2022 NFL Draft: Worst-case scenarios in the first round for the Buffalo Bills

What are some of the worst-case scenarios for the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft?

The draft is late this week, and rumors have started to fly around the NFL about what players teams are interested in or teams interested in trading, either up or down. While the Bills usually can stay out of any significant rumors, they were linked to Iowa State Running Back Breece Hall after Chris Simms said that he has heard Buffalo “has a little love affair” with Hall. Other than that, the Bills have remained pretty mysterious about who they could pick with the 25th overall pick.

While it may be easier to project the good outcomes, it is only right to look at what the worst-case scenarios could be for Buffalo. While you would hope Brandon Beane may be able to avoid a worst-case scenario situation, it may potentially be unavoidable. The Bills pick so late in the first round that it is difficult to dictate how the draft goes.

Buffalo Bills get stuck at 25

The Bills being stuck at 25 may be a part of their own plans, and staying at 25 could work out in their favor. However, it is one of the most awkward drafting positions there is. The Bills GM was on WGR550 this week and spoke about how the Bills don’t have 32 first-round grades on players and that the number of first-round grades is much less.

This means the Bills could potentially be drafting at 25 without any players on the board who they gave first-round grades. This would suggest picking a player they ultimately valued as a second-rounder in the first round.

You could argue that the Bills could trade back, but that task seems more complicated than it may be. Some teams may be looking to jump back into the first round but moving down in the draft may be difficult considering so many teams are rumored to be looking to move down instead of up.

Essentially the Buffalo Bills could get stuck where they are at 25. Drafting a player who they believe has second-round value with their first-round pick is not the end of the world. Still, it clearly is a less than ideal situation.

There Is A Run On Skill Players

The Bills are clearly not in the market for certain position groups in the draft. Those groups could really affect the Bills’ draft plans, though. The uncertainty around the quarterbacks in this draft could spell trouble for the Bills, as could a potential hiatus of offensive tackles being drafted. This draft has fantastic skill players.

Wide Receiver and cornerback are two of the most talented position groups in this year’s draft. Add the fact that this is the modern NFL, where passing is the most essential part of the offense, and these positions are being prioritized by teams.

This is not to say that the Buffalo Bills desperately need either wide receivers or cornerbacks. Still, the last thing they want is for all the premium talent at those two positions to be drafted and end up with a bunch of quarterbacks, offensive tackles, and defensive ends available at 25. Brandon Beane is huge on adding good players to the team. Still, there is no reason to create a logjam at positions you have already invested so much money and young talent into.

Additionally, what could worsen things is if a player like Breece Hall is taken before 25. Hall, a running back out of Iowa State, seems to be a guy that Buffalo could fall back on at 25 considering running backs have not been getting drafted very early. However, with most top-skill players drafted, Buffalo could be stuck with a really poor-looking draft board once they get on the clock.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are not that many horrible scenarios for the Bills. You could argue that they should trade up to get the exact player they want in the first round or trade down and maximize their picks on Day 2 to bring in a versatile set of talent.

Buffalo sits in a place in the draft where they are not a decider of much. It likely will be a patient waiting game with a potential move up the board. While it is hard to gauge the outcome of the draft, the Buffalo Bills probably have a plan in place in case either of these scenarios starts to happen.

The only concern would be what do they do if their first-round graded players are gone, and they cannot find a trade partner to move up or down?