Your guide to the Buffalo Bills and the NFL draft

Brandon Beane frequently says the work of building an NFL roster never stops.

That was proved true Thursday, when the Buffalo Bills' general manager signed former Tennessee Titans offensive tackle David Quessenberry to a one-year contract. Quessenberry should have a decent chance of making the 53-man roster as a swing tackle.

Cornerback has been a position of good fortune for the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the NFL draft.

Seven of the eight cornerbacks Buffalo has drafted in the first round since 1990 turned out to be good players.

Some of the coverage surrounding the NFL draft is absurd.

That’s true of mock drafts, which have a batting average lower than Michael Jordan’s with the Birmingham Barons.

Brandon Beane does not share your angst.

Buffalo Bills fans have been clamoring for a move at cornerback – any move – but so far, the team has mostly stood pat. Levi Wallace departed for the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving the Bills with a potential hole in their projected starting lineup. Siran Neal was re-signed, but he’s been mostly been a contributor on special teams to this point in his career.

The 2022 NFL Draft is shaping up as one of the harder to forecast in recent years.

The lack of sure-fire, top-10 quarterbacks in the class leaves a lot of early picks still up in the air with a week to go before the first round kicks off.

This is the first a series of profiles of Buffalo Bills draft prospects.

There was no doubt about Isaiah Likely’s pre-draft mission in selling himself to NFL teams.

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. can’t talk himself into the value of a running back for the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the NFL draft.

Kiper, however, likes the idea in the second round, with the 57th overall pick. He projects the Bills will take Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III in his latest two-round mock draft.

This is the 10th in a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL draft. Today’s installment looks at linebacker.

The need to defend spread offenses in space can be seen in the speed of the linebackers entering the NFL draft in recent years.

This is the fifth in a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL Draft. Today’s installment looks at interior offensive line.

The middle rounds are where to find good prospects for the interior offensive line in the 2022 draft class.

This is the second in a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL Draft. Today’s installment looks at running back.

Options are limited for do-it-all running backs in the 2022 draft class.

This is the first in a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL draft. Today’s installment looks at wide receiver.

The flood of speed receivers into the NFL is coming again in the 2022 NFL draft.

The Buffalo Bills will have an option to draft a cornerback with the 25th overall selection, according to ESPN analyst Todd McShay.

One option. Probably.

Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams was predictably upbeat about his recovery from knee surgery Wednesday at the Crimson Tide’s pro day workout for NFL scouts.

Williams might have been the No. 1 receiver taken in the NFL draft if he had not suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the college football national championship game on Jan. 10. Now he is viewed as a likely pick in the second half of the first round and a potential target for the Buffalo Bills at pick No. 25.

The Buffalo Bills will be hard-pressed to find a cornerback worth taking late in the first round of the NFL draft, according to ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.

Kiper projects the Bills will take Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson with the 25th overall pick in his latest first-round mock draft.

It's less than two weeks until the 2022 NFL draft, which means there's no shortage of mock drafts. 

At the moment, more analysts are predicting the Bills will use the 25th pick to build up the defense, but the projections diverge from there, with no consensus on whom the Bills might select. 

This is the ninth part of a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL Draft. Today’s installment looks at defensive tackles.

The 2022 class of defensive tackles isn’t the strongest group in the upcoming NFL draft. There are some standouts from a premier Georgia defense, and a few others who broke through this season. But the main knock is that the class lacks depth.

This is the eighth part of a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL draft. Today’s installment looks at edge rushers.

The 2022 class of edge rushers is loaded. The group is deep and talented, with as many as four projected to go in the top 15.

This is the seventh part of a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL draft. Today’s installment looks at tight ends.

NFL general managers looking for tight ends in this year's draft won't be striking too early.

This is the 11th in a series previewing each position in the 2022 NFL draft. Today’s installment looks at safety.

Safety isn’t traditionally viewed as a premium position.

Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr. has some pretty interceptions on his highlight tape.

There’s a one-handed pickoff on a fade pass to the side of the end zone against Virginia last season. There’s a leaping, high-point grab on a deep post pass at the goal line against South Carolina.

