Final Bill’s Mock Draft: Running Back, Defensive Backs, and a Day 3 Trade

We made it! Welcome to draft day, everyone. The intrigue surrounding the Bills’ top pick only intensified earlier this week. Let’s get straight to the point.

Here’s my final seven-round mock draft from Bills, complete with a full first-round projection.

• Trades calculated using the Rich Hill Trade Chart.

Mock draft, picks 1-24

The #25 pick: Breece Hall, RB, State of Iowa

A close second: Lewis Cine, S, Georgia

In my only other seven-round mock draft of Bills over a month ago, the Bills took Breece Hall, and I’m sticking with it because of Bill’s logic – not overall draft logic. They have yet to expand their fastball significantly this offseason, and giving them a player like Hall adds a whole other dimension to offense. He’s a home run threat, he’s a pass catcher, he has pass protection advantages, he has excellent patience and vision for the zoning scheme that they’re likely to use more often in 2022, and he can get people on the open to miss the field. The Bills often go for something they don’t have in the first round, and they don’t have anyone even remotely close to what Hall could become, and there’s no one like Hall in this draft that fits everything they’re after search position.

It’s not about letting the ball run more; this is still a pass-first operation. It’s about becoming an even more dynamic offense that doesn’t have to rely as heavily on quarterback Josh Allen with designed runs. It minimizes the risk of your MVP-level quarterback missing games. Coach Sean McDermott has emphasized that he must run at all times to support the passing game. Devin Singletary has been fine but lacks breakthrough ability and is in the final year of his contract. Hall ticks far too many boxes to ignore. He would become an electric option for RPOs, and the screen game would actually have life. Just as importantly, his presence would discourage opponents from running the big pass play defense preventing two high defense that is in vogue now.

And for those who hate the idea of ​​running back on the first lap, I don’t think the Bills are as concerned about that as everyone else. General manager Brandon Beane acknowledged that the team has had plural running backs with first-round grades for the past four years. Last year, after being picked 25th by the Jaguars, Travis Etienne said he thinks he goes to Buffalo 30th. Beane said they would take the player if he added dynamic abilities, which the Bills didn’t have on their list. Hall is that guy.

Mock draft, picks 25-32

Round 2, Pick 57: Nick Cross, S, Maryland

Cross can play the deep mid and in the box as a strong safety, a perfect blend of what the Bills want from their safety. As a free safety on his best reps, he shows excellent patience when he needs to hit the low middle, then brings the physicality with strong safety to come downhill in a hurry. Cross could be a bargain on Day 2 if he couples some of his risk taking with developing instincts and recognition skills over time. Cross is unlikely to start in 2022 unless there is an injury, but a year of learning from Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer will more than prepare him for a major role.

Maryland’s Nick Cross could be a good security fit for the Bills. (Julio Cortez/Associated Press)

Round 3, pick 89: Joshua Williams, CB, Fayetteville State

Williams is a perfect match for the Bills because of his arm length (32.875 inches), run defense and long-distance potential as a converted high school wide receiver. Williams’ story will also appeal to the Bills because they love defenders with something to prove. He didn’t get a single offer from high school, much like former starter Levi Wallace, and then had to go to a prep school. After a year there, he received offers, but only from Division II programs, and then had to work his way up to become a legitimate prospect for enlistment. With his size, untapped potential, drive and what The Athletic’s drafting expert Dane Brugler calls a “coachable attitude,” Williams is a perfect prospect for McDermott to develop into a long-term starter.

Round 4, Pick 130: Joshua Ezeudu, IOL, North Carolina

Ezeudu is super athletic and is everything the Bills aimed for on offense. They also badly need some youth and depth of development on the inside offensive. Ezeudu started out on guard and tackle but plans best to protect with starting potential in the NFL. He reportedly made a pre-draft visit to the Bills.

Round 5, Pick 168: James Mitchell, TE, Virginia Tech

With no tight ends signed after 2022, the Bills could use a developmental tight end to work in the background and become the primary backup in 2023. Brugler said, “Mitchell is a grass-court basketball player with the versatility of the scheme to attack defense in different ways.” Mitchell suffered a cruciate ligament tear in 2021 and didn’t do any pre-draft workouts, but the Bills have the depth of 2022 to go without to get along with him.

ACT! Round 5, Pick 173: Jordan Stout, P, Penn State

Trading Conditions: Send invoices #203 and 231 to Giants for #173

A trade for a punter? A trade for a punter. The Bills miss San Diego State’s Matt Araiza, but they land Stout with the promotion instead. Stout is what the Bills were hoping for from Matt Haack last year, with hang time, precision to pin teams deep and consistency in his kicks. Knowing how to punch in the low temperatures of the Northeast is also a plus.

Round 6, pick 185: Brandon Smith, LB, Penn State

A former high-profile high school recruit who never quite lived up to the hype, Smith is an intriguing late-round newcomer. At 6-foot-3, 250 pounds and nearly 35 inches in arm length, Beane would invest in a tall linebacker prospect who could project onto any linebacker berth in his roster. Despite the size, Smith ran a 4.52 40-yard dash and had excellent explosive measurements with a 97th percentile long jump, a 91st percentile 10-yard split, and a 90th percentile vertical.

Bill’s 2022 Mock Draft Class

Choose	player
25	Breece Hall, RB, State of Iowa
57	Nick Cross, S, Maryland
89	Joshua Williams, CB, Fayetteville State
130	Joshua Ezeudu, IOL, North Carolina
168	James Mitchell, TE, Virginia Tech
173	Jordan Stout, P., Penn State
185	Brandon Smith, LB, Penn State

(Top Photo of Breece Hall: John E. Moore III / Getty Images)