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KC got a haul, but does it make up for losing their best player? Maybe not year 1 but if they are able to figure out how to match their offensive output then they will come out ahead by filling a lot of their holes. Ravens got some nice picks but who the heck are they going to throw to? I don't even know what WR they have at this point. Lamar does not seem happy. Does he even want to re-sign there? No contract talks seems really bizarre. Bills filled a lot of needs this year but what about next year when they need to sign all of their TE's, Edmunds, Poyer, Gabe, OG. Way more needs next year. Probably should have traded one of those later round picks for a pick next year if they weren't sold on anyone. Still need a 3rd option at outside WR. If Stef or Gabe aren't 100% who comes in? Kumerow? Need a better option than that. Sanders wasn't the best but gave the room good leadership too. A savvy vet like that would be good

Milano was similar size aswell. Darius Leonard is smaller. People want to move on from Edmunds. Many prefer Milano to Edmunds. Beane drafts a guy like Milano. Fans, whoa bad pick. I never heard of him. Im also no a pro scout. No one heard of Milano, Taron Johnson, or Gabe Davis either. They felt strongly to invest a pretty high pick in him in a position of need. I think he plays sooner rather than later. He shows enough I could see him playing Will and move Milano to mike if Edmunds isnt extended.

What I mean is: I assume Edmunds and Milano are still on the field most plays. Von will be too. So is Von lining up vs the OT or is he lining up behind a DE and rushing. I suppose we can mix in lots of looks

Bernard is probably not displacing Milano or Edmunds this year. Where do you play him and get value? Answer = Special Teams Matakevich: 6'1" 235, 4.81 40, 4.5 20 yd shuttle, NFL.com grade 5.8, 10 TAK, 1 INT, Bernard: 6'1" 224, 4.59 40 (P), 4.25 20 yd shuttle, NFL.com grade 5.94 Cutting Matakevich after June 1st is a $2.5 Million savings against the cap they can roll over to next year. Matakevich is 29, Bernard is 22.

im stoked on this pick. worst case scenario, he checks the boxes that Edmunds does, while struggling with the same thing, getting off blocks. Hes speedy enough to avoid more blockers though. I think most realistic scenario, theyre mostly a wash, minus $15m cap, decisive , effective blitzer, and higher ceiling. I'm all about this pick

My Bills 53-man roster QUARTERBACK (2) Josh Allen Case Keenum RUNNING BACK (4) Devin Singletary Duke Johnson James Cook Reggie Gilliam (FB) WIDE RECEIVER (6) Stefon Diggs Gabriel Davis Isaiah McKenzie Jamison Crowder Jake Kumerow Khalil Shakir TIGHT END (2) Dawson Knox OJ Howard OFFENSIVE LINE (10) Dion Dawkins Ryan Bates Mitch Morse Roger Saffold Spencer Brown Tommy Doyle Greg Mancz Ike Boettger David Quisenberry Cody Ford DEFENSIVE LINE (9) Von Miller Greg Rousseau Boogie Basham A.J. Epenesa Shaq Lawson Ed Oliver Tim Settle Da’Quan Jones Jordan Phillips LINEBACKER (5) Tremaine Edmunds Matt Milano Tyrel Dodson Tyler Matakevich Terrell Bernard CORNERBACK (6) Tre White Dane Jackson Taron Johnson Siran Neal Kaiir Elam Christian Benford SAFETY (4) Micah Hyde Jordan Porter Jaquan Johnson Damar Hamlin SPECIALISTS (4) K- Tyler Bass P- Matt Araiza LS- Reid Ferguson KR- Marquez Stevenson I’ve got 1 roster spot available to be filled later with a free agent

Davis is the new Edmunds. The Dodgers just got Tre Turner. Cross him off.