The Buffalo Bills have six picks on the third day of the NFL draft.

They have none in the fourth, one in the fifth, four in the sixth and one in the seventh.

About 15 or 20 minutes after getting the call he'd been waiting years for, Terrel Bernard walked away to a quieter room. The Baylor linebacker was selected by the Bills in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday, at pick No. 89.

"I was just in there with my family going crazy, tearing up, just realizing that one of my biggest dreams is coming true," Bernard said during a video conference with reporters. "So I snuck off into a little room right now, so I’m out here. But yeah man, I’m super excited I can’t wait to get up there.

The Buffalo Bills selected Baylor linebacker Terrel Bernard with the No. 89 overall pick in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday night. Here are five things to know about Bernard.

1. He's known for his leadership. Bernard was a team captain in 2021 and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors. The first line on his scouting report on nfl.com reads "scouts rave about his leadership and character." It also notes that he has a "never-quit attitude despite adversity." It concludes with an anonymous quote from an NFC scout: "If you don't like Bernard, then you don't like smart team leaders who can run. It's that simple."

The Bills traded down twice in the second round before selecting running back James Cook out of Georgia at No. 63.

Here are five things to know about Cook.

The Buffalo Bills made everyone wait Friday night.

The team traded down twice in the second round of the NFL Draft before ultimately selecting Georgia running back James Cook with the No. 63 overall pick.

Brandon Beane moved up in the draft Thursday night, but not dramatically.

The Bills’ general manager traded the 25th overall pick to the Baltimore Ravens along with a selection in the fourth round (No. 130 overall) to acquire the 23rd pick in the first round, which he used on Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam.

Day 2 of the NFL draft takes on a bit more significance for the Buffalo Bills on Friday because of the fact they traded away their fourth-round pick Thursday in the move to get cornerback Kaiir Elam.

Few, if any, will argue with the decision to give away the fourth-rounder (No. 130), given the fact the Bills filled their only glaring need by selecting Elam.

One of the players most frequently connected to the Buffalo Bills in the pre-draft process was Iowa State running back Breece Hall.

Why, exactly, that was the case is a bit of a mystery to Bills General Manager Brandon Beane.

The Buffalo Bills selected cornerback Kaiir Elam with the No. 23 pick in the NFL draft. The Bills wanted to make sure they got Elam: They traded up with the Baltimore Ravens, sending the No. 25 and No. 130 picks to Baltimore.

Here are five things to know about the Bills’ newest corner.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ victory in Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game in January was a bucket of cold water on the Buffalo Bills’ defense.

The Bengals held the Chiefs to 24 points and 375 yards. Just a week earlier, the Bills yielded 42 points and 552 yards to Patrick Mahomes & Co.

Bills fans quickly took to social media to reach to the selection of Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam with the No. 23 pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night. 

No way the league let us get Kaiir Elam … it’s over… no team can compete #billsmafia

— SRF (@SmartRaptorsFan) April 29, 2022

News Bills writers Jay Skurski and Mark Gaughan issue their meter reading on the likelihood of these 10 prospects being the Bills' first-round selection. The higher the number, the more likely the player is to be drafted by the Bills. 

CB ANDREW BOOTH JR., CLEMSON

Sean McDermott doesn’t usually have much of a sweet tooth, but draft night is an exception.

The Buffalo Bills’ sixth-year head coach expects to have plenty of nervous energy Thursday night during the first round of the NFL draft.

Mock drafters everywhere were feeling pretty good about themselves this time about a year ago.

The first two picks of the 2021 draft – Trevor Lawrence to the Jaguars and Zach Wilson to the Jets – were free spots on the bingo board.

The Buffalo Bills are expected to make their first pick of the 2022 draft quite late Thursday, extending the suspense.

With the Bills picking at No. 25, the team generally having a strong roster, and with the 2022 draft being harder to plot out without obvious landing spots for quarterbacks relative to years past, there’s no overwhelming consensus on whom the Bills might take.

