Pro Football Focus dropped their first mock draft ahead of the 2020 NFL draft. Boy, is it a doozy.
The football analytics outlet took their swing with the No. 22 overall pick belonging to the Buffalo Bills at the upcoming draft and the pick is cornerback.
The talented player in his own right is Jaylon Johnson from Utah.
Here’s how PFF explains that:
Johnson has been a riser up PFF’s board all year and has instincts for the position on par with any corner in this class. He’s talked before about how tape study led to his pick-six against Washington, and that would fit in nicely in Sean McDermott’s defense.
While Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane has repeatedly said in the past that he wants to put himself in a position to take the “best player available” when the draft roles around, a cornerback seems like maybe the most unlikely.
First, Levi Wallace, the incumbent No. 2 cornerback for the Bills across from Tre’Davious White, is an exclusive-rights free agent. That means the Bills can offer him a league-minimum contract and he has to accept it or not play for anyone next season. So he’s essentially locked up for another year. Or Buffalo can try to re-sign Kevin Johnson, who also rotated in and out for the Bills at the No. 2 cornerback spot.
By PFF’s own measurements, Wallace and Johnson were the NFL’s 44th and 26th best cornerbacks in the league this season. But they’ll invest a first-round pick in another? That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for the Bills with other positions such as wide receiver and edge defender, heck, even defensive tackle and running back could be bigger areas to address for the Bills. That’s how far-fetched a cornerback seems.
Not to mention, the Bills are approaching the horizon of having to pay up some big bucks to White.
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