2022 Buffalo Bills Mock Draft: Round 1

Welcome to draft season 2022!! As is customary at this time of year, I and the Buffalo Fanatics writers have collectively jumped into the mock draft rabbit hole. Over the next seven weeks, we shall go through each round and decide what the Buffalo Bills will do with their given picks. Who will they take? Will they trade up or down the draft board? There’s only one way to find out.

So, with their first pick in the 2022 Buffalo Fanatics Writers Mock Draft, the Buffalo Bills select…

Alex Spencer: WR Treylon Burks – Arkansas

Standing at 6’2”, 225 lbs, Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks would be a great fit in the Buffalo Bills offense. Burks would add size, speed, and youth to our wide receiver core. Burks ran a 4.55 40 yard dash, but do not let that confuse you. His game speed is much better than his 40 time shows. Treylon Burks at 25 would be a great pick for the Bills.

Jon Witt: WR Treylon Burks – Arkansas

If Burks is available at 25, the Bills should run to the podium with the pick in hand. Burks is a big, strong, athletic WR who has very good speed for his size. He can take the top off a defense as well as be a weapon out of the backfield. There are a lot of Deebo Samuel traits to his game, and as he often lined up at running back in college. Burks would be another dynamic weapon to an already potent Bills offense. There is no doubt he could step in on day one and contribute.

Alex Lucci (aka Thigh Doctor): Trade Up with Eagles, Select DT Jordan Davis – Georgia

Trade Details

Teams	Picks Received (Round)
Buffalo Bills	#19 (1st)
Philadelphia Eagles	#25 (1st), 89 (3rd), & 168 (5th)

Jordan Davis

The Bills select an athletic freak of nature who will fill a need and, ideally, catalyze the defense to new heights. Measuring at 6’6” and 340 lbs, Davis ran a 4.78 40 yard dash. The film does not lie, this man child is a game wrecker. He has been mislabeled as a two-down DT. A player with this size and speed should be on the field as long as he can manage.

Kent Lee Platte on Twitter: “Jordan Davis has currently tested as the most athletic defensive tackle in the #RAS database, with his 20 split unofficial.Most nose tackles skip the agility drills, and if he’s done, then he’s top dog. pic.twitter.com/AF995HJWmk / Twitter”

Jordan Davis has currently tested as the most athletic defensive tackle in the #RAS database, with his 20 split unofficial.Most nose tackles skip the agility drills, and if he’s done, then he’s top dog. pic.twitter.com/AF995HJWmk

Pairing a stud in the middle with Oliver should allow the defense to cash in on their pressures. The Bills seem to ‘get close’, but the sacks have not mounted up over the past two seasons. With a behemoth like Davis pressing the middle of the pocket, the rest of the DL will feast. Turnovers a plenty too. You got to be saying it: ”Jordan Davis, no matter what!!”

Trish Patel: WR Jahan Dotson – Penn State

The Bills are in desperate need of WR depth, especially if Beasley gets his trade. Dotson is a younger, more agile hybrid of Stefon Diggs and Jarvis Landry. His route running is elite. It is very fun to watch him cut, spin, and jump his way through defenders. Imagine having Diggs on one side, Gabriel Davis on the other, and this guy marking his territory in the slot? Allen would have targets for days.

Iestyn Harris: CB Andrew Booth Jr. – Clemson

If we’re being honest, Booth could be taken before pick #25, even in such a deep cornerback class. That depth in position is the only reason a player of his talent would fall to us, and Booth genuinely will. He excels in a zone scheme like Buffalo’s, but still levies top-tier man coverage technique alongside his elite awareness and physicality. He would be an excellent fit for the Bills. His weaknesses are solely concentrated within five yards of the line of scrimmage, where he has issues with press coverage and getting leverage early in the snap. Surrounded by All-Pro defensive backs and coached by John Butler in the secondary, Booth could see improvement and development early in his NFL career, mitigating his weaknesses.

Bryce Martino: WR Treylon Burks – Arkansas

An underrated position of need for the Buffalo Bills would be WR, with Emmanuel Sanders hitting free agency and Cole Beasley seemingly on his way out. Burks, paired up with Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs, would make for a fantastic WR core for Josh Allen. The 6’2” Burks ran an impressive 4.55 at the combine. His size, mixed with his speed, would make him an unstoppable receiver for opposing defenses. Last year, Burks totaled 1,104 yards and 11 TDs on 66 receptions with a 16.7 yards per reception average.

Pete Rubinstein: WR Treylon Burks – Arkansas

Treylon Burks is my pick at #25 for the Bills. Coming out of Arkansas, Burks balled out this year, hauling in 66 catches for 1,104 yards and 11 touchdowns, including 179 yards and two scores against Alabama. One of his best traits is his size. Burks is 6’2”, 225 lbs, and has excellent hand size. Burks is also a freak athlete who played two other sports in high school: track and baseball. Many consider him a poor man’s A.J. Brown.

I made the pick at #25 despite a more glaring need at cornerback mainly due to the uncertainty at the #3 receiver spot. With Cole Beasley most likely on his way out and Isaiah McKenzie not guaranteed to re-sign, the Bills offense needs to stay consistent to where it has been these past few seasons. With Burks’ size and athleticism, he will help keep it that way for years to come.

Zach Vaughn: G/C Zion Johnson – Boston College

As much as I’d love for the Bills to “maintain their fastball” and take a WR, finally address CB2 with a premium pick, or even draft a thicc boi one-tech DT, it won’t happen. Deep down, we all know this. However, I do think they take a hog mollie at 25. Zion Johnson (6’3”, 314 lbs.) is smart, strong, athletic, and both position and scheme versatile. By selecting a player like Johnson, the Bills would upgrade their interior offensive line – in the short and long term – as well as show a greater commitment to protecting their franchise QB; something Seattle failed to do with Russell Wilson.

Kent Lee Platte on Twitter: “Zion Johnson is a OG prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.55 RAS at the Combine out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 54 out of 1175 OG from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/nNM0bZfHhm #RAS via @Mathbomb pic.twitter.com/8FZx4bbkoX / Twitter”

Zion Johnson is a OG prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.55 RAS at the Combine out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 54 out of 1175 OG from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/nNM0bZfHhm #RAS via @Mathbomb pic.twitter.com/8FZx4bbkoX

What do you think the Bills will do in the first round? Leave a comment below!!