Buffalo News Mock Draft 2.0: Bills shift their focus to creating more heat off the edge
The Bills' defense has needs, most notably at edge rusher, defensive tackle and linebacker. In this latest exercise, Jay Skurski takes a long look at a promising edge rusher from the SEC.
Free agency has somewhat shifted the draft focus for all 32 NFL teams.
That’s to be expected after players' arrivals and departures wind up filling and creating holes on rosters across the league. The Buffalo Bills have had their share of each, but their draft needs actually remain fairly steady.
Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell totaled 11½ sacks last season. Sam Craft, Associated Press
Amateur GMs can still make a case for adding a wide receiver in the first round, even after the acquisition of DJ Moore, with the idea being to go all out for quarterback Josh Allen. Of course, the Bills' defense has needs, as well, most notably at edge rusher, defensive tackle, and linebacker.
That gives the president of football operations and general manager Brandon Beane plenty of options with the draft less than a month away. That makes it a good time to unveil our second mock draft of the season. Here is how we see the first round playing out …
1. Las Vegas Raiders. Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana. There is no reason to think this pick will change between now and late April. Mendoza is far and away the No. 1 quarterback prospect – and he might be the only player at the most important position on the field to be chosen in the first round.
2. New York Jets. Arvell Reese, Edge, Ohio State. The Buckeyes are going to dominate the top 10, starting with Reese, who will chase around Josh Allen twice per year as a member of the Jets.
3. Arizona Cardinals. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State. Reese isn’t a lock at No. 2, but he’s definitely the consensus pick for the Jets right now. That means the draft really starts getting fun here. Would Arizona consider a quarterback (Alabama’s Ty Simpson) this early? For now, that feels unlikely. Downs is one of the best players in the draft.
4. Tennessee Titans. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame. A safety and a running back in the top five speaks to how strange this year’s draft has the potential to be. New Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll would love this pick because it would make life easier for second-year quarterback Cam Ward.
5. New York Giants. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State. There was talk recently of Odell Beckham Jr. returning to the Giants. That shows just how desperate the G-Men are to add a receiver for quarterback Jaxson Dart.
6. Cleveland Browns. Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (Fla.). The Browns needed to replace their entire starting offensive line from a season ago. Mauigoa would become the latest piece to that puzzle.
7. Washington Commanders. David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech. There are bigger roster needs at other positions, but this would be a best-player-available pick. Bailey could go as high as No. 2 to the Jets.
8. New Orleans Saints. Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU. The Saints signed running back Travis Etienne, which shifted their draft needs. Staying in state to draft Delane fills one of them.
9. Kansas City Chiefs. Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami (Fla.). Bain doesn’t have all the desired measurables, with arms just short of 31 inches, but he plays with violence. The Chiefs need an edge rusher opposite George Karlaftis.
10. Cincinnati Bengals. Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State. This would be a dream scenario here for the Bengals, who need help at every level of their defense. Styles transitioned from safety to linebacker during college and has drawn comparisons to 49ers star linebacker Fred Warner.
11. Miami Dolphins. Makai Lemon, WR, Southern California. Pick a position out of a hat, and there's a good chance the Dolphins need a player at it. After trading Jaylen Waddle to Denver, wide receiver is at the top of the needs list, though.
12. Dallas Cowboys. Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami (Fla.). If the Cowboys do take an edge rusher in the first round, that player is going to have to deal with the inevitable comparisons to Micah Parsons. That’s a tough situation to walk into.
13. Los Angeles Rams. Jordan Tyson, WR, Arizona State. Rumors are that the Rams kicked the tires on adding wide receiver A.J. Brown in a trade with the Eagles. That indicates they’re serious about adding to the position, even with Davante Adams and Puka Nacua on the roster.
14. Baltimore Ravens. Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State. After losing center Tyler Linderbaum, the Ravens need to beef up the interior of their offensive line.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon. He had a couple of drops during last season that he'd surely want back, but Sadiq is the clear No. 1 tight end in the class. He would give quarterback Baker Mayfield another weapon after the Bucs lost receiver Mike Evans in free agency.
