NFL Draft Grades - Buffalo Bills
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Buffalo Bills Upcoming 2023 Draft Picks (6)
Grade: A-
I love that the Jaguars traded down twice. I thought they would pick Nolan Smith here, but Anton Harrison also makes a ton of sense. Jacksonville lost Jawaan Taylor this offseason, while Cam Robinson could be suspended. I had Harrison going No. 19 in my mock draft, so I don't view this as a reach at all.
Grade: A
Wow, what value! Charlie Campbell slotted O'Cyrus Torrence to the Bills - in the first round! I had Torrence to the Chiefs a few picks later. Torrence is the No. 2 guard in the class after Peter Skoronski, so the Bills are getting an incredible bargain at the end of the second frame. Torrence will be essential for the Bills, who had to bolster their interior blocking.
Grade: D
A linebacker was needed with Tremaine Edmunds gone. The thing is, the Bills could have drafted Dorian Williams later than this. Williams is a linebacker-safety tweener. He's fast, but he needs to get much stronger to play significant defensive snaps.
Grade: B
The Jaguars are getting a high-upside player in Tyler Lacy. However, Lacy needs to get bigger and stronger for the NFL, as he doesn't appear to be ready to play many snaps in the pros at the moment. I actually had Lacy going one pick earlier, so the range makes sense.
Grade: B+
There are rumors that one of the Redskins' starting edge rushers might be traded, so this pick makes sense from a need and a range perspective. K.J. Henry is a quality player who performed better than his numbers indicate at Clemson.
Grade: A
Xavier Hutchinson didn't have a great pre-draft process, which caused him to drop into the sixth round. He's still a quality route runner with solid hands, so he should have been chosen earlier than this. The receiver-starved Texans are getting a promising player.
Walt's Mock Selections as of 6/6/2023 -View Current Mock Draft
Round: 1


In Charlie's mock draft, you can read about the Bills wanting to improve their play in the trenches. They signed some guards, but they can still use an upgrade at center.
Joe Tippman was great in pass protection and run blocking at Wisconsin. He can play both center and guard.
*** OTHER 2023 NFL DRAFT POSSIBILITIES: ***
1. Trade Up - Buffalo's Super Bowl window is wide open, so the team may decide to trade up for one of the top four receivers.
2. O'Cyrus Torrence, G - The Bills can continue to bolster their offensive line with this alternate pick.
Round: 2


The Bills need better offensive weapons, and that would include a second tight end to help in the red zone, which was a big problem area last year.
Scouts like Luke Musgrave even though he never produced much in college.
Round: 3


The Bills don't have any defensive tackles under contract for next year.
Bryan Bresee has terrific quickness and athleticism, but has a dubious injury history that could cause him to plummet.
Round: 4


The Bills could stand to continue to improve their interior pass rush for their big showdowns against the Chiefs and Bengals.
Zacch Pickens had a great '21 campaign. He has plus size, quickness and athleticism.
Round: 5


It would be a surprise if the Bills didn't add another receiver, given their depth issues at the position.
Jayden Reed is a smaller receiver, but he's also very dangerous in terms of breaking big plays.
Round: 6


The Bills have shown lots of interest in Tank Dell, so perhaps they'll select him on Day 3 to help their receiving corps.
Past Grades and Selections
2023 NFL Draft Selections and Grades
A- I love that the Jaguars traded down twice. I thought they would pick Nolan Smith here, but Anton Harrison also makes a ton of sense. Jacksonville lost Jawaan Taylor this offseason, while Cam Robinson could be suspended. I had Harrison going No. 19 in my mock draft, so I don't view this as a reach at all.
A Wow, what value! Charlie Campbell slotted O'Cyrus Torrence to the Bills - in the first round! I had Torrence to the Chiefs a few picks later. Torrence is the No. 2 guard in the class after Peter Skoronski, so the Bills are getting an incredible bargain at the end of the second frame. Torrence will be essential for the Bills, who had to bolster their interior blocking.
D A linebacker was needed with Tremaine Edmunds gone. The thing is, the Bills could have drafted Dorian Williams later than this. Williams is a linebacker-safety tweener. He's fast, but he needs to get much stronger to play significant defensive snaps.
B The Jaguars are getting a high-upside player in Tyler Lacy. However, Lacy needs to get bigger and stronger for the NFL, as he doesn't appear to be ready to play many snaps in the pros at the moment. I actually had Lacy going one pick earlier, so the range makes sense.
B+ There are rumors that one of the Redskins' starting edge rushers might be traded, so this pick makes sense from a need and a range perspective. K.J. Henry is a quality player who performed better than his numbers indicate at Clemson.
A Xavier Hutchinson didn't have a great pre-draft process, which caused him to drop into the sixth round. He's still a quality route runner with solid hands, so he should have been chosen earlier than this. The receiver-starved Texans are getting a promising player.
2022 NFL Draft Selections and Grades
B Grade - B Grade
With Kaiir Elam and Andrew Booth on the board, it didn't seem necessary for the Bills to give up a fourth-round pick to move up for a cornerback. I think this pick is solid though. Elam could have gone earlier than this, and he fills a huge need across from Tre'Davious White.
B+ Grade
The Bills have needed help around Matt Milano at linebacker for quite some time now, as Tremaine Edmunds has been a disappointment. Buffalo's linebacking corps looks lost whenever Milano is hurt, so perhaps that won't be the case now that Terrel Bernard is on the roster. I like Bernard as a third-round prospect. He has three-down potential.
A Grade
The Bills didn't really need a receiver, but they're getting terrific value with Khalil Shakir, whom I had in the third round of my mock draft. Shakir has decent size and good athleticism, and he's a versatile threat. I just worry that he'll be lost on a deep depth chart.
A Grade
I can't believe it. Did the Bears just provide help for Justin Fields? I never thought they'd do that twice in this draft. Braxton Jones is a much-needed blocker for Chicago's putrid offensive line, and he could have easily been chosen a round earlier than this.
B+ Grade
Wait, Walt is grading a kicker/punter pick favorably? Yes, and I almost can't believe it. Two things, though. First, this is the sixth round, which is not the fourth round. Second, Matt Araiza can play both punter and kicker, so he can save a roster spot, which could end up being very valuable.
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B Grade
Faion Hicks is a small corner (5-10, 185), but he posted some impressive testing numbers at his pro day, including a 4.37 40. With quality upside, he's worth a shot in the seventh round.
2021 NFL Draft Selections and Grades
B Grade
This pick makes so much sense. The Bills need to beat Patrick Mahomes, and they can do that by placing as much pressure on him as possible. Rousseau should be able to help the Bills do that. However, some teams were concern with Rousseau's lack of explosion, and they believed that he would go in the second round. That's where I had Rousseau, but I can understand why Buffalo would pick him here, as he projects to be a solid player for them.
A Grade
Buffalo's top priority is beating Patrick Mahomes because he stands in their way of a Super Bowl victory. Getting all the pressure possible on him is the way to do it, and Carlos Basham should help. Basham was very productive at Wake Forest, though he doesn't have great athleticism or upside, which mirrors their first-round choice of Greogry Rousseau.
A Grade
Protecting Josh Allen is the most important thing, so I love this pick from that perspective. Here's another positive: I know some team was targeting Tommy Doyle in the fourth round. Perhaps they didn't take him because an unexpected player fell to them, but the Bills did well with the athletic and large Doyle, regardless.
B Grade
Jack Anderson nearly made the cut in my final mock draft. It makes sense that the Bills would add more offensive line depth to protect Josh Allen. Outside of an injury to Allen, a season could derail if there are multiple injuries to the blocking group.