We've tracked over 130 mock drafts dating back to January. It's been a long ride, but we are now just days away from the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. To get you ready, here are the most popular prospects heading to Buffalo with the No. 25 pick in the NFL Draft, according to the mock drafts.
8. RB Breece Hall, Iowa State and LB Devin Lloyd, Utah (Mocked to Bills 4 times)
RB Breece Hall, Iowa State
Will give NFL evaluators early starter vibes with his blend of size, power and creativity. Hall isn't very sudden in tight quarters but gets better as the run play progresses with good vision and an above-average sense for how to beat second-level tacklers. He has surprising build-up speed once he's in the open field but might not have the instant gas to become a plus outside runner. His running style is willful when it needs to be and he's adept at moving the chains on "got to have it" short-yardage carries. Hall has full-package, three-down talent with surprisingly soft hands out of the backfield and should find early touches as a Day 2 draft pick with above-average potential. – Lance Zierlein, NFL Network Analyst
LB Devin Lloyd, Utah
Buffalo's defense has made some good moves this free agency. Devin Lloyd projects better as an OLB. Placing him alongside Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano would give Sean McDermott an exciting athletic group of linebackers.
Lloyd can drop to the edge and rush the passer. Placing him as a run, chase, and pressure player on the second level only improves their ability to stifle opposing offenses. -- Damian Parson, The Draft Network
7. WR Jahan Dotson, Penn State (Mocked to Bills 5 times)
Buffalo released Cole Beasley and brought in Jamison Crowder as an option out of the slot, but Crowder isn't likely to be part of the Bills' long-term plans. Dotson would be. Where would he help most? The Bills ranked last in the league in average yards after the catch (4.3) last season. Dotson is an explosive playmaker who is a threat to score on every touch. He had 1,182 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2021.
The Bills have had a great offseason so far, so this is a luxury pick. Dotson, though, could help as a rookie. – Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN
6. WR Treylon Burks, Arkansas, IOL Kenyon Green, Texas A&M, DB Daxton Hill, Michigan and CB Roger McCreary, Auburn (Mocked to Bills 6 times)
WR Treylon Burks, Arkansas
A prevailing draft misconception is the first round is reserved for a team's top needs on the roster. But smart teams focus on value and adding assets that best impact the roster. Wide receiver isn't the top need for the Bills, but adding a big slot like Burks who can be worked into the rotation only creates greater conflict for defenses. – Dane Burgler, The Athletic
IOL Kenyon Green, Texas A&M
Despite making some free agency additions to the offensive line, bolstering the interior with a player of Kenyon Green's caliber would have multiple benefits for the Buffalo Bills. Green's insane anchor in pass protection would give Josh Allen more time to throw. The Bills' largely poor running game would benefit from his athletic ability as a puller and mauling nature that he brings to the offensive interior.
Some teams have reportedly been working the Texas A&M guard at center, adding an additional layer of versatility to his profile. He's already got experience at both left and right guard. Once considered a top-10 pick, Green's stock has been impacted by him being rotated across the offensive line by the Aggies this season. He's still a starting talent if developed correctly. – Oliver Hodgkinson, Pro Football Network
DB Daxton Hill, Michigan
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. -- Mel Kiper Jr, ESPN
CB Roger McCreary, Auburn
The Bills are a good football team without many glaring weaknesses. That said, Buffalo has an opportunity at No. 25 to consider a few players who might have the goods to walk into a great situation and still add value.
McCreary doesn't necessarily represent an immediate need for Buffalo, but he's an experienced player who held up well in the SEC. He's another player who had a nice Senior Bowl and could be on the rise. – Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic
5. CB Kaiir Elam, Florida (Mocked to Bills 7 times)
Losing Tre'Davious White late in the season did little to dull Buffalo's pass defense — at least until it ran into Kansas City in the playoffs. Levi Wallace is the type of No. 2 cornerback who opposing teams will always be looking to challenge, and Elam is a perfect addition. Elam has prototypical size and length, and he allowed 18 catches all of last season in the SEC. – Sam Monson, PFF
4. IOL Zion Johnson (Mocked to Bills 8 times)
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. – Brad Spielberger, PFF
3. CB Kyler Gordon, Washington and WR Jameson Williams, Alabama (Mocked to Bills 9 times)
CB Kyler Gordon
The Bills don't have many holes, but they lost cornerback Levi Wallace in free agency to Pittsburgh. There are some promising cover men available here between Florida's Kaiir Elam, Clemson's Andrew Booth and Gordon. Michigan's Dax Hill, a really versatile DB, also might be tempting. But they go with Gordon, who, at 5-foot-11, 194 pounds, didn't run as fast as expected at the combine (4.52) but whose film shows his undeniable agility and athleticism. Jimmy Lake has produced plenty of terrific NFL DBs and said Gordon, who has a background in dance, kung fu and ballet, is the most athletic of them all.
The Coaching Intel
"His quickness and flexibility are as good as I've seen. He's really fluid. (He) can do things effortlessly in terms of body control and change of direction most corners just can't or really struggle with. We thought he might get a little sloppy in his technique at times. McDuffie seemed to have a little better feel for things than he did. But those guys are close, because Gordon's probably an even better athlete."
"I was really impressed with both (Washington) corners. They were competitive and really athletic and tough. I think Gordon is a little better, but they're both first-round talents." – Bruce Feldman, The Athletic
WR Jameson Williams, Alabama
Linear route-runner with electric long speed to impact a game as a home-run hitter or decoy drawing defenders away from other elements of the offense. Williams ruins man coverage but faces some limitations. He has issues getting off press cleanly and might require some scheming to help get off the mark cleanly against certain corners. Catch toughness can be inconsistent when contested or in heavily trafficked areas. He has all the juice to find consistent separation on vertical, over and post/corner routes and could see monstrous production if paired with a high-end talent at quarterback. The ACL tear could play a role in determining his ultimate draft destination, but it's unlikely to change his game. – Lance Zierlein, NFL Network
2. DB Trent McDuffie, Washington (Mocked to Bills 17 times)
When you have almost anything a team could want, you add depth in the secondary. The Bills are so close to crossing that Super Bowl threshold and, while the loss of Brian Daboll hurts, they could ease some of the burden by putting Sean McDermott's defense on autopilot. McDuffie would change an already versatile, presnap-decision-robbing secondary into an absolute Rubik's cube for a quarterback to try to solve before each snap. He probably won't last this long, but some kind of versatile defensive playmaker with tons of upside will land here, and I'd be curious to see if the Bills value bolstering their defense or expanding their playmaker base on offense. – Connor Orr, SI.com
1. CB Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson (Mocked to Bills 22 times)
If Buffalo wants to come out on top of a loaded AFC, it should focus in on its cornerback group. Tre'Davious White is coming off an ACL tear, and Levi Wallace signed with Pittsburgh. I really like Booth's game and think he could be a No. 2 corner as a rookie, before developing into a No. 1. He is scheme-versatile, explodes out of his back pedal and shows above-average ball skills. – Todd McShay, ESPN
Most popular positions for Bills in 2022 mock drafts (first round)
CB/DB – 64 times
WR – 21 times
IOL – 15 times
