Logic's 2022 Draft Review

[Aussie Joe]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

Agreed.

 

The second round, in particular, with the two trade backs….that felt like all the guys they wanted got taken right before them.

 

With Trent McDuffie and Skyy Moore, the Chiefs might’ve actually stolen TWO players from them.

 

The fact that they got Khalil Shakir in the 5th REALLY boosted this draft for me. To address the hole at corner definitively and to still add an explosive running back and receiver makes this draft a win overall in my book, even if I didn’t love every single pick.

Completely agree with all your points here…I’m not sure about McDuffie being their pick, but I wouldn’t be surprised about Moore… guess we will never know…

 

 

 

1 hour ago, LeGOATski said:

This talk about Crowder getting cut seems crazy to me. He's a good player. If he gets cut, that means they struck gold with their 5th rounder, which would be awesome, but very slim chance. Don't know why anyone would get their hopes up for that.

 

sorry … who is saying he is getting cut ? That would be crazy…

 

He will only be here for one year though…he is looking to pad some stats to cash in somewhere else on his last deal next year…

[Shaw66]

Just now, BuffaloBillsGospel2014 said:

I hear you on Daboll not being creative, I don't think we ever utilized RB screen passes, hardly ran any bubble screens to WR... I'd like to see McKenzie, Singletary utilized more in this offense.

It isn't an accident that the Bills added two skill position players who can run all the options in the short passing game.  Cooke and Shakir can juice up a quick passing attack that hasn't been very good.   I don't think Beane would have targeted those two if Dorsey didn't intend to feature that style. 

[Governor]

12 minutes ago, BuffaloBillsGospel2014 said:

I hear you on Daboll not being creative, I don't think we ever utilized RB screen passes, hardly ran any bubble screens to WR... I'd like to see McKenzie, Singletary utilized more in this offense.

I can’t really blame Daboll for that. Josh didn’t start to develop touch on his throws until last season and it’s still not completely there yet.

[Shaw66]

3 minutes ago, Governor said:

I can’t really blame Daboll for that. Josh didn’t start to develop touch on his throws until last season and it’s still not completely there yet.

I don't think so, but who knows?   If Daboll wanted to throw more quick stuff, I don't think Allen would have said "I can't throw those."  I think they would have practiced it and Allen would have made the throws.   

 

But as I said, who knows?   You may be right, because throws certainly are not his strength.  

[Governor]

2 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

I don't think so, but who knows?   If Daboll wanted to throw more quick stuff, I don't think Allen would have said "I can't throw those."  I think they would have practiced it and Allen would have made the throws.   

 

But as I said, who knows?   You may be right, because throws certainly are not his strength.  

Soft touch. It’s really the only thing left for him to improve on along with hitting guys in stride.

[NewEra]

@Jamie Nails @Mark Vader

was a blast hanging with you fine gents today.  
 

Not sure where to put this.  I’m sure we’re worthy of our own thread, but I’ll hijack your thread logic!  I’ll read your OP tomorrow and respond.  I’m sure it’s on point.  

[Jamie Nails]

26 minutes ago, NewEra said:

@Jamie Nails @Mark Vader

was a blast hanging with you fine gents today.  
 

Not sure where to put this.  I’m sure we’re worthy of our own thread, but I’ll hijack your thread logic!  I’ll read your OP tomorrow and respond.  I’m sure it’s on point.  

Absolute blast! Always great to see the fine folks on this board in person! 

[LeGOATski]

1 hour ago, Aussie Joe said:

Completely agree with all your points here…I’m not sure about McDuffie being their pick, but I wouldn’t be surprised about Moore… guess we will never know…

 

 

 

 

sorry … who is saying he is getting cut ? That would be crazy…

 

He will only be here for one year though…he is looking to pad some stats to cash in somewhere else on his last deal next year…

"Hopefully Shakir is good enough to allow us to cut Crowder." It's in the OP. And a bunch of posters have said the same thing.

