Draft season is alive and well after the wild free agency frenzy that was the 2022 NFL Offseason. The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 28-30, and the Buffalo Bills are still in need of a cornerback to hold their own until Tre’Davious White comes back. With Levi Wallace departing for Pittsburgh, and questions about Dane Jackson’s ability to hold down a CB1 role while Siran Neal, Cam Lewis, and Nick McCloud among others fill in at CB2, the Bills may need some outside help.
There are several routes that Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane could take to fill this role with outside help. They could sign a dependable veteran free agent who is still on the market, like Joe Haden, Stephon Gilmore, or Kyle Fuller, or they could opt to use a high draft pick for a reinforcement.
This year’s cornerback class is absolutely loaded, and any of the Top 12 corners who are drafted should be able to develop into quality NFL players. There are several players beyond that who could be quality NFL players as well, and that just shows the depth of this year’s cornerback class. Given that the Bills will not select until the 25th pick in the first round, a few of the top cornerback prospects will be off the board by the time Brandon Beane is on the clock.
The top two corners in the class, Derek Stingley Jr. and Ahmed “Sauce” Gardner will likely have been selected before Pick #25, so while both of them would be excellent fits in Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier’s defense, they will not be on this list. We are assuming that the Bills will stay put at 25, and luckily for Buffalo, there are plenty of other talented prospects that would fit like a glove in their system.
Andrew Booth Jr.
Clemson/6’0”/194 lbs/Junior
Andrew Booth Jr. is one of the two best options that the Buffalo Bills could land when they are on the clock at pick #25 in two weeks’ time. Booth Jr. has all the tools needed to be a quality starting NFL cornerback from day one.
Booth Jr. is excellent in man coverage, having great anticipation of the routes his opponents are running and has the ability to stay with his man as their route continues to drag on. Booth Jr. is fast, physical, has great size, and plays with swagger; all traits that make up some of the NFL’s top shutdown corners.
In zone coverage, Booth Jr. is solid but not as good as he is in man coverage. He does a good job of cutting off throwing lanes when in zone coverage but is not as polished when he needs to make adjustments in his zone.
Booth Jr’s ball production and skills are perhaps his strongest asset as a prospect. He intercepted five passes in his last 21 games and defended nine passes. Booth Jr. is incredibly aggressive on the ball when it is in the air, sometimes to a fault, but he more often than not can and will make a play on the ball when it is in the air. He is capable of making big-time plays that shift the momentum firmly towards his team.
One of Booth Jr.’s bigger flaws is that aforementioned overaggressiveness on the ball at times. His tackling could use some work, but the effort and physicality needed to be a good tackler are there.
Booth Jr. takes a lot of chances, often looking to make a big play. Sometimes, however, that ambition can lead to big plays for the other side. If he can learn to take gambles at the right time, he could be a big-time playmaker at the pro level, which the Bills could use to further bolster their secondary.
Booth Jr. is a fiery competitor with great football instincts that pair well with his solid length and willingness to be physical. He has a great mix of flashy traits that make stars in the NFL, and the gritty and competitive traits that Sean McDermott wants in a Buffalo Bills defensive back.
Trent McDuffie
Washington/5’11/193 lbs/Junior
Trent McDuffie is the second of the two best cornerbacks that the Bills could land at pick #25 in this year’s draft. While McDuffie might be a little undersized, he certainly does not play that way.
The Washington product is a very physical and willingly aggressive tackler who thrives in zone coverage. McDuffie has great speed, even better instincts, and the ability to change directions which is necessary to keep up with faster receivers underneath.
Washington is a very zone-heavy defense, which tailors McDuffie’s strengths to what Buffalo does best, that being zone coverage.
McDuffie has not played a whole lot of man coverage, but in the instances where he has, his athleticism and quickness have benefitted him, particularly underneath. His physicality and toughness also help him a ton in press coverage, where he is not afraid to go up and challenge bigger receivers on higher throws.
Though he is undersized, McDuffie plays much bigger than he actually is, and that kind of toughness and fearlessness is exactly what Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane look for in defenders who don the Buffalo Bills uniform.
McDuffie’s tackling ability and aggressiveness allow him to limit yardage after the catch and contribute to his effectiveness in short-range man coverage. In this sense, McDuffie’s physicality and ability to play bigger than his frame is a trait that the corner he would be replacing, Levi Wallace, did not have.
McDuffie’s size and skill set are very reminiscent of Jaire Alexander. Alexander was profiled similarly to how McDuffie is being profiled now; as an undersized corner who is very physical, versatile, and fast.
McDuffie does not quite have the ball production that Alexander had coming out, only intercepting two passes and forcing three fumbles in 28 collegiate games. However, his ball skills are just as good as Alexander’s were. That lack of ball production would not be too much of a concern for his fit as a corner for the Bills though, as no corner currently on the Buffalo roster tallied more than one interception in 2021.
