Various Experts Mock Draft Predictions

[Warriorspikes51]

11 minutes ago, 947 said:

Malaki Starks would be a great pick. He's a Free Safety & that still leaves Strong Safety for Bishop if he can beat out Rapp.

 

Starks is a legit 1st round talent, and you can't say that about most of the players who could be available at #30. He'd be a Day 1 starter & monumental upgrade over Hamlin.

Hmmm I’m warming to the idea

 

 

[Neo]

Revel talk takes me back to the Willis McGahee pick.

[Billl]

7 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Recent years Charlie and Peter Schrager are the two most consistent. Josh Norris was pretty good when he was at Rotoworld but the last couple of year's less so. Guess where he is now he has less access.

Not sure about his mocks, but Daniel Jeremiah’s rankings/evaluations are the most consistently good, IMO.

[Einstein's Dog]

Mike Florio's draft had the Bills taking Luther Burden - that was different. 

 

It was right after D Harmon then S Revel went (Grant had gone earlier)  Didn't see J Barron on his list.

[glazeduck]

18 hours ago, mannc said:

One thing I’m sure of is that Malaki Starks won’t be the pick…Beane uses the first round to take players at premium positions.  No way we take a safety in round 1, after picking one in round 2 last year.

Plus they really like Taylor Rapp…and Derrick Forest is going to be good, as well.

This is why I don’t think it’ll be a 1T either. 

[frostbitmic]

McD rotates his D-Line so much I could see them going for a player who'll be on the field all 3 downs.

 

CBs would be on the field all 3 downs and we could use a starter to play opposite Benford. Tre' and Dane are fine but I'd rather have them as backing up our new starter.

Amos - Got better throughout his college career. Is good in zone(our defense) and good slowing down receivers at the line (need more of that)

Revel - Love his size and game, don't love his knee injury and he only played 15 games of college ball

Hairston - Aggressive, sometimes overly so, smaller than Amos and Revel.

 

I think one of these three CBs will be the pick and I'll be happy with any of them.

 

 

Edited Thursday at 02:48 PM by frostbitmic

[mannc]

59 minutes ago, glazeduck said:

This is why I don’t think it’ll be a 1T either. 

I don't see an issue with taking a 1T at the end of round 1, especially if the player has some pass rush upside, like Harmon and Grant...and it's a huge need.  There just aren't that many massive humans with athletic ability... 

[JohnNord]

On 4/23/2025 at 9:23 AM, BCAS Baritone said:

Thought it would be interesting to list who the Bills get based on various mock drafts by the "experts".  Here is what I've found so far.  Of course a lot depends on who goes 1-29.

 

NFL.com
Eric Edholm - CB Trey Amos
Chad Reuter - EDGE Mike Green
Mike Band - S Malaki Starks
Lance Zierlein - EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku
Charles Davis - CB Maxwell Hairston
Bucky Brooks - DT Kenneth Grant
Daniel Jeremiah - DT Kenneth Grant

 

The Athletic
Beat Writers Draft - CB Jahdae Barron (pick by Joe Buscaglia)

 

PFF
Mason Cameron - CB Trey Amos

 

CBS
Jonathan Jones - CB Maxwell Hairston
Ryan Wilson - S Malaki Starks
R.J. White - DL Walter Nolen
Pete Prisco - CB Shavon Revel

 

ESPN
Peter Schrager - S Malaki Starks
Beat Writers Draft - DT Kenneth Grant (pick by Alaina Getzenberg)
 

I saw the Starks pick yesterday.   I can actually see this, especially if they think there’s a lot of depth at DL in rounds 2-4.

The only way I’m good with this pick is to see him start beside Bishop.  If Bishop can’t start in year 2, that is giant miss by Beane and crew.   You don’t spend a “premium” pick for a play who can’t step in and start.  

[MrEpsYtown]

I know some people don't like em, but Walter football has us taking Shavon Revel and Charlie Campbell has us taking Amos. 

 

Alright, now to get this virus off my computer...

 

 

16 hours ago, 947 said:

Malaki Starks would be a great pick. He's a Free Safety & that still leaves Strong Safety for Bishop if he can beat out Rapp.

 

Starks is a legit 1st round talent, and you can't say that about most of the players who could be available at #30. He'd be a Day 1 starter & monumental upgrade over Hamlin.

 

I love Starks. He's such a good fit to play with Bishop. He's a monster. 

Edited Thursday at 03:34 PM by MrEpsYtown

[mannc]

1 hour ago, Einstein's Dog said:

Mike Florio's draft had the Bills taking Luther Burden - that was different. 

 

It was right after D Harmon then S Revel went (Grant had gone earlier)  Didn't see J Barron on his list.

