The awesome tale of the Buffalo Bills and their 2021-2022 season came up just short against the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs, ending a miraculous run that fully put them on the map. With the 2022 NFL Draft as the next chance for them to improve their roster, it will be important that they nail their draft picks.

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Surrounding Josh Allen and company with sure-fire, day-one contributors is going to be GM Brandon Beane’s goal, but it certainly is never that easy. Draft picks take time to pan out, and with the competition window wide open for the Bills, this mock draft takes a look at options that would be great to help extend that window into the future.

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Bills 2022 NFL Mock Draft

Round 1 (#25 Overall) – Lewis Cine (S, Georgia)

Even with both Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer under contract still, the Bills are running out two starters at safety that are 31 years or older, showing that they are more than due for an influx of youth at this position. With Georgia’s Lewis Cine, they could seamlessly plug him into the starting defense and help take some pressure off the secondary, a unit that will be welcoming back Tre’Davius White from his season-ending injury last year.

Hyde and Poyer either have contracts that run out after this season or have logical outs in them after the 22-23 season that could see them both depart. Cine is a strong tackler, versatile in the passing game, and more than comfortable playing down in the box, helping add another strong element to this defense.

Round 2 (#57) – Abraham Lucas (T, Washington State)

Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown are the two starting bookends on the offensive line, but Buffalo is quite lacking in the OL depth department, which is where Abraham Lucas joins the picture from Washington State.

Helping set the edge on an up-tempo, passing oriented attack out west, Lucas looks best suited to become an RT at the next level, as his abilities to get to the next level and establish a blocking presence would be well-suited for the Buffalo offense – while this is the only OL selected in this mock draft, it’s an early selection and it helps fills a future problem for the Bills.

Round 3 (#89) – Khalil Shakir (WR, Boise State)

With Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders out of the picture and Jamison Crowder in, the Bills are trusting Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis to take on massive roles in the passing game, which is why adding a prospect like Boise State’s Khalil Shakir to the WR room would be a fantastic choice.

Shakir may lack that top-end speed to act as a vertical threat, but he has solid hands, a good route-running acumen, and a solid football IQ that was evident every time he touched the ball in college. As the Bills continue to rely on Allen to carry them without a bonafide RB option, Shakir would help take pressure off both Diggs and Davis while adding another young, high-upside option to the ranks.

Round 4 (#130) – Cordale Flott (CB, LSU)

As a slot guy in the same backfield as consensus ‘22 first-round CB Derek Stingley Jr., Cordale Flott has been overlooked a bit during the draft process. But he certainly is deserving of a chance to make a name for himself in the NFL.

A surprising element of Flott’s game is his willingness to get dirty in the run game, something that tends to scare some corners away. While his lateral quickness can be exposed at times when put into man coverage situations, Flott is a stronger slot option in this year’s class and is the final defensive secondary selection in this mock draft for Buffalo.

Round 5 (#168) – Noah Eliss (DT, Idaho)

While NFL prospects don’t typically come from the University of Idaho, defensive tackle Noah Eliss is looking to put the Vandals on the map this draft cycle. One of the largest prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft (6’4, 359 lbs.), Eliss is a mover of men with the quickness traits of someone far lighter and shorter than him.

Eliss could very well climb draft boards into Day 2 based solely on how quickly the rest of the DT/NT position class goes, but Eliss looks to be firmly planted as a mid-round option that could very well be seen as one of the 2022 NFL Draft’s biggest late-round steals when it is all said and done.

Round 6 (#185) – Ty Chandler (RB, UNC)

It may have taken until the sixth round of this mock draft, but the Bills finally decided to address their RB ranks by selecting UNC’s Ty Chandler. Not an earth-shattering move by any means, Chandler is a dual-threat option on offense with a history of returning kicks as well.

Good vision, crisp cuts, and not a lot of miles on his tires are three great characteristics to help describe Chandler, making Buffalo a solid landing option for the former Tar Heel late in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Round 6 (#203) – Tyquan Thornton (WR, Baylor)

While Shakir was the safe option, Tyquan Thornton is your burner that can help take the top off of defenses, a perfect way to put a cherry on top of the offensive playmakers in Buffalo’s mock draft class.

A built-in, big-play threat, Thornton helped get himself onto the radars of NFL teams with his 10 receiving TDs this past season, frequently creating separation between him and his defender and turning the route into a chase for the defense. With the Bills looking to provide Allen with all the weapons he needs, a speed threat like Thornton is perfect for Allen’s cannon of an arm.

Round 7 (#231) – Carson Wells (ED, Colorado)

The final selection in this mock draft for the Bills helps out the defensive line, as Colorado’s Carson Wells is brought in as a rotational DL role and special teams contributor.

Nothing truly sticks out about Wells’ game but he seems to find the ball often and has a high motor that helped create plays that showed up on the stat sheet for the Buffaloes. For Wells, he will need to showcase his effort at the NFL level until he bulks up, seeing as how plenty of other pass-rushing options are bigger/stronger/better than him.