16. New York Jets. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee. McCoy missed all of last season because of a torn ACL, so the fact that he’s still expected to be a first-round pick speaks to his talent. He would be a nice replacement for the Jets, who traded away Sauce Gardner last season.
17. Detroit Lions. Spencer Fano, OT, Utah. The Lions released veteran left tackle Taylor Decker, creating an important opening up front.
18. Minnesota Vikings. Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon. The Vikings haven't re-signed Harrison Smith to this point, which leaves them in need of a replacement. Thieneman is versatile enough to play up near the line of scrimmage or deep center field.
19. Carolina Panthers. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo. Three safeties in the top 20 picks are rare, but all of them are worthy of such consideration.
20. Dallas Cowboys. Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee. Dallas was objectively awful on defense a year ago, so getting some reinforcements on that side of the ball should be a priority with both of their first-round picks.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers. Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana. The Steelers added Michael Pittman at receiver earlier this offseason, but drafting Cooper would provide a nice top three with DK Metcalf. Now, who is going to play quarterback?
22. Los Angeles Chargers. Kadyn Proctor, OL, Alabama. There is some belief that the 350-pound Proctor would be best served moving from tackle to guard at the NFL level. That would work out fine for the Chargers, who have a big need on the interior.
23. Philadelphia Eagles. Blake Miller, OT, Clemson. At some point, the Eagles will need to prepare for life after Lane Johnson at right tackle. Miller could learn from Johnson, one of the best in the business, as the Eagles start those preparations.
24. Cleveland Browns. Denzel Boston, WR, Washington. If the Browns are really going to allow Shedeur Sanders to be their starting quarterback, they owe it to him to get some legitimate weapons.
25. Chicago Bears. Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn. He doesn’t turn 21 until September, so the idea here is Faulk’s best football is in front of him. The Bears’ pass rush was underwhelming last year, and the team didn’t do much in free agency to address it.
26. Buffalo Bills. Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M. Beane has always said he prioritizes game film over measurables when evaluating prospects, and this pick would be proof of that. On the field last season, Howell’s production was elite. He won SEC Defensive Player of the Year after finishing with 11½ sacks. He’s got a great first step and ability to get around the edge. The concern, if you want to call it that: His arms are short (30¼ inches) for an NFL edge rusher. Will the Bills overlook that, and can Howell overcome it? Drafting an edge rusher makes sense. The Bills need to do a better job of getting after the opposing quarterback. The team has two outside linebackers in Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb, who should be the starters, but depth behind them is lacking, especially with Michael Hoecht coming off a torn Achilles. Howell could begin his career as a designated pass rusher on third downs. It’s a good fit.
27. San Francisco 49ers. Zion Young, Edge, Missouri. Would the 49ers sign Joey Bosa to pair him with his younger brother Nick at edge rusher? That’s been floated as an idea, but it hasn’t happened yet. With that being the case, we’ll give them some more help off the edge.
28. Houston Texans. Peter Woods, DT, Clemson. Woods is one of the more volatile prospects in mock drafts. Some believe he could go in the top 15 picks, while others have him falling out of the first round entirely. We’ll split the difference and place him here.
29. Kansas City Chiefs. KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M. This would hurt for some Bills fans who have their hearts set on a wide receiver in the first round. Concepcion was my pick for the Bills in the first mock draft of the season, but the addition of DJ Moore changes things. It's fair to argue the Bills’ greater needs are on defense. Concepcion is explosive, but he did have seven drops last season.
30. Miami Dolphins. Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson. The younger brother of Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr., Avieon had five forced fumbles in his final college season.
31. New England Patriots. Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State. The Super Bowl showed the Patriots ought to invest in their offensive line to help quarterback Drake Maye.
32. Seattle Seahawks. Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame. The Seahawks lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker to the Chiefs in free agency, so Price would be a nice replacement.