Buffalo Bills: Predicting roles for 2022 draft picks entering second season

Terrel Bernard

One of the biggest question marks entering training camp for the Buffalo Bills is who is going to start at middle linebacker. There doesn't seem to be any clear indicator of who the favorite might be at this point and a decision might not be made until right before the Bills take the field against the New York Jets.

One player that is expected to factor into that discussion is Terrel Bernard, who the Bills drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He would make an impact play in the preseason by returning a fumble for a touchdown but during the regular season didn't get many snaps.

In fact, he would only play 110 defensive snaps and spent the majority of the time on special teams with 254 snaps. The lack of playing time on defense as a rookie makes Bernard a wildcard for this defense, alongside this year's third round pick Dorian Williams.

The coaching staff may give an indication early in training camp who might be leading but that probably will change much. Among all the players from this draft class, Bernard probably has the widest potential outcomes as he could end up being the full-time starter or remain a key special teams contributor. I tend to lean towards the latter but time will tell.