Buffalo Bills Mock Draft: Final 7-Round Predictions
The eve of the 2015 NFL draft has finally arrived.
Hours upon hours of scouting, watching tape and conducting interviews culminate with the seven-round event beginning in prime time on Thursday night.
While several teams jockey for position atop the draft for the chance to select quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, the Buffalo Bills will most likely be sitting on the sideline on Thursday night without a pick in the top 32.
Buffalo's trade of two first-round selections for the right to pick wide receiver Sammy Watkins will assuredly be talked about when Cleveland comes on the clock in its spot at No. 19. Nonetheless, Buffalo will have to watch the draft unfold until the commissioner announces its first pick in the back half of the second round.
Doug Whaley and Rex Ryan join forces for their first draft together, which is just one of many storylines surrounding the Bills heading into the weekend. A solid roster with just a few holes keeping them out of the playoff picture will have an enhanced importance placed on the No. 50 and No. 81 selections set to be picked on Friday evening.
Let's go through the final mock draft for the Buffalo Bills as the clock ticks under 24 hours until Tampa Bay makes its first pick.
Round 1
1 of 7The Buffalo Bills do not have a first-round pick after trading it, along with the ninth overall selection last year and a 2015 fourth-rounder.
Many still disagree with the amount that Buffalo gave up to get Sammy Watkins, but Rex Ryan seems to be OK with the deal, according to Leo Roth of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
"You can say it's a little boring," Ryan said. "That'll be a little different. But you know what? I'd much rather have Sammy."
Fair or not, Watkins' career will always be matched up with Justin Gilbert—whom the Browns selected ninth overall—and whomever they pick in the first and fourth rounds in 2015. Watkins proved to be much more valuable than Gilbert during their rookie seasons, and the Bills fully expect the former Clemson receiver to take another step toward elite status in Year 2.
Round 2
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Pick No. 50: Preston Smith, Defensive End, Mississippi State
A defensive end mocked to a team with arguably the best front four in the NFL?
Defensive end is certainly not the biggest need on the Bills, but it could be one of the more deceptive ones. On a surface level, it is easy to look at the likes of Mario Williams and Jerry Hughes on the outside and say picking a defensive end would be foolish. However, Preston Smith might end up as one of the best players on the board when the Bills come on the clock for the first time.
I have been guard-heavy in my projections since March, but the quality depth at the position into the third round could afford the Bills to wait a little longer on one.
Smith has first-round talent, but many analysts aren't sure what he will be at the next level. He isn't quick enough to be a 4-3 speed-rusher nor big enough to be a 5-tech defensive end in the 3-4 scheme like Ryan's.
Smith's game reminds me a little of Muhammad Wilkerson when he was coming out of Temple, but Smith will have to add weight to have a similar effect.
Like Wilkerson, Smith will be able to add a combination of good run defense and a handful of sacks every season. Smith was the sack leader for the Bulldogs in Starkville last season, but he likely won't be a double-digit sack guy as a professional.
Versatility is going to be Smith's best quality as a pro, and Ryan is the type of coach who can move him around to cause matchup issues for the opposing line.
Round 3
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Pick No. 81: Clive Walford, Tight End, Miami
There is a distinct possibility that quarterbacks Bryce Petty and Garrett Grayson could still be available when the Bills have their turn to pick in the third round. Not being privy to the Bills scouting, one would assume they would take a hard look at either of those guys if they were available.
However, a four-quarterback competition might be a little more than Ryan and company bargained for this offseason. If the Bills decide to trade EJ Manuel away during the draft—which isn't likely—then maybe a quarterback makes sense in this spot. Otherwise, it would make more sense for Buffalo to add another playmaker on either side of the ball to help the team get by with what they do have at signal-caller.
Clive Walford is a big target at tight end and will be a matchup nightmare from the minute he steps on an NFL field. Battling inconsistency and effort will be his biggest demons, but a players' coach might be a good change of pace from the instruction he was receiving from Al Golden's staff.
If Walford can put things together quickly, his natural features lend him to being an excellent pass-catcher up the seam, and hopefully his blocking can follow suit.
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Round 4
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The Buffalo Bills sent their fourth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in the Sammy Watkins deal.
Round 5
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Pick No. 155: Jarvis Harrison, Guard, Texas A&M
No guard in the second or third round means the Bills should be looking for one in the fifth as the positional value begins to wane.
Jarvis Harrison is one of the more intriguing prospects at guard after having played in 38 games, including starting all of 2012 and 2013 during Johnny Manziel's reign in College Station. With many of his fellow Aggie linemen getting drafted so high during the last two drafts, why is Harrison falling to the third day?
Work ethic.
Harrison has the frame, athleticism and skill set to be picked in the first three rounds this weekend, but he won't simply because of the aforementioned characteristic. It is hard to ignore his three years of starting experience on one of the best offensive lines at the collegiate level over the last four seasons, but inconsistent tape might cost Harrison a few rounds' worth of contract money.
Whoever picks Harrison will need to make sure he is committed to playing, but if a coach can draw the best qualities out of him, that team will have a steal on its hands.
Round 6
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Pick No. 188: Damian Swann, Cornerback, Georgia
The first of two picks in the sixth round is a big, physical corner who has the potential to develop into a nice bump-and-run guy on the outside in a few years.
Damian Swann is similar across the board to last year's mid-round pick Ross Cockrell, a guy who can fit in multiple looks on defense. A reason why Swann could be appealing to the Bills in the later rounds is his ability to time blitzes from his post on the outside. Ryan has shown the propensity to use defensive back blitzes in bunches.
Like Cockrell, Swann will need to play special teams at first, but he's a big corner with upside in a league where you cannot have enough of them.
Pick No. 194: Max Valles, Linebacker, Virginia
It's no secret by now that Max Valles should not have declared for the 2015 NFL draft after his redshirt sophomore season. After a solid second season that garnered him a third-team All-ACC nod, Valles must have received bad advice about his potential in this year's draft.
Valles is more of a great athlete instead of an accomplished football player at this point in his career, and he would have benefited greatly from one or even two more years in college. Still, he has physical tools that you can't teach, and Buffalo can afford to wait on a guy of that cloth to sit and develop as a sixth-rounder.
Round 7
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Pick No. 234: Erick Dargan, Safety, Oregon
Whoever is picked in this slot is going to have a hard time making the team out of camp, so why not go for a guy who did one thing very well in college?
Erick Dargan led the Pac-12 in interceptions last season (seven) while serving as a starter in Oregon's defensive backfield. The senior finished his four-year career with 13 interceptions, and he has a similar type of ball-hawking skill set to a former Buffalo safety who hailed from the Oregon program.
He is not nearly as physically gifted as Jairus Bryd, now a member of the New Orleans Saints, but Dargan has a nose for the football that many other safeties who will be picked late do not possess.
Buffalo does not have a dire need at safety, which affords a player like Dargan to start with special teams and work his way into the lineup a few years down the road.
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