One thing we can say for sure about the Beane era: The national media are completely clueless about who the Bills are going to draft in the first round.  Absolutely no one had us picking Elam, Kincaid, Rousseau or even Josh Allen.  The only time we went the way many people expected was when we drafted Ed Oliver in 2019...I do believe some teams leak information about who they like in the draft, but the Bills aren't one of those teams. 

[BillsShredder83]

16 hours ago, Neo said:

Revel talk takes me back to the Willis McGahee pick.

Sign me up if the GM's arent smoking crack while making their picks. im having a hard time seeing a true 1st rd grade falling to us at #30, in a weak draft.  Take the slightly damaged, but elite ceiling guy.  With Tre and Dane here, we can spare the time for him to finish recovering and get up to speed in our system.  Maybe he can win out the position and feel 100% by late season/playoff time.  at minimum for this season: he can be high end depth if injuries pop up... and expect a huge 2026 out of him.

 

im not taking a lower ceiling guy, because he'll be avail 4-8 weeks earlier. we dont have regular season problems, so we can afford to take a dude like this. His ACL Surgery was October 2024

 

Even if were talking about him having a Tre White ACL recovery (worst case scenario)- im taking the risk on higher ceiling and waiting on him to bounce back 2026.  But Tre's recovery was not a standard recovery, theses surgeries get better and better every year, and recovering at 23 vs 27, is different.

[glazeduck]

1 hour ago, mannc said:

I don't see an issue with taking a 1T at the end of round 1, especially if the player has some pass rush upside, like Harmon and Grant...and it's a huge need.  There just aren't that many massive humans with athletic ability... 

Really just comes down to how you plan on using them... I see most 1Ts as 2-down guys. Having watched Harmon play live all last season, yes, I'd say he has a touch of pass-rushing upside at the pro level, but unless Oliver goes down, he's AT BEST  our 4th pass-rusher, and likely not even that...

I'd just prefer -- and based on past-precedent, think the front office feels similarly -- that we use the pick on a player that can make a difference on all 3 downs and either draft a tub'o'lard later, or make a trade for a guy that fits what they're looking for using next year's picks and/or players on their way out...

Edited Thursday at 05:15 PM by glazeduck

[BillsShredder83]

On 4/23/2025 at 10:26 AM, RyanC883 said:

Amos or Grant are my top two fav assuming no trade ups.  Barron would be great, can't see him lasting until our pick. 

 

My guess is CB Amos, DT Collins, WR Royals, with the first three, and then some combination of: 

 

DT CJ West

LB Jack Kiser

a safety, hopefully Winston JR, Ransom, Bowman or Sanker

Edge Swinson, Burch, Kennard, Walker, Stewart or Sawyer.  

 

Alfred Collins fall into that 2-down bucket, possibly 2.5-down, that Beane was talking about yesterday?

[BillsShredder83]

2 hours ago, glazeduck said:

Really just comes down to how you plan on using them... I see most 1Ts as 2-down guys. Having watched Harmon play live all last season, yes, I'd say he has a touch of pass-rushing upside at the pro level, but unless Oliver goes down, he's AT BEST  our 4th pass-rusher, and likely not even that...

I'd just prefer -- and based on past-precedent, think the front office feels similarly -- that we use the pick on a player that can make a difference on all 3 downs and either draft a tub'o'lard later, or make a trade for a guy that fits what they're looking for using next year's picks and/or players on their way out...

Man I just want to find our own Chris Jones. What we all hoped Oliver would turn into siiiighhhhhhh. Josh would have 2 rings by now with him on our team IMO... but youre right dont force it.  Harmon atleast bats down a lot of passes doesnt he?

[glazeduck]

30 minutes ago, BillsShredder83 said:

Man I just want to find our own Chris Jones. What we all hoped Oliver would turn into siiiighhhhhhh. Josh would have 2 rings by now with him on our team IMO... but youre right dont force it.  Harmon atleast bats down a lot of passes doesnt he?

In a perfect world, sure, and yes he gets his hands on his fair share of balls. But a few things to consider:

1. Even if Harmon is Chris Jones 2.0, he won't be that right away. We need impact players now. Perhaps he still impacts the run game reasonably well enough, but is that worth a first rd. pick?

2. Ultimately the draft is a game of percentages and margins -- my POV is the delta of impact between a guy like Harmon in the first, and a bigger body in the 4th or 5th is probably smaller than a top CB, edge rusher or WR. They're impact positions for a reason.

3. This is all said as a duck fan. I loved what Harmon brought to that DL, and definitely think we could do way worse. I'm just saying that both Bills draft history suggests we're looking at other positions early and general draft history suggests there will still be functional run stoppers later in the draft...