**Note: I'm nothing more than a fan, just like all of you. This is nothing more than my opinion. You know how the saying goes: Opinions are like buttholes: everyone's got one and most stink. I don't grade picks, because doing so before the prospects have played a single NFL down is foolish. Instead, I'm just going to discuss my feelings on each pick and my feelings on the class overall.** CB Kaiir Elam - This was not the corner that I had pegged for the Bills in the first round. I thought for sure that his lack of tackling prowess and the perception by some scouts that he is "soft" would keep him off the Bills' draft board. Nevertheless, as I read about his top level athletic traits, speed, high character, work ethic, and coachability, the pick began to make a lot of sense. Tackling is something you can teach. Speed and size are not. In letting Levi Wallace walk and replacing him with Kaiir Elam, the Bills' coaches clearly wanted to upgrade the CB2 spot with a much better, faster athlete -- one that will allow them to diversify their defensive playcalling and to play more man coverage. While they prefer to play zone, the Bills wound up playing the 8th highest percentage of man coverage in the league last year. Now, when they do so, they won't be quite so vulnerable. Overall, this pick adds speed, versatility, and upside to the Bills' secondary, and the timeline of this selection lines up perfectly so that when Elam's ready for a second contract, Tre White will be just about exiting his prime. HB James Cook - When this pick was made, I felt it was a bit of a reach, value wise. It's clear to me, though, that the staff highly prioritized adding a true pass-catching threat to the backfield. I wrongly assumed that Duke Johnson sufficiently checked that box after they struck out on JD McKissic. Instead, they selected the toolsy and under-used James Cook. As I said elsewhere on this forum, one of the main ways the Bills intend to beat two-high coverage going forward is to use checkdowns and dumpoffs. Cook can take those three yard passes and turn them into 12 yard gains. He can also split out not only into the slot, but out wide as well, and can legitimately run routes and beat corners. He has great ball tracking skills, great hands, and doesn't fumble. He'll be a versatile, movable chess piece for Ken Dorsey, and adds instant explosiveness and homerun ability that the Bills offense previously lacked. While I question the value of the pick, I think he'll be a valuable and dangerous contributor from day one. LB Terrel Bernard - Once again, I feel this was a bit of a reach, value wise. The Bills didn't have a 4th round pick, though, and I think they just didn't want to miss out on this player. Sean McDermott is very close with Baylor head coach Dave Aranda, and I'm guessing Bernard -- who was said to be the heart and soul of the Baylor defense -- got a more than glowing review of Bernard from his college coach. Onthe surface, this one's simple: Fills the role vacated by AJ Klein in being the third linebacker when the Bills are in 4-3, and will play special teams. A closer look reveals a little bit more intrigue, though: I believe that Bernard's addition will allow the Bills to play 4-3 more often if they so choose, without losing much against the passing game. Last year, when the Bills were in their base nickel, good running teams ran it down their throats. When they switched to 4-3, they became vulnerable against the play-action and mid-level passing game. Now, when they face such teams, they can operate out of the 4-3 in an attempt to stop the run, but Bernard stands a much better chance of matching up with tight ends and speedy running backs than Klein did. Furthermore, if the Bills decide to invest in Tremaine Edmunds, they may decide that they don't want so much money tied up at the linebacker position, and in 2024, they could release Matt Milano, who would then be 30 years old, and whose release would save the Bills $7.5M. A pick with an immediate ST and sub-package role, but who may be a starter down the line. WR Khalil Shakir - I fist pumped when this pick was made. I watched a lot of highlights and cut-ups of this guy and quite liked what I saw. He offers immediate punt and kick return ability, which will make him active on gamedays as a rookie. From there, he can initially start off as a WR5 and gadget player. He can work from the slot, from the backfield, and can be a jet-sweep option. Over time, as he refines his route running and adds strength, he's a candidate to become the Bills' long term starting slot receiver. Jamison Crowder is only on a one year deal, after all. The comparisons I've seen for Shakir include Diontae Johnson, Christian Kirk, Stefon Diggs, and Michael Gallup. The value I feel the Bills got by adding Shakir in round five makes up a bit for the value I feel they DIDN'T get by drafting Cook and Bernard when they did. P Matt Araiza - What can I say? I laughed out loud when this pick was made. The amount of hype around a freaking PUNTER this