2022 Buffalo Bills Mock Draft: Round 4

There’s no earthly way of knowing, which direction [Brandon] Beane is going. There’s no knowing where they – the Buffalo Bills – are rowing or which way the draft board’s flowing. Is it raining? Is it snowing? Or is a hurricane a-blowing?

Not a speck of light is showing, so the mock draft must be growing. Are the fires of Hell [New Jersey] a-glowing? Is the grisly reaper [Josh Allen] mowing?

Yes, the danger must be growing. For BF’s Writers keep on rolling [with their picks]. And they’re certainly not showing any signs that they are slowing!!

Pete Rubinstein

Previous Picks

Round	Player	College
1	WR Jahan Dotson	Penn State
2	CB Roger McCreary	Auburn
3	LB Troy Andersen	Montana State

Round 4: TE Jelani Woods – Virginia

Virginia tight end Jelani Woods is my pick for the Bills at #130. A quarterback turned tight end transfer from Oklahoma State, Woods was named First-Team All-ACC in 2021. Standing at nearly 6 feet, 7 inches tall, he has huge mittens and is a raw route runner. Woods would use this year to develop behind Dawson Knox and O.J. Howard, both of whom are free agents next offseason.

Trish Patel

Previous Picks

Round	Player	College
1	CB Trent McDuffie	Washington
2	WR George Pickens	Georgia
3	LB Jojo Domann	Nebraska

Round 4: TE Jelani Woods – Virginia

Does this even need to be explained? The guy is a stud and, even with Knox and Howard on the roster, I don’t see a solid TE3. Why not get a solid backup who can train under Knox for some time before needing to be used?

Alex Spencer

Previous Picks

Round	Player	College
1	WR Treylon Burks	Arkansas
2	CB Kyler Gordon	Washington
3	CB Cam Taylor-Britt	Nebraska

Round 4: IOL Lecitus Smith – Virginia Tech

With pick #130, I have the Buffalo Bills taking IOL Lecitus Smith. Smith has very quick feet, allowing him to have success out in space. After signing Ryan Bates to a 4 year extension, and the addition of Rodger Saffold, Smith would not only find a comfortable spot as a backup his rookie year, he will also have the ability to work with OL coach Aaron Kromer to improve his technique and hand placement. Smith is already a solid pass blocker, but is inconsistent at best in his run blocking.

He is undersized for his position, standing at 6’3” and 314 pounds, but his athleticism gives him the ability to make up for his frame. Smith has a RAS score of 6.58. Smith is far from a perfect product, but could serve as a good value in Round 4 as a developmental piece for the Bills.

Iestyn Harris

Previous Picks

Round	Player	College
1	CB Andrew Booth Jr.	Clemson
2	TE Trey McBride	Colorado State
3	WR Skyy Moore	Western Michigan

Round 4: P Matt Araiza – San Diego State

With very few quick-footed interior offensive linemen available, Buffalo opts to pull off something of a reach in Round 4. Is it too early to grab a punter? Maybe. But surely the value of locking up a franchise special teamer for 4-5 seasons outweighs the investment in a potential backup as we contend for a Super Bowl? This may be the only area on the roster we need to draft a starter at.

Punter is a position of underrated importance, and a weakness in that area caused a lot of trouble during one of the team’s most important stretches in 2021-22. Matt Araiza is one of the best punting prospects of the past decade, and it would be foolish to lose him based on the perceived value of a fourth-round pick. Get your guy, don’t look back.

Jon Witt

Previous Picks

Round	Player	College
1	CB Andrew Booth Jr.	Clemson
2	WR George Pickens	Georgia
3	LB Channing Tindall	Georgia

Round 4: WR Justyn Ross – Clemson

The Bills should just keep feeding Josh weapons!! Ross is a big (6’4”, 205 lbs), able body receiver who exploded onto the scene in Clemson his freshman and sophomore year. He totaled 112 receptions, 1,865 yards, and 17 TDs in those two seasons. His junior year was hindered by a neck injury, but he has since recovered and is still the same playmaker who tore it up previously. Ross is a vertical threat who knows how to use his size to win a jump ball. He is a nightmare for shorter corners. Add him to the mix of weapons Allen already has, and Ross should excel.