[Fred Slacks]

3 hours ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

Why would you want to cut Jamison Crowder?  The guy is a baller.  A professional WR.  He will be a big part of our offense this year.

I am not opposed to him. I am only saying if Shakir shows he’s at the same level during preseason then I believe he offers more diversity at other positions. 
 

I also wonder if waiting until the 5th to take a WR means the front office believes enough in McKenzie to contribute more on offense this year. 

1 hour ago, boater said:

Boil it down to brass tacks: he's saying this years fifth rounder beats a very-veteran fourth rounder. That's a tall order.

I have no hate on Crowder. Nor am I assuming that Shakir is better as a 5th round rookie. But if he shows to be comparable in camp I think the front office would stick with a rookie with the ability to also help out with return duties over him. If there’s room for them both I’m sure they will keep them both. 
 

I think the more telling play would be Bernard at CB pushing for the other gunner spot. That would free up the 3rd RB spot on game days. 
 

whem all is said and done this draft more than most years could end up shaping our special teams more than any of the previous ones. May have 3-4 core teams players out of it. 

[Aussie Joe]

4 minutes ago, Fred Slacks said:

I am not opposed to him. I am only saying if Shakir shows he’s at the same level during preseason then I believe he offers more diversity at other positions. 
 

 

Crowder is going to be a contributor this year on the Beasley level we have seen the past few years…. He has played with poor QBs last few years so I want to see what he can do with JA…

 

I really like the Shakir pick but I think you expect to much from him Year 1

[Thurman#1]

4 hours ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

If Cook can have an OROY type of season in terms of his contributions this offense will once again be setting Bills records. 

 

Don't expect that. He is far more likely to see maybe 40% of the snaps and most of the third downs.

 

If he's as good as we hope, that'll increase in future years.

[BuffaloBillsGospel2014]

43 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

"Hopefully Shakir is good enough to allow us to cut Crowder." It's in the OP. And a bunch of posters have said the same thing.

 

Crowder will be a big part of this offense imo, he's done well with nowhere near the caliber of QB as Josh Allen so far, I feel if he stays healthy he should have similar stats to Beasley or exceed him. I was really high on him in FA, his knock is that he does have an injury bug the past few seasons as he's never the biggest guy on the field.

Edited May 1, 2022 by BuffaloBillsGospel2014

[GolfandBills]

It’s easy to sit in our chairs and say oh i like this pick,, i don’t like that pick.  There’s so much more to it than looking at your draft network big board… Does this player for the scheme?  Does this player have the character we look for?  What is the injury history with this player? Etc.. This is why i give Beane and his staff the benefit of doubt before i criticize his draft picks.  So far Beane and staff has done really well 

[DCbillsfan]

6 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

Don't expect that. He is far more likely to see maybe 40% of the snaps and most of the third downs.

 

If he's as good as we hope, that'll increase in future years.

I tend to agree with you especially on the OROY stuff.  If Cook can add a dimension to the RB spot, I.e. chunk plays, he may force his way onto the field even more.

[SoCal Deek]

Here it is in nutshell: This is a completely different draft without the Round 3 pick that I’ve yet to hear anyone explain. (Now watch him be the only one that pans out.😉)

[MAJBobby]

I see at least 5 high volume players year one out of this draft.  They are below
 

Elam - Will start 

 

Cook - will be a high volume player in this draft year 1. I would guess immediately is your 3rd down back. 

 

Shakir - might take a month or so in season. But from then should be a high volume player for Bills. I would guess somewhere around 40-50 targets Rookie year. Similar to Davis rookie year targets. 
 

Punt God - Starter. But less I see him the better. 
 

Bernard - likely factors into Andre Smiths or Matecavich ST reps 

 

some other tidbits 

 

Position Change - Benford - I really think they will transition him into Safety this year as a prospect to learn the position and look as a red shirt learning to make a decision on Poyer next offseason. 
 

UDFA Surprise - Waydermyer I really think will have the shot to make the 53 as the Third TE. 

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

C+. A couple good picks, a couple mediocre ones.