offseason was absurd. The amount of excitement that the Bills fan base has for drafting a punter to a team that never punts is also hilarious. Call it leftover Brian Moorman love, or maybe we just loved the thought of having the strongest armed QB, strongest legged kicker, and strongest legged punter all on the same team. Whatever the case may be, this was a fun pick. As for the player: a left footed guy who can kick it really far but doesn't have great hang time and has no experience holding....sounds a lot like Corey Bajorquez to me. If he can add some hang time and hold capably, he'll win the job. Matt vs Matt #puntapalooza, here we come. CB Christian Benford - I won't pretend I had ever heard of this player. From what I'm reading about him, he's big, strong, mean, physical, and had great ball production at Villanova. You can never have too many corners, and McDermott and Frazier have shown a propensity for turning late round and UDFA corners with chips on their shoulders into legitimate starting caliber players. Not sure if he'll make the 53, might be a practice squad candidate. Might be a steal, might be a nobody. I'll always trust our coaches when it comes to DBs, though, so I'd bet on the former rather than the latter. OT Luke Tenuta - I'll be honest: I don't get this one. I know that it's always good to add O-line depth, but the deck seems highly stacked against this guy ever becoming a good NFL player. It sounds like he has an awkward build, short arms, and bad functional athleticism. His redeeming quality seems to be...that he's huge, I guess? I don't see it. They'll develop him on the practice squad for two seasons, I suppose. I would have much preferred an interior OL here, someone who at least has a chance to make the roster. They can't all be winners... LB Baylon Spector - Again, I won't pretend that I know much about this player. I think his primary avenue to making the roster would be to play special teams so capably that he allows the Bills to cut Taylor Matakevitch for cap savings. With Bernard, Spector, Andre Smith, Tyrel Dodson, Joe Giles-Harris, and Tyler Matakevitch, the backup linebacking corps is now pretty full. Will be a good competition in camp. Overall: The Bills' biggest need coming into this draft was a couple of capable outside corners. They added a first round prospect with legitimate Pro Bowl upside, and they added a late round prospect who looks set to follow the Bills' recent trend of late round corner contributors, like Levi Wallace and Dane Jackson. The Bills' second biggest need, generally speaking, was to add speed and schematic versatility on both sides of the ball. They accomplished this goal on defense in two ways. First, by adding Kaiir Elam to the secondary. They will be faster and more capable in man coverage, and can call a more diverse defensive game. Second, By adding Terrel Bernard at linebacker, they can choose to go 4-3 more than they have in the past, without losing nearly as much in the passing game as they did when they inserted AJ Klein into the game. Bernard can also be a sub-package weapon as a blitzer and matchup piece in the passing game. They accomplished this goal on offense by adding James Cook at HB and Khalil Shakir at WR. Both players played in the backfield, in the slot, and out wide in college. Both can capably fill multiple roles on offense. Cook adds speed and explosiveness to the running back room that it has lacked for years. He will also allow the Bills to come out in 12 personnel, but still spread the field, thus creating a nightmare for opposing defenses. Think Diggs, Davis, Knox, Howard, and Cook -- this screams "running play" to the defense, so it comes out in base defense. Then the Bills line up in an empty set and linebackers are forced to cover Knox, Howard, and Cook. This is the future of the Bills offense. This is the type of unpredictability and versatility that we can expect in 2022. Shakir adds yet another gadget option, and profiles as a long term starting slot receiver. Both players add speed, both players add versatility. Lastly, even the Bills special teams got a significant boost in this draft via the acquisitions of punter Matt Araiza, linebackers Terrel Bernard and Baylon Spector, corner/gunner Christian Benford, and returner Khalil Shakir. I question the value of the Cook and Bernard picks. The value of the Shakir pick makes up for it to some degree. All in all, my only real regret is that they didn't add any legitimate interior offensive line prospects. You can't address every need in one draft, and perhaps Beane will sign another interior o-linemen or two. Still, I'd like to see them start taking swings at that position in the future. You can't just avoid drafting guards forever. That said, I feel they capably addressed the biggest roster holes on the team, made the offense and defense faster and more versatile, and generally improved the Bills' roster going into 2022. Best Draft Classes: Jets, Ravens, Chiefs. All three of these teams got a LOT better, and I hated it.