McDuffie’s skill set is very well suited for what the Buffalo Bills like to do defensively, and he would be a quality addition to one of the league’s best secondaries.
Roger McCreary
Auburn/5’11”/190 lbs/Senior
Roger McCreary would be the top defensive back coming out of the SEC if it were not for LSU’s Derek Stingley being the country’s best defensive back prospect.
McCreary defended a whopping 14 passes in 2021, and a total of 30 passes in 39 collegiate games. He also intercepted six passes in that same span. He is always looking to make a play on the ball in coverage and has the willingness to tackle that Sean McDermott loves to have in his defensive backfield.
The Auburn product was one of college football’s best in man coverage in 2021. He is very good in press coverage and does a great job of mirroring and staying with his man throughout the route.
McCreary is also very good in zone coverage. His instincts and speed when closing in on the ball are tremendous and does a good job keeping his eyes on the quarterback while in coverage.
Given that McCreary has a good balance of skill in both man and zone coverage, he is a versatile player that can be used on both the outside and in the nickel. No matter where on the field he plays, McCreary is aggressive in his attempts to make plays on the ball.
One of McCreary’s few downsides is just his size. McCreary is not very long for an NFL corner, and he is susceptible to getting pushed around sometimes due to his frame. This is a problem that Levi Wallace had, and one that current Bills corner Dane Jackson has.
Despite that, McCreary has a lot of positive traits that the Buffalo Bills and likely several other teams will like. He is an experienced and productive three-year starter who has balanced coverage skills, physical toughness, and football instincts that would make him a good fit across the field from Tre’Davious White.
Kaiir Elam
Florida/6’2”/191 lbs/Junior
Picking Kaiir Elam at 25 would be a bit of a reach for Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills, but there is a chance that he will be around when they pick again at 57, and there is a whole lot to like about the Florida product.
Elam is the first prospect on this list who is significantly better in one kind of coverage than another. In Elam’s case, he is a much better zone corner than he is in man.
When in zone coverage, Elam’s great size and good ball skills are able to shine and allow him to attack the ball. However, when he is man, Elam tends to get handsy and has had instances of allowing big plays downfield when left alone with a speedy and/or explosive receiver.
Elam is not hopeless when in man coverage, however, as his size allows him to overpower receivers at the line of scrimmage with man coverage and quickly take receivers out of the play.
That type of physicality would certainly impress Sean McDermott, and Elam’s coverage skill set is very much in line with what successful Buffalo Bills corners have been since McDermott took over in 2017.
As far as tackling goes, Elam leaves a lot to be desired as far as consistency goes. He is not as aggressive in tackling as he is when the ball is in the air, making him the first corner on this list to not be a willing tackler. He takes odd angles to the ball which causes problems for him not only in tackling but in man coverage as well. These miscalculations of angles cause Elam to fall a step or two behind his opponent, and are the source of a lot of the inconsistencies in his game as a whole.
Elam is a prospect that the Buffalo Bills could easily fall in love with due to his zone skill set, but they would have to develop the inconsistent aspects of his game in order to get the most out of the early round pick they would have to use to get him. If there is any coaching staff that can accomplish this, it is the one that turned players like Levi Wallace and Dane Jackson into competitive pro corners. If the Bills develop him well, Elam could be an excellent fit in Buffalo.
Kyler Gordon
Washington/6’0/194 lbs/Redshirt Junior
Kyler Gordon is the second Washington corner on this list, and he could be available at pick #57 if the Buffalo Bills decided to go a different direction in the first round.
Gordon’s standout trait is his remarkable athleticism. He is quick and dynamic, which benefits him greatly in man coverage. An athlete of Gordon’s caliber in the Buffalo secondary would be a welcome addition to what is already a very athletic unit.
Gordon is an excellent tackler, limiting extra yardage on short catches, and he is particularly good at tackling in open space. Open space tackling has been a bit of a problem for a portion of the Buffalo defense (see the Week 11 game against the Colts and the Week 13 game against the Patriots), and Gordon’s ability in that scenario would be useful.
In zone coverage, Gordon is a solid defender who has a knack for being able to close on the ball and make plays on the ball. The Buffalo defense can always use another quality zone corner, and Gordon’s consistency in that area would prove to be valuable for the Bills.
As for man coverage, Gordon is usually good as well, helped in large part by his athleticism and ability to be dynamic. However, there are times when receivers shake Gordon on their second move, but he is able to recover nicely due to his closing speed and ability to get his hands on the ball.
Gordon also fits the common theme of all the corners on this list (sans Kaiir Elam) of being a physical tackler who is willing to get aggressive. These are the types of players that Sean McDermott loves.
Gordon is an intriguing prospect who has a high football I.Q that helps him in zone coverage, and he would be an excellent fit for the Buffalo Bills if he falls to them.