Bryce Martino

Previous Picks

Round	Player	College
1	WR Treylon Burks	Arkansas
2	CB Roger McCreary	Auburn
3	G Ed Ingram	LSU

Round 4: RB Jerome Ford – Cincinnati

The Buffalo Bills have struggled to find a RB for the longest time, and with Devin Singletary’s big second half of the season in 2021, they may have found their guy. But there’s still room for improvement on the run game, which brings us to Jerome Ford. The Bills almost signed JD McKissic at the start of free agency, but were beat out by the Washington Commanders, and later signed Duke Johnson. With Johnson here to help in the passing game, Ford would bring some power to the Bills run game that they haven’t had since Fred Jackson, along with some pass blocking, where he is also good at. Last season, Ford totaled 1,319 yards and 19 TDs on 215 attempts, along with a 6.1 yards per carry average.

Alex Lucci (Thigh Doctor)

Previous Picks

Round	Player	College
1	WR Jahan Dotson	Penn State
2	CB Tariq Woolen	UTSA
3	IOL Dylan Parham	Memphis

Round 4: LB Jesse Luketa – Penn State

Luketa is the AJ Klein replacement.

Kevin Siracuse

Previous Picks

Round	Player	College
1	CB Andrew Booth Jr.	Clemson
2	WR Christian Watson	North Dakota State
3	RB James Cook	Georgia

Round 4: CB Zyon McCollum – Sam Houston State

Cornerback is the thinnest, weakest position for the Buffalo Bills right now. I thought really hard about drafting a linebacker here to be Tremaine Edmunds’ replacement, but I think the Bills are setting him up to improve with a revamped defensive line. So, until the Bills add a corner in free agency, I’m drafting two of them in order to complete this roster.

Zyon McCollum has some freakish physical traits. He is 6’4”, 202 pounds and has a 74” wingspan. At the combine, he recorded a 39.5” vertical jump (second among CBs), 11 foot broad jump (first among CBs), and a 4.33 40-yard dash – third fastest among all defensive players. His impressive length, athleticism, and ball skills (54 pass breakups and 13 INTs in five years) have caught the attention of NFL scouts and draft analysts and elevating his draft stock to the point where he could become a day two pick.

However, a concern with McCollum is that he played against lesser competition in the FCS; he didn’t have to cover as many elite wide receivers as Andrew Booth, Kyler Gordon, Roger McCreary, and the other FBS corners had to. He may be a bit raw, but his physical traits can’t be overlooked and the Bills have a knack for developing defensive prospects. On top of all that, McCollum has an ideal skill set for zone coverage, so playing in Leslie Frazier’s defense should ease his transition into the NFL.

Zach Vaughn

Previous Picks

Round	Player	College
1	WR Treylon Burks	Arkansas
2	RB Breece Hall	Iowa State
3	IOL Ed Ingram	LSU

The Ryan Bates and Ike Boettger re-signings have changed my approach for this mock draft. Since the Buffalo Bills have reasonable guard depth now, (and yes, I’m aware Boettger is injured), they only have a significant need at CB. However, they will probably sign a veteran to compete for the CB2/interim CB1 role with Dane Jackson, Cam Lewis, and the others. This means that, as Brandon Beane says, they’ll approach the draft looking for the best players available.

Round 4: TE Jelani Woods – Virginia

Eric Galko on Twitter: “🚨🚨🚨Per @MathBomb, Virginia TE Jelani Woods is now #1 most athletic tight end prospect EVER!At Pro Day, Woods added to awesome Combine with the follow numbersVJ: 37.5BJ: 10’9SS: 4.223C: 6.91All would’ve been #1 at TE at NFL Combine#1 Athlete at TE all time #ShrineBowl pic.twitter.com/SGgIUNuqy2 / Twitter”

🚨🚨🚨Per @MathBomb, Virginia TE Jelani Woods is now #1 most athletic tight end prospect EVER!At Pro Day, Woods added to awesome Combine with the follow numbersVJ: 37.5BJ: 10’9SS: 4.223C: 6.91All would’ve been #1 at TE at NFL Combine#1 Athlete at TE all time #ShrineBowl pic.twitter.com/SGgIUNuqy2

What’s better than having two athletic freaks at TE this year? Having three athletic freaks at TE this year. Woods is somewhat raw, but has the size, traits, athleticism, and potential to be a complete matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. (He would also provide affordable depth in 2023 and beyond.) Woods can take on an immediate role for the Bills this year as a run blocker and hone his receiving craft in practice with an experienced coach (Rob Boras), TEs (Knox and Howard), and The Winter Unicorn Creature of Death (Josh Allen).

What do you think the Buffalo Bills will do? Leave a comment below!!