[Buddo]

Somewhat underwhelming, and yet pretty functional.

 

I'm glad they got a quality corner to play opposite Tre. Not only had it become a glaring need, due to Wallace leaving, it's something I would've liked to see happen a year before.

 

I think that a good approach to our needs at CB, is to grab a good one, every few years. You will always have a decent amount of money tied up in the position, as you would want to give out a proper second contract (it means you've got a good player), as we've done with Tre, but you then grab another guy to become your top CB after a few more years. One guy is being paid handsomely, and one is a rookie. And so on.

 

The point about how much of a difference more 'man' looks, might make to giving opposing offences problems, is well made. It allows for more variations in how the D wants to attack.

 

I see the idea behind the LB, being something of a Milano clone (if only), as Milano does seem to miss a game here or there. Having a 'like for like' guy to take over on those odd occasions, is no bad thing, as it keeps the D running the same plays. There's also a chance that he will see the field against some of the more run heavy teams, and still having speed to cover someone, could be a useful attribute.

 

I do like both of the Cook and Shakir picks. Cook not only for his speed, but also his receiving ability. There's no doubt you could split him out wide from time to time.

 

Shakir also has speed, and I see no reason why he couldn't actually play outside, if needed, or wanted. While he was obviously used out of the slot, a lot, his highlight reel, shows a bunch of impressive catches made on the boundaries.

 

People seem to be concerned about not having enough outside WRs, well imho, what we currently have, can be used there in a variety of ways if need be, and actually might be anyway, just to give defenses something different to worry about.

 

Taking the punter in the 6th round, seems somewhat excessive, yet he will almost certainly be a day 1 starter. Haack may well hold well, but he doesn't punt that well, and a better, bigger leg, was a clear need. I think it seems excessive, simply due to how under utilized he's (hopefully) going to be, yet you still want the best one you can get, if you do have to punt.

 

If the plan with the other CB is to turn him into a safety, I think we may have got a nice pick there. Bit of a ball hawk, who can hit pretty well, yet is lacking a bit of speed to run with guys outside. Sounds like a recipe for safety play right there.

 

You could pretty much guarantee that Al Davis would draft the quickest guys around. Seems as though McBeane are intent on drafting the tallest possible Tackles around, either that, or they've got a sideline going in 'Mind your Head' signage.

 

Overall, not a 'sexy' draft, but somewhat like last years, I could come to like it a lot as the years go by.

 

 

[NewEra]

20 hours ago, Logic said:

**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.

Looking for things to add….but you nailed everything on the head.  Not much to add.  
 

The bolded is the key and what I’m so excited about.  Other than OL play, 1st year OC/play caller needs to be up to the task. Calling the plays and running the offense of the SB favorite = a **** ton of pressure.  Let’s hope he’s up to it.

 

 

I agree about the best 3 classes too.  All 3 CRUSHED it on paper.  Each pick hurt. 
 

i think the packers also crushed it. Bypassing wr rd 1 for Walker and Wyatt had me questioning them, but the trade up for Watson was big.  
 

of course, each of those teams had multiple first round picks, so that helps.  
 

I though the colts also had a very nice draft. 

 

[BigAl2526]

Spurr of the moment evaluations are very much prone to be affected by the bias of the reviewer.  Case in point is Walter Cherepinsky who grades each pick of the first three rounds (http://www.walterfootball.com) He downgraded Buffalo's pick a bit, mostly because they traded up when there were still multiple options left on the board at CB (Andrew Booth and Kyler Gordon along with Elam).  His rationale was that if Dallas takes Elam, Buffalo still has a couple really good CBs to choose from.  But listening to Brandon Beane, Elam was the last guy on the board that they had a first round grade on.  We don't know how much higher the Bills think Elam's ceiling could be, but it's clear they think it is higher.  Is Cherepinsky right, and the Bills wrong (along with Gunner, who thinks Booth is a top ten player overall) or are the Bills?  There's no possible was to determine that right now.  In a year or two we'll know a lot more.