 

[JohnNord]

7 hours ago, Einstein's Dog said:

Mike Florio's draft had the Bills taking Luther Burden - that was different. 

 

It was right after D Harmon then S Revel went (Grant had gone earlier)  Didn't see J Barron on his list.

I would totally take Burden or another WR in round 2.  Sal capaccio has been banging the drum all week that the Bills won’t draft a WR high because he doesn’t think they’ll get on the field.   His argument is that they aren’t going to get snaps from Shakir, Palmer, Coleman, maybe not Samuel.  So he can’t seem them spending a “premium” asset on a player that will be 4th or 5th on the roster.  
 

This only works IF you think Palmer, Coleman and Samuel (maybe Palmer too) can take a step forward.   I have my doubts on both - including Coleman who largely has been the same the type of WR in the NFL that he was in college.  
 

I don’t think it’s inconceivable that a rookie WR drafted in R1 or R2 could give you more than Coleman or Samuel.  I’m sure they draft a WR but my money says it happens in the 4th or 5th round 

[JohnNord]

1 hour ago, glazeduck said:

In a perfect world, sure, and yes he gets his hands on his fair share of balls. But a few things to consider:

1. Even if Harmon is Chris Jones 2.0, he won't be that right away. We need impact players now. Perhaps he still impacts the run game reasonably well enough, but is that worth a first rd. pick?

2. Ultimately the draft is a game of percentages and margins -- my POV is the delta of impact between a guy like Harmon in the first, and a bigger body in the 4th or 5th is probably smaller than a top CB, edge rusher or WR. They're impact positions for a reason.

3. This is all said as a duck fan. I loved what Harmon brought to that DL, and definitely think we could do way worse. I'm just saying that both Bills draft history suggests we're looking at other positions early and general draft history suggests there will still be functional run stoppers later in the draft...

 

I totally get what you are saying.  But if you listened to Beane’s pre-draft press conference he said that what attracted them most to DeWayne Carter was his versatility inside.  He blamed the wrist injury for his Boogie Basham-like rookie season and feels he can still be your 1TDT - even though he sucked there last season.  
 

So I can see a scenario where the Bills rationalize a pick like Harmon believing that DaQuan can hold down the fort for the final season and that Carter can step in at 1TDT if Harmon can’t get it done as a rookie.  Don’t like this scenario but I can see it playing out 

[glazeduck]

16 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

I totally get what you are saying.  But if you listened to Beane’s pre-draft press conference he said that what attracted them most to DeWayne Carter was his versatility inside.  He blamed the wrist injury for his Boogie Basham-like rookie season and feels he can still be your 1TDT - even though he sucked there last season.  
 

So I can see a scenario where the Bills rationalize a pick like Harmon believing that DaQuan can hold down the fort for the final season and that Carter can step in at 1TDT if Harmon can’t get it done as a rookie.  Don’t like this scenario but I can see it playing out 

Perhaps. I guess I'm speaking more philosophically and based on anything else. We're pretty consistent in targeting impact positions early and 1Ts are not that... neither are safeties, for that matter...

 

We'll find out soon enough!

[JohnNord]

24 minutes ago, glazeduck said:

Perhaps. I guess I'm speaking more philosophically and based on anything else. We're pretty consistent in targeting impact positions early and 1Ts are not that... neither are safeties, for that matter...

 

We'll find out soon enough!

Call your shot then… what do you think they’ll do?

 

I think they’d trade trade out of round 1 to swap 2nd rounds (higher spot) and get back the pick for Cooper

[T master]

On 4/23/2025 at 8:23 AM, BCAS Baritone said:

Thought it would be interesting to list who the Bills get based on various mock drafts by the "experts".  Here is what I've found so far.  Of course a lot depends on who goes 1-29.

 

NFL.com
Eric Edholm - CB Trey Amos
Chad Reuter - EDGE Mike Green
Mike Band - S Malaki Starks
Lance Zierlein - EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku
Charles Davis - CB Maxwell Hairston
Bucky Brooks - DT Kenneth Grant
Daniel Jeremiah - DT Kenneth Grant

 

The Athletic
Beat Writers Draft - CB Jahdae Barron (pick by Joe Buscaglia)

 

PFF
Mason Cameron - CB Trey Amos

 

CBS
Jonathan Jones - CB Maxwell Hairston
Ryan Wilson - S Malaki Starks
R.J. White - DL Walter Nolen
Pete Prisco - CB Shavon Revel

 

ESPN
Peter Schrager - S Malaki Starks
Beat Writers Draft - DT Kenneth Grant (pick by Alaina Getzenberg)
 

So far Charles Davis & Jonathan Jones were the only 2 that nailed it . I wonder just how many of those doing mocks or what percentage of them actually hit as the draft has went down ?