No. 25 - WR Jameson Williams, Alabama
Scary. That's the first word that comes to mind for an offense featuring Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and Williams. Sticking Williams' burner speed with Allen's rocket arm is a big-play recipe. Sure, he will need time to recover from an ACL tear, and yes, he's still refining his route running, but this is a luxury pick for Buffalo. Had it not been for the injury, Williams would have probably been a top-10 pick. Instead, the Bills can land him at the back end of the first round and make one of the league's highest-octane offenses that much more dynamic. And with Emmanuel Sanders and Isaiah McKenzie off to free agency, there will be targets to go around.
No. 25 – IOL Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan
Adding offensive line depth is never a bad plan, and Raimann has skill set that should fit interchangeably at tackle and guard. He is older than ideal (will be a 25-year-old rookie), but the former tight end has terrific athleticism and awareness that will immediately strengthen the Bills' offense.
No. 25 – IOL Zion Johnson, Boston College
Big Board Rank: 41
Johnson's 32 repetitions on the bench press led all offensive linemen at this year's NFL combine, and he also demonstrated his explosiveness with a 32-inch vertical that ranked fourth across the position. Johnson played left guard in 2021 and earned an 81.6 pass-blocking grade to go along with an 84.4 run-blocking grade, but he is also willing to kick inside to center. He's a plug-and-play starter along the interior who should be a first-round lock at this point.
No. 25 – DL Devonte Wyatt, Georgia
The Buffalo Bills claim one of the NFL's most talented rosters. Yet the team has issues along the interior on both sides of the ball.
Potential free-agent losses Harrison Phillips, Vernon Butler and Justin Zimmer could severely weaken the defensive front. Star Lotulelei's performance dipped last year as well. As good as the Bills defense is, reinforcements are necessary, starting with Georgia's Devonte Wyatt.
"The Bills have some defensive linemen who are big and others who are explosive. None of them have the blend of those two traits that Wyatt has," Klassen said. "Moreover, Wyatt's positional flexibility could be a weapon for Sean McDermott. Wyatt can play over the center or all the way out to head-up on the tackle depending on the situation.
"Though his pass-rushing approach could use work, he has more than enough athletic tools to develop into a useful passing-down contributor on top of his excellent work against the run."
Wyatt's former Georgia teammate Jordan Davis may have stolen the show at the combine, but the former also looked explosive and smooth as a potential three-down defender.
No. 25 – CB Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson
With such a deep class of pass rushers available in this draft, the Bills decide to boost their secondary in Round 1 with a cornerback who is tough and scheme-versatile.
No. 25 – DL Devonte Wyatt, Georgia
Previous 1.0 Mock Draft selection: Trent McDuffie, CB
Best Draft Targets for the Bills with the 25th pick:
- Defensive Line: Between free agents Harrison Phillips and Vernon Butler, the Bills are potentially losing 862 snaps from the interior defensive line. Neither produced at a level where they would be guaranteed a job if re-signed, so an upgrade could be added in the draft. Georgia's Devonte Wyatt has limited experience at nose tackle, where Phillips often lined up, but has the size and athleticism to be a versatile addition to the defensive line.
- Cornerback: Tre'Davious White's injury highlighted a lack of ideal depth in the Bills secondary. If Levi Wallace is re-signed this may not be a need to address in the first round, but if he signs elsewhere it creates a significant hole in the secondary. Florida's Kaiir Elam and Washington's Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon are names to keep an eye on.
- Left Guard: Over the last two seasons, four different linemen have played at least 200 snaps at left guard in Buffalo. Texas A&M's Kenyon Green would be an ideal fit based on his experience in A&M's heavy use of zone blocking schemes, which would allow for an easy transition to Buffalo. Boston College's Zion Johnson would fit well for the same reason.
No. 25 - S Daxton Hill, Michigan
Hill is part of a Wolverines defense that could end up seeing three players go in Round 1 next spring. He's underrated nationally but watch him play and it becomes clear pretty quickly that he's in the running for one of the best defensive backs in this class. He's listed as a safety but he can line up anywhere.
No. 25 – EDGE George Karlaftis, Purdue
Talk about a dream come true for Buffalo, which could use a well-rounded edge presence for Sean McDermott's title-contending defense.
No. 25 - CB Kyler Gordon, Washington
No. 25 – DL Devonte Wyatt, Georgia
Previous 1.0 Mock Draft selection: Kyler Gordon CB
There was definitely a theme that developed at the combine — if you were from the University of Georgia, you put on a show. Wyatt was no exception. While not quite as high as his teammates Jordan Davis (perfect 10.0) or Travon Walker (9.99), Wyatt earned a 9.59 RAS himself and showed teams that he can be more than just a run-stopping DT.
No. 25 – WR Treylon Burks, Arkansas
Another wide receiver in Buffalo? Seriously? Yes, absolutely. The Bills will need to continue to keep the room dynamic as Emmanuel Sanders potentially transitions away and Cole Beasley searches for a trade. Yes, Gabriel Davis looks like the real deal, but for a team that runs a ton of 10-personnel, no, I don't think it is enough.
No. 25 – OL Kenyon Green, Texas A&M
No. 25 – CB Trent McDuffie, Washington
The Bills have a good No. 2 corner to Tre'Davious White in Levi Wallace, but Wallace is a free agent and White will be coming off a torn ACL for his Age 27 season. With limited weaknesses as Super Bowl contenders, they should look for a direct replacement for Wallace outside. McDuffie can offer great explosiveness and quickness for Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier.
No. 25 – DL Jordan Davis, Georgia
Buffalo heavily addressed its edge rusher group last offseason so it complements those additions with the selection of Davis, who is a run-stuffer from the national champions who freed up his teammates to make a lot of plays for the Bulldogs last season.
No. 25 – CB Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson
Booth bounces around like his feet have springs attached to them and has big-time ball skills, perfect in Buffalo's zone-based scheme.
No. 25 – EDGE George Karlaftis, Purdue
George Karlaftis is one of the few players in the first round who truly embody the attributes that Bills Mafia loves. He is a blue-collar, hard-playing, high-effort player who defends the run and can give you some pass-rush upside on the edge. He will need to continue to develop his pass-rushing skill set, though.
No. 25 – DT Devonte Wyatt, Georgia
Here's the third member of Georgia's defense in my first-round mock, and that doesn't even include massive nose tackle Jordan Davis, who has a chance to go in Round 1 to a team that runs a 3-4 D. Wyatt is a hulking 310-pound tackle who really impressed NFL teams at the Senior Bowl last month. He could play next to Ed Oliver and eat up blockers, allowing the linebackers more space to get to the ball. Wyatt, my new top-ranked defensive tackle, went a little under the radar in college because of the talent around him, but he's a really promising prospect.
No. 25 – WR Jameson Williams, Alabama
General manager Brandon Beane could gamble on a swift pass-catcher coming off a knee injury to upgrade the perimeter playmakers around Josh Allen.
No. 25 – CB Roger McCreary, Auburn
Big Board Rank: 49
McCreary's short arms (29 1/4 inches) may keep him off certain draft boards, but he's performed extremely well against a gauntlet of tough receivers in the SEC. He's coming off an 89.9 overall grade, and he forced incompletions at a higher rate than all but eight of the last 192 NFL-caliber prospects. McCreary slots in at the No. 2 cornerback spot opposite Tre'Davious White.