He has speed, he’s obviously incredibly smart, and his measurables compare to Thomas Davis, except Bernard put up 10 more on the bench at 22 reps if I read that correctly earlier? Not sure what’s not to love, fast, cover skills, can obviously tackle judging by his Sugar Bowl MVP performance, intelligent and stronger than his build implies. With all the hating on Edmunds, the complete lack of depth at LB, and this kids huge upside, why is anybody butthurt over this pick again? It’s almost like people forgot the LB corps McBeane helped put together in Carolina, they MIGHT know a thing or two about linebackers.

yes understandable but it’s VA Tech. He’s drafted Wyatt Teller, Tremaine Edmunds, Luke Tenuta Signed Tim Settle Had James Mitchell and Lecitus Smith in for visits

Listened to Beane's press conference last night. They do still believe in Cody Ford. Too much, they won't let go of that guy and it feels like they won't draft another high profile OL with him still in the mix. Cody Ford is a bust with cement in his shoes. We haven't drafted an OT since Ford or an OG worth a darn since Teller either. Eventually it will cost this team. JA has 1-2 more years with this ability to mask bad OL play. Investments need to be made. That said I think they are at their limit with Edmunds based on that same presser. Beane mentioned having LBs with instincts and quick reaction many many times. That is not Edmunds. Bernard is the anti Edmunds. Beane compared Bernard to Thomas Davis and Matt Milano and said Bernard could play in the Middle if needed! I think Ford and Edmunds are on notice now, but their faith in Ford is foolish.

If there was ever a comp for Terrell Bernard it would be Milano. Both “undersized” coming out college, good speed, agility, downhill attackers, good coverage ability and excellent blitzers. I keep reading that this could be the replacement of Milano. I don’t see it that way at all, Milano Is a stud and I don’t see him going anywhere. I’m pretty sure if there was a Milano exact clone that they both would be out on the field a lot together at the expense of Edmunds. This defense doesn’t differentiate the roles all that much between Edmunds and Milano and from my perspective Milano is clearly the better player out of the two. Terrell Bernard has an opportunity to eventually be one of the two starting LB’s, in the meantime he just needs to get adjusted to the pro game, hit the gym hard with a similar weight gain regiment as Milano, be excellent in Special teams and show out when his number is called. I think this going to be a sneaky good pick for the Bills.

Salyer, Austin, Shakir, James Mitchel, Likely, Araiza I would trade up for any of them. If you want a replacement for Edmunds, Damone Clark is coming off of spinal fusion and won't play this year, but he probably would have been an early rd pick were it not for the injury.

I meant I had no personal knowledge before the pick. From what I’ve read he’s a smaller player who lacks size and physicality. It sounds like his best position in the defense is where Milano plays and he would not be a replacement should Edmunds walk. Most analysts had him in the 4th or 5th round and his comps were not that great - depth LB and Special Teamer. I just feel for the Bills could have gotten better value in Round 3 based on players who were on the board. Again just my quick reaction. I am sure the Bills have a plan for how they want to use him. But at first blush, this isn’t a pick I would have made in Round 3

I have like one or two pound the table guys for this late, one is Justyn Ross out Clemson. Kid looked like he was headed for stardom as a Clemson WR a la Mike Williams before his neck injury. Bigger WR at 6'3/4 decent speed and was a stud for Clemson during the National Championship season. Clemson was hampered by sub par QB play this season so he didn't have the best season that he could have this year coming off injury. Second kid is Brandon Smith from Penn State, athletic LB who can be a replacement for Edmunds next year and be a solid depth piece this year and as I write this he's selected by Carolina

