The transactions over the initial weeks of the NFL’s new year have shifted the landscape of the league quite a bit. Major names have been traded and significant free agents shifted their homes. This has an impact on many teams with their choices at the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills among them.
The Bills Wire staff now takes a look at how the Bills’ moves will impact their draft selections. The most glaring change in this version is that Buffalo does not have a first-round pick, as that draft slot was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. The Bills will need to be judicious with their remaining picks, finding value with the loss of a high-profile pick.
Editor Nick Wojton, along with staff writers Justin DiLoro, McKenna Middlebrook, Kyle Silagyi, and Matt Johnson, make their predictions for Buffalo’s picks in this edition of The Bills Wire staff four-round mock draft.
Here’s a look at each of their four-round mock drafts for the Bills, following the start of the league year and free agency:
Round 2 | Pick No. 54
Nick’s Pick: DE Julian Okwara | Notre Dame
The Bills saw Devin Singletary take the NFL by storm last year and they shouldn’t forget one thing: he was a third-round pick. The Bills don’t need to reach here for a bak.
Buffalo’s best value in Round 2 might be an edge defender with some pass rush potential. The Bill have Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison already over 30. Trent Murphy, on the final year of his contract, is 29 himself. Julian Okwara could be a given a redshirt type of season, while still seeing a nice chunk of playing time in the defensive line rotation that the Bills run.At 6-foot-4, 252 pounds, Okwara has the makings of an NFL defensive end. Okwara sat out the recent combine due to injury, but he’s flashed as a strong pass rusher who plays with a high motor, something the Bills will covet.
Since 2018, Okwara’s 19.1 QB pressure percent led college football, per Pro Football Focus, and 33 percent of his career tackles went for loss. Run defense is where Okwara will likely need to prove his worth at the pro level, but that’s where a less-pressured rookie seasons comes into play.
Justin’s Pick: CB Damon Arnette | Ohio State
As is the case with no first-round pick, the Bills might not find a player that addresses a short-term need. So we’ll have the Bills address the player who will start opposite Tre’Davious White in 2021 instead. Damon Arnette was solid across the way from consensus top-cornerback prospect Jeff Okudah. Arnette can play both inside and out on the boundary. This flexibility will make him a very good support player in the secondary for Buffalo this year.
Arnette is a physical cornerback. He is aggressive in man-to-man coverage and thrives in press coverage. While he is not a burner (4.56 unofficial 40-yard dash time, according to NFL.com), he is an intelligent player who makes the right decision most of the time on the field. He needs refinement within zone coverage schemes. However, the Bills have had a great deal of success with developing secondary players under Sean McDermott, and the same would most likely happen for Arnette.
Kyle’s Pick: WR K.J. Hamler | Penn State
Though the Bills’ receiving corps is arguably among the league’s best after the acquisition of Stefon Diggs, the position group gets thin at the bottom of the depth chart. Robert Foster, Isaiah McKenzie, and Duke Williams certainly bring unique aspects to the team’s receiver room, but if Buffalo has the opportunity to add youth and big-play ability to the unit through a day-two selection, it should take advantage of it.
Enter K.J. Hamler. The speedy wideout out of Penn State is an ever-present home-run threat, a slot wideout who consistently creates separation with speed. Though he’s a bit undersized at 5-foot-9, 178-pounds, winning with size is not necessarily part of his game. He wins with agility off the line of scrimmage and sub-4.40 speed.
He’d be a rotational receiver in Buffalo’s offense straight away, a gadget player who could spell Cole Beasley from time to time. His immediate production would likely be far from earth-shattering, but long-term, Hamler could develop into a multi-use wideout – a burner who would also be useful in the short-to-intermediate passing game. By 2022, he could be a focal point of the team’s offense.
McKenna’s Pick: RB Clyde Edwards-Helarie | LSU
This pick may ruffle some of my colleagues’ feathers, but going into the draft the Bills still need playmakers. During Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s three-year career at LSU he ran for 2,103 yards, and 23 touchdowns. He became a household name during his final year, where he helped lead LSU to a title. While he ran the ball well, he was also effective as a pass-catcher, in his junior year he caught 43 passes for 453 yards and one touchdown. LSU’s offense had him lineup in the backfield and out wide to catch passes, where he showed off slick route running to create separation from linebackers and defensive backs.
He doesn’t have the measurements of a traditional NFL running back, he stands at 5-foot-8 and weighs in at 209 pounds, but those sorts of measurements actually play to his strengths as a runner. Edwards-Helaire is a patient yet physical runner who makes would-be tacklers miss with jump cuts, spins, or simply lowering his shoulder. In both versatility and production, there may not be a better running back in the draft.
Matt’s Pick: RB Cam Akers | Florida State
After a strong free agency period, one position that’s a little higher in demand for depth than others is at running back. In a draft that is QB, WR, and DL heavy, Buffalo could have their pick of the litter when it comes to the top RB prospects.
Edwards-Helaire is an option, but Cam Akers of Florida State is the pick. Devin Singletary is the guy in Buffalo, but he needs his complement. Many of the better teams in the NFL have used talented RB duos and have found success. Buffalo can get a top-10 talent from this RB class in Round 2. Over three seasons, Akers gained 2,875 rushing yards, 27 rushing touchdowns, 486 receiving yards, and seven receiving scores.
The Philadelphia Eagles have conducted a pre-draft interview with KJ Hamler (via @MikeGarafolo).
The former Penn State WR could be a potential 2nd round option.
Philly could definitely use some speed like this…pic.twitter.com/bUxmEXAebj
— Barstool Penn State (@PSUBarstool) March 31, 2020