Buffalo Bills should not draft 9 players in the 2022 NFL draft
Currently, the Buffalo Bills have nine draft picks in the 2022 NFL draft. Buffalo has two picks in the 6th and 7th rounds and only one selection in Rounds 1-5. Last season the Buffalo Bills drafted eight players, and the Bills only were able to retain six of them.
Luckily it was the first six players they drafted, but cornerback Rachad Wildgoose and guard Jack Anderson both were signed off the Bills practice squad during the season. With potentially an even stronger roster next season, Buffalo does not have the space to carry nine rookies on their 53-man roster.
While Buffalo would likely want a couple of rookies on their practice squad, they are subject to another team’s acquisition every week of the season, making spending draft picks on them a waste of assets.
The idea of drafting nine players would be different if four of those picks were not in the last two rounds of the draft.
So what does Buffalo do instead? Well, there are a couple of options here listed below:
- Trade a draft pick(s) for a player
- Trade multiple draft picks to move up in the draft
- Trade 2022 draft picks for draft picks in future drafts.
Every option involves Brandon Beane trading, and the most likely is him trading up in the draft. Brandon Beane has never been afraid to go get “his” guy. His approach this draft should be to use some of the extra draft capital he has to move up and get the players that the front office really wants on the Buffalo Bills.
The other most likely scenario is Buffalo trading some picks for a player. While I would not expect a Stefon Diggs-like blockbuster trade role, players can easily be acquired in the NFL trading mid and late-round picks.
If Beane were to go in this direction, a few potential trade targets for Buffalo are listed below.
- James Bradberry, CB New York Giants
- Brandin Cooks, WR Houston Texans
- Preston Smith/Za’Darius Smith, DE Green Bay Packers
These targets are unlikely to land in Buffalo and would probably cost a mid-round pick, but they certainly are some intriguing names to consider.
Either way, Buffalo should not draft nine players. Buffalo is gaining more respect around the league every year, so their practice squad rookies will target some of the less talented teams around the league.
Buffalo should attempt to draft no more than six rookies this offseason and maybe add a couple more undrafted free agents instead of spending draft capital on players who are unlikely to make the 53-man roster come late August.