So, I've popped in and out of this thread, read some posts, considered various objections, and I'll say that I found the pick perplexing, too, for many of the same reasons people raised here: size, need, etc. I've come to one conclusion: Each and every objection that people raise to the Bernard pick was known to and understood by McDermott and Beane, and they took the guy anyway. These guys are, as we all know, not stupid. Now, it's possible that they've made a mistake in their evaluation of the guy, and he will turn out not to have much value to the team. And that may be the opinion of some people on this board, and their opinion may prove to be right. I never put a lot of stock in those opinions, because the coaches and scouts have a lot more information than we do, so those opinions usually aren't based on nearly as much information as McBeane have. Still, maybe those people are right. So, what is going on here? Fundamentally, I think McBeane decided that the guy is just too good of a football not to add to the team. He's athletic, smart, team-oriented, and a tireless worker. In other words, he is the quintessential McDermott guy. What is McDermott's plan for him? I'd guess that he has ideas, but he doesn't have a single plan. Maybe the guy takes Milano's job in a year or two, and the Bills trade Milano. Maybe he takes MIlano's job, MIlano moves to the middle, and the Edmunds experiment ends. In the short term, I'm guessing that he takes Klein's spot, and although he lacks the run stopping ability Klein brought, he adds speed, so the defense can be more versatile in how it attacks. Bernard will rush the passer. He will, as others have said, occasionally play in place of the nickel or dime back, because he can cover but he can do other stuff, too, so the Bills' intentions will be masked. For example, if he's on the field in place of Johnson, he might be assuming the run-defense responsibility of one of the safeties, who in turn will be in pass coverage. He almost certainly will take a role on the special teams, with the potential to be a star there. In short, I think Bernard is another (I hate the phrase) Swiss army knife. He's a good football player whom McDermott wants on the field. McDermott's pass defense schemes are somewhat ahead of the league, generally, and I think McDermott thinks Bernard may be the prototype for a different defender, a guy who's a combo linebacker/safety who's also a pass rusher. I don't know, but I am sure there are very good reasons why Bernard is now a Buffalo Bill.

This guy is much more Milano than Edmunds. Those expecting him to take over at MIKE are in for disappointment, I suspect. He's not a MIKE. I think he CAN player there if he has to fill in for injury or something, but he's a WILL. When the Bills DO have to play 4-3 -- say, against the run-heavy Colts and Ravens of the world -- they'll now be able to do so while remaining much more viable against the pass. Playing nickel against these run heavy teams allowed them to get trampled by the ground game. Playing 4-3 against these teams left them vulnerable to play-action passing and second level completions. Now, they can play more 4-3 than they have in the past if they choose to. I still expect them to be primarily a nickel defense, but when they DO go base, it should be much more effective with someone like Bernard in the lineup. Versatility and unpredictability on defense. Versatility and unpredictability on offense. These are the themes of this draft. so far.

My guy is still Brandon Smith. He could be the backup to Edmunds, similar to what they just did with Bernard.

That’s exactly wrong. If anything, it’s an endorsement for Edmunds going forward because Bernard is a completely different LB. Edmunds still fills a unique role in the middle of the defense. They are building around Edmunds.

At first the pick had me scratching my head. I thought a guard or a safety would have been the pick. Then I remembered that the Bills never replaced Klein and that, even though they're a base nickel, they DO still need a viable third linebacker. I also remembered that Milano can tend to miss a bit of time due to injury here and there, and in general, it's a good thing to have a guy who can fill in at MIKE or WILL if Edmunds or Milano gets dinged up. Lastly, I view this more as an indication that the Bills will re-sign Edmunds and potentially let Milano walk. They won't want to have a ton of money tied up in the linebacker position, but I don't see Bernard as an Edmunds replacement. I see him as a Milano clone and eventual Milano replacement. Lastly, the fact that McDermott is really tight with Baylor coach Dave Aranda, who surely gave Bernard a ringing endorsement, and the fact that Bernard is said to be a tremendous "heart and soul" team leader with impeccable football IQ and extremely high character were surely the deciding factors on this one. This is one of those picks that seem a bit curious on draft night but then, a few years down the road, is a staple of our football team. I think he's gonna be a player.

