The NFL Draft is under a month away and dreams will be coming true live from Pittsburgh as prospects will wait to hear their names called onto the stage. As of right now, the Buffalo Bills have seven picks to use which include two picks in the 5th round. Buffalo doesn’t have a second round pick as they sent that to the Bears to acquire D.J. Moore.
While Brandon Beane remained as the general manager of the Bills (and also receiving a promotion), the Bills have a new coaching regime led by Joe Brady. Since 2017, it’s been Sean McDermott in the draft room with Beane. It’s a new era for Buffalo and one of the main focuses that this new regime has said was that each decision will be made with Josh Allen in mind.
Allen is starting to slowly approach the middle of his prime. The Bills’ Super Bowl window is open, but it closes a little each year when they don’t make it or win the Super Bowl.
With that in mind, we have a 7-round mock draft in which this mock gives Josh Allen exactly what he needs for the short-term and long-term future while he is a Bill.
Round 1, #26: WR KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
Even with the trade for D.J. Moore, the Bills still need another receiver who can add another element to this offense. Texas A&M wideout KC Concepcion knows exactly what the Bills are about as they were his dad’s favorite team while Concepcion was growing up and he was born in Rochester, NY.
Not to mention, Concepcion is coming off a very productive season with the Aggies where he had 919 yards and 9 touchdowns while averaging over 15 yards per reception. Buffalo addressed the wide receiver position early on and they immediately upgraded it compared to what it has been the last two seasons.
Round 3, #91: LB Deontae Lawson, Alabama
Buffalo needs another linebacker or two before the summer comes. With the switch to a 3-4 defense under Jim Leonhard, the Bills are going to need linebacker help to add. Outside of Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams, there is not a ton of depth as of right now.
Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson is someone that would be a perfect fit for Buffalo’s defense under Leonhard. He can blitz fast and slip off of blocks to make a play. Not to mention, he can also drop back into coverage when needed.
Round 4, #126: OT Tristan Leigh, Clemson
The Bills are going to need to start to think about the future at left tackle. Dion Dawkins is still playing at a high level, but he’s not getting any younger. It wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to draft someone who can develop over time and potentially take over for Dawkins at some point in the near future.
Tristan Leigh has great size and has a ton of playing experience at the collegiate level. Getting him in the 4th round would be a great investment to the trenches for the future.
Round 5, #165 (via Chicago): DT Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
The Bills went heavy on the defensive line in last year’s draft, but there is no reason why they shouldn’t draft another defensive tackle, especially if they can get someone like Dontay Corleone from Cincinnati.
At 6'1", 335lbs, Corleone is someone that can make a mess in the middle of the trenches and take on double blocks to leave someone else open to fly in and make a play. Buffalo’s run-defense was atrocious last season, so they would benefit from any kind of addition that they make.
Round 5, #168: OG Anez Cooper, (Miami)
After getting Leigh in the 4th round, the Bills add more depth to the offensive line with Miami guard Anez Cooper who is compared to current Bills’ offensive guard O’Cyrus Torrence by NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.Â
Cooper is solid in pass protection and has a great eye to pick up a rush that is coming towards him from either a player in the first level or the second level. Buffalo signed Alec Anderson and Austin Corbett to one-year deals, so adding Cooper to the mix gives the Bills plenty of competition.
Round 6, #182 (via Raiders): EDGE Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan
Nadame Tucker is an interesting prospect. He spent three seasons at the University of Houston before going to Western Michigan where he racked up 14.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles. With Buffalo still needing edge rusher help, adding Tucker late in Day 3 would be ideal competition for training camp.
Round 7, #220: LB Bryce Boettcher, Oregon
The Bills end this mock draft with grabbing another linebacker in Bryce Boettcher out of Oregon, who improved every single season throughout his college career. He is coming off his first 100+ tackle season. He also has had 9 pass deflections in the past two seasons.
Adding another linebacker would not be a bad option for the Bills, especially someone who has improved his production every season.