Here’s an analysis of winners and losers at One Bills Drive after the dust settled from three days of drafting by the Buffalo Bills.

Winners

The Buffalo Bills finished out their draft on defense.

In the seventh round, Buffalo selected Clemson linebacker Baylon Spector at No. 231. Spector was the eighth pick of the 2022 draft for the Bills.

The Buffalo Bills bulked up in the sixth round.

Buffalo selected Virginia Tech offensive lineman Luke Tenuta at No. 209 overall Saturday.

The Punt God is coming.

On Saturday, the Bills selected punter Matt Araiza with the No. 180 pick. Araiza, who is nicknamed "the Punt God," was a standout specialist at San Diego State. 

The Buffalo Bills selected Virginia Tech tackle Luke Tenuta with the No. 209 overall pick in the sixth round of the NFL draft Saturday. Here are five things to know about Tenuta.

1. He has exceptional height, at 6-foot-8, which will fit in well in the Bills’ offensive line room. The Bills have 6-8 starting right tackle Spencer Brown and 6-8 reserve tackle Tommy Doyle.

The Buffalo Bills selected Villanova cornerback Christian Benford with the No. 205 overall pick in the sixth round of the NFL draft Saturday. Here are five things to know about Benford.

1. He has a nose for the football. Benford broke up 47 passes during his college career, including a whopping 25 as a senior. He also had seven interceptions in 2021, part of 14 in his career.

Villanova cornerback Christian Benford was picked early in the sixth round of the NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills.

Benford, 6-foot and 1-2 inches and 205 pounds, played 36 games over four years at the Football Championship Subdivision program. He brings good size to the position, with decent arm length, at 31 inches. He’s known as a physical cornerback who can jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. He had seven interceptions and 18 passes defensed in 2021. He finished his career with 14 interceptions.

One of the most popular mock draft picks in Buffalo Bills history came to fruition Saturday. 

With the first pick of the sixth round, No. 180 overall, the Bills selected San Diego State punter Matt Araiza. Nicknamed the "Punt God" because of his huge leg, Araiza had 18 punts of 60-plus yards in 2021, including two of 80-plus yards. 

The Bills selected San Diego State's Matt Araiza, aka "the Punt God," in the sixth round of the NFL draft on Saturday. 

Suffice it to say, Bills fans were really happy with that choice. 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The Buffalo Bills made yet another trade in the draft.

Kaiir Elam turns 21 years old this week, on Cinco de Mayo, one of the booziest dates on the calendar.

The Buffalo Bills’ first-round draft pick said he hasn’t considered how he’ll celebrate the big day. But if past is prologue, he might just go to bed early.

The last time the Buffalo Bills drafted an offensive lineman from Virginia Tech, it worked out.

Sort of. 

Even when Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane sat down to talk to reporters, he was still thinking about his draft board. 

“I would have loved to probably have one or two more sevenths,” Beane said Saturday once the Bills were done drafting.

It would be a stretch to say Brandon Beane slept well this weekend.

That’s because the Buffalo Bills’ general manager barely slept at all.

The Buffalo Bills selected Clemson linebacker Baylon Spector at No. 231 in the seventh round. Here are five things to know about Spector.

1. By the numbers: Second on Clemson’s defense in 2021 with 85 tackles (4.5 for loss). Also had 2.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in 11 games, with 10 starts. For his career, he is listed with 210 tackles (22 for loss), nine sacks, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 53 games.

Josh Allen had a specific goal in mind when asked two weeks ago how he could improve his game.

“I think, myself especially, making sure I'm on time, making the right reads and giving our guys good enough balls to get some more RAC,” the Buffalo Bills quarterback said.

Here is how Buffalo News sports reporters who cover the Bills grade the team's draft: 

Jay Skurski

Matt Araiza did the unthinkable for a punter during the 2021 college football season.

He created a draft buzz.

Perry Tuttle loved the people of Buffalo, if not our winter weather.

“I like to say that if I could take Buffalonians and put them in the South, I would have a pretty good life,” he says. “The people there were nothing but good to me.”