With the first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select…who?

After a playoff season, Buffalo places themselves towards the end of the first round in this year’s NFL draft with pick 25.

Most players selected toward the end of the first round can still be expected to perform at a high level, and in some cases, fill a gap on the team as a starting player. In this year’s draft, there will still be plenty of good players available at number 25 overall.

But what do the Bills need on this team? Being the team that they are and the success that they’ve had recently, there can’t be that many holes on the team, right? Well, not exactly.

I would say there is one concrete, undisputed need on this roster right now, as well as multiple other positions that could be due for an upgrade at the very least. The position that this team is in dire need of? Cornerback.

Buffalo has the nice luxury of having a premier top-five cornerback in the league in Tre’Davious White. However, White suffered a torn ACL in week 12 of last year’s NFL season. To add on top of this, Buffalo parted ways with the cornerback who played opposite of White in Levi Wallace.

Until White’s return, which is estimated to be sometime in October, Buffalo is left very thin at the position. So which prospects in this year’s NFL draft could come in and bolster the cornerback room?

Routinely being mocked to the Bills in mock drafts, Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr. is the most popular name being linked to the Bills at 25 right now. Booth Jr. is a 6’0″, 21-year-old cornerback who was a 5-star recruit coming into college.

Booth Jr., who received significant playing time dating back to his freshman year at Clemson, could be the fit the Bills are looking for opposite of Tre’Davious White. He’s a battle-tested player, facing off against top wide receiver talent in the ACC.

Booth Jr. is known for his eye-popping ball skills, being able to go up and grab the football away from the wide receiver. He often makes circus-like interceptions. One that sticks out is a one-handed interception against Virginia.

It’s worth noting that Buffalo had a private visit with Booth Jr. on one of their top-30 prospect visits.

Other names that could be a fit at the cornerback position with pick 25 are Florida’s Kaiir Elam, who’s a longer, more man coverage-styled cornerback. Washington’s Kyler Gordon is another name to keep an eye out for at pick 25.

Another position that many Bills fans have clamored for an upgrade at is running back.

In recent years, taking a running back in the first round has been frowned upon around the league. This is because of how replaceable the position is, and how the contract may look as opposed to signing one for cheap.

However, it is a possibility that Buffalo decides to take a running back in round one, as Head Coach Sean McDermott has exclaimed his desire to have quarterback Josh Allen run less.

In an interview in late March, McDermott explained his reasoning for having his star quarterback run less.

“We’re always trying to evolve — on the field, off the field, schematically — and in this case with Josh’s running or the number of times that we run him, we have to continue to evolve that way and make sure we’re doing right by him by doing right by our team. So, we are going to keep a close eye on that,” McDermott said.

The one running back that could be the pick at number 25 is Iowa State’s Breece Hall.

Hall has been a consistent producer for Iowa State dating back to his freshman year. He has stuffed the stat sheet, amassing a total of 3,941 rushing yards and 50 rushing touchdowns.

Hall moves with quickness and shiftiness which is shocking for his size. He’s 6’1” and moves at such a fast pace. This is evident in his 4.39 40-yard dash time. He has true home run hitting speed.

With his success on the ground, it’s just a bonus that Hall is a competent receiver out of the backfield as well, which could fit well in the Bills’ offense.

According to the Bills Wire at USA Today, the Bills met with Breece Hall on one of their top-30 visits.

Another position the Bills could look to address in round one is wide receiver.

Arkansas’ Treylon Burks is a mountain of a man, whose game is reminiscent of San Francisco 49ers star Deebo Samuel.

Burks stands 6’3″ weighing in at 225 lbs. His best ability on the football field is what he can do when the ball is in his hands.

Utilized in a multitude of ways at Arkansas, Burks can be used on gadget plays, through the air, or even direct snaps.

As long as the ball is in his hands, Burks can make a play out of nothing thanks to his athleticism and size.

Names like Penn State’s Jahan Dotson and North Dakota State’s Christian Watson are also names in play for pick 25.

Buffalo is in the position where they can take whoever they desire at 25. Cornerback is the only position group that truly needs to be bolstered.

Running back would be a fine pick, adding a home run hitter to the running back group is something that could see the offense progress even more.

Adding a wide receiver just helps the team keep their fastball. Adding another guy to a solid group of Diggs, Davis and Crowder could seriously set the receiving room up for a big year.

Some other positions to keep an eye out for in the later round of the draft would be offensive guard, linebacker, safety and tight end.

Now just looking for some finishing touches on the roster, if the Bills hit on the right guys in this year’s draft, these players could be the final piece to the puzzle on an already Super Bowl caliber roster.