Bills Rumors: BUF Targeting Either RB or DB with No. 25 2022 NFL Draft Pick

The Buffalo Bills reportedly have two positions in mind with the No. 25 overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

As part of his final mock draft, NFL Network insider Peter Schrager reported that the Buffalo Bills are targeting either a running back or a defensive back.

Using that information, Schrager mocked well-rounded Iowa State running back Breece Hall to the Bills at No. 25.

After missing the playoffs 17 years in a row, the Bills have established themselves as perennial Super Bowl contenders.

Buffalo has now reached the playoffs in each of the past three seasons and four of the past five, and it is the two-time reigning AFC East champion, ending the New England Patriots' stranglehold on the division.

The Kansas City Chiefs have been a thorn in the Bills' side each of the past two seasons, beating them in the AFC Championship Game in 2020 and the AFC Divisional Round last season.

It remains to be seen if the Chiefs will take a step back in 2022 after trading wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, but many of the moves Buffalo makes in the draft could be related to trying to get past Kansas City.

Taking a running back like Hall could fall into that category since it would make the Bills more balanced and dangerous on offense.

Josh Allen is arguably the best quarterback in the NFL, but it can be argued that the Bills put too much on his plate at times, especially as a runner.

Allen ran the ball a career-high 122 times last season, and while he was effective with 763 yards and six touchdowns, he took a lot of hits as a result.

The 6'5", 237-pound signal-caller has been resilient throughout his career and hasn't missed a game in any of the past three seasons, but Buffalo is perhaps playing with fire.

Hall would be a player the Bills can trust to hand the ball to in third-and-short situations rather than always having to rely on Allen.

The biggest argument against drafting Hall in the first round may be that running back isn't a premium position and Buffalo could possibly get an instant contributor at the position in a later round.

The Bills also have a solid-if-unspectacular starter in Devin Singletary, who had 1,098 total yards and eight touchdowns last season, while also averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

A more likely scenario may be the Bills taking a defensive back in the first round, which Schrager also alluded to.

The Bills don't have many needs on their stacked roster, but cornerback may be the biggest, especially since it isn't guaranteed that No. 1 corner Tre'Davious White will be ready for the start of the 2022 campaign after tearing his ACL last season.

If White isn't ready, Buffalo would be left with 2020 seventh-round pick Dane Jackson and undrafted free agent Cam Lewis as the top two options at outside corner. 

The Bills could still sign or trade for a veteran and take a cornerback in a later round, but if someone like Clemson's Andrew Booth, Florida's Kaiir Elam or a do-everything DB in Michigan's Daxton Hill is there for the taking at 25th overall, it would be a logical selection.