: Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
- Green Bay Packers/Acme Packing Company: George Pickens, WR, Georgia
- Kansas City Chiefs (via SF/MIA)/Arrowhead Pride: David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan
- Kansas City Chiefs/Arrowhead Pride: Daxton Hill, S, Michigan
- Cincinnati Bengals/Cincy Jungle: Tyler Linderbaum, OC, Iowa
- Detroit Lions (via LAR)/Pride of Detroit: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
Booth solidifies the CB2 position for the next several years and can help Tre’Davious White return from injury at his own pace in 2022. He can push Dane Jackson for that second CB role and even if he stays as the third cornerback, the Bills will have a cost-controlled option to start at CB if someone gets hurt. Especially with the age of the safeties and the cost of the rest of the back-seven starters, having Jackson and Booth at cornerback for the next few years is huge.
I promised that I wouldn’t pick a cornerback for the Bills anymore after last year. I think it makes too much sense, though. White’s contract is up in four years when Booth is set to hit free agency (or the fifth-year option pay bump). The most obvious hole for a starting spot or even top depth on the roster is at cornerback. Even if you believe in Dane Jackson as a long-term cornerback on this team, this is still a need pick.
Looking forward into Day 2 of the Draft, I will be focused on adding a pass-catching offensive weapon at WR/TE/RB and solidifying the offensive line before Day 3, when I’m looking for linebacker, safety, and punter help and some BPA picks.
Second round
33. Jacksonville Jaguars/Big Cat Country: Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan
34. Detroit Lions/Pride of Detroit: Lewis Cine, S, Georgia
35. New York Jets/Gang Green Nation: Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota
36. New York Giants/Big Blue View: Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
37. Houston Texans/Battle Red Blog: Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
38. New York Jets (via Panthers)/Gang Green Nation Logan Hall, DE, Houston
39. Chicago Bears/Windy City Gridiron: Tyler Smith, OL, Tulsa
40. Seattle Seahawks (via Broncos)/Field Gulls: Arnold Ebiketie, DE, Penn State
41. Seattle Seahawks/Field Gulls: Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
42. Indianapolis Colts (via Washington)/Stampede Blue: Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State
43. Atlanta Falcons/The Falcoholic: Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma
44. Cleveland Browns/Dawgs By Nature: Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut
45. Baltimore Ravens/Baltimore Beatdown: Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington
46. Minnesota Vikings/Daily Norseman: Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor
47. Washington Commanders (via Colts)/Hogs Haven: Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State
48. Chicago Bears (via Chargers)/Windy City Gridiron: David Bell, WR, Purdue
49. New Orleans Saints/Canal Street Chronicles: Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State
50. Kansas City Chiefs (via Dolphins)/Arrowhead Pride: John Metchie, WR, Alabama
51. Philadelphia Eagles/Bleeding Green Nation: Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss
52. Pittsburgh Steelers/Behind the Steel Curtain: Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati
53. Green Bay Packers (via Raiders)/Acme Packing Company: Quay Walker, LB, Georgia
54. New England Patriots/Pats Pulpit: Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming
55. Arizona Cardinals/Revenge of the Birds: Roger McCreary, CB , Auburn
56. Dallas Cowboys/Blogging the Boys: Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama
57. Buffalo Bills/Buffalo Rumblings: Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State
58. Atlanta Falcons (via Titans)/The Falcoholic: Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
59. Green Bay Packers (Acme Packing Company)
60. Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Bucs Nation
61. San Francisco 49ers/Niners Nation
62. Kansas City Chiefs/Arrowhead Pride
63. Cincinnati Bengals/Cincy Jungle
64. Denver Broncos (via Rams)/Mile High Report
So seven wide receivers went in the first round and another six were off the board by the time the Bills picked in the second round. Do you want the 14th wide receiver or the first running back? It’s a pretty easy call.
With multiple national media members mocking Hall to the Bills at pick 25, nabbing him at 57 was an incredible value for Buffalo. He won’t start training camp as RB1, but it would not be a surprise if he started the year as the top running back. Cognizant of the rookie wall, he and Devin Singletary could split time all season before Hall takes over as a legitimate three-down back in 2023 when Singletary’s contract expires.
Hall is a dynamic receiver out of the backfield who is a home run threat when he has the ball in his hands. He’s a patient runner who is used to a zone blocking scheme like the one the Bills may run in 2022 under Ken Dorsey and Aaron Kromer.
It really is a home run pick.
With needs on both sides of the ball addressed, the Bills will turn their attention elsewhere in the third round. I’d suspect an interior offensive lineman would be high on their list as someone who could take over for Rodger Saffold a year from now. Another place to look is tight end, where only one is off the board so far in the first two rounds. All three of the top tight ends on Buffalo’s roster are playing on expiring contracts and even if they re-sign one, it looks like they want to play more two-TE sets moving forward. Linebacker and safety are also top depth needs, while a Day 3 punter is a virtual certainty.
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