Tbh, I can see why they still have faith in Ford. His tape at Oklahoma was very good and he fits what Kromer wants to do. They probably feel he’s more talented than any of the IOL that were available for us after RD1 and I can’t say I’d blame them. Talent doesn’t always transition and that remains to be seen with Ford. One year left to shed the bust label. That said, let’s say he comes in best case scenario and pushes Bates or Saffold… then what… just another guy to add to the list of pending FA’s with Knox, Edmunds, Poyer, Singletary & Saffold.

Dude I'm positive all the time. I just dont see everything the team or Beane does as great. Every GM has misses and he is no different. He signed a player that quit during the game!! He wasted second round picks on Ford and Epenesa. Those are huge misses. But he got Knox, Davis, Bass too!. I'm consistent or at least I try to be consistent too. Lastly I admit when I'm wrong, which happens rarely around here. I was on the Allen bandwagon before he was drafted. Half this board wanted to draft another QB after year two. I love Knox more so than many on here who complain about his drops. He's the best TE Bills have had since the merger. I've really praised Beane's last two off seasons. I think his free agent moves have been great. I thought getting Milano nad Williams back were great moves. Williams didn't work out but I'm not going to go back and say it was a bad move when I thought it was a good move. I criticized him for not making moves during the season to get the defense more help. Maybe he tried to get Miller. Maybe he didn't. We won't know the whole story. I've agreed with his 5th year option decisions even with Edmunds. I've also been consistent in my doubts McD can get us a trophy. I posted that before the 2021 season as an answer to a thread about the biggest worry going into the season. Those doubts sadly came true in KC. I hate the emphasis on special teams for roster and game day decisions. That said McD has gotten better at being aggressive especially before the half, his players love him, and even his challenges got a little better last year. Beane basically implied that in his press conference

I wanted a CB in the 1st, Booth specifically, but I obviously will side with the judgement of the professionals. The more I see and read about Elam, the more I like. Who says he can't be better or as good as sauce. We shall see. I wanted Cook in the 3rd, but we got him late second, so I'm still happy about that. My only disappointment is not trading up in the second, and allowing the remaining top WR to get gobbled up. If we could of landed Pierce and Cook, I would be over the moon. Linebacker we drafted was a head scratcher, but the more I read about him, the more it makes sense. We got a lot bigger and stronger on the dline, which allows us to get away with smaller more athletic linebackers. I could see this guy and Milano as the 2 starters next year. This guy seems to be far superior to Edmunds with play speed/instincts.

This pick is the admission of Edmunds pick being an error. He's the polar opposite. He has all the instincts and less of the physical wow. The bills by picking him are admitting that instincts are more important then physical traits if its close. Think about what he said. " he will be teaching the defense in short order" Bills linebackers are the leaders of thr defense. Maybe they convert him to safety but it's looking more like Edmunds may be out.

Good post and well-written, even though I don’t really agree. I’ll respond point by point: 1. You have a point, but it think you go too far. By this logic, Tom Brady in the 4th would’ve been a bad pick. That’s obviously nonsensical, so therefore there’s an issue with the logic. The fact is, it’s unknowable where Bernard would’ve gone if the Bills didn’t pick him. The Bills clearly disagreed with the consensus. If they were the ONLY team to disagree, then it was indeed a bad value pick. But if even one other team also disagreed, it might’ve been the only spot they could get Bernard. Now, they still need him to pan out for it to be a good pick. 2. I mostly agree here, except that I think LB depth is about equally important. We had basically nothing behind our 2 starters prior to last night. 3. I think you were just mad at this point, because “go draft another Milano in the 5th” is basically saying, “Hey, you won the lottery a couple years ago - why not just win it again?” I’m guessing they think the dropoff at LB was pretty steep after Bernard, but the dropoff is pretty shallow at other needed positions. Maybe they can get a G/C in the 5th who’s almost as good as Parham, but Bernard was the last LB in the draft that they thought could step in and start if Edmunds or Milano got hurt? Beane said that Bernard could play both spots and would bounce around. Go Bills!