The Buffalo Bills are just two days away from deciding on which player the team will select with their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and according to general manager Brandon Beane, they are “ready to roll.”
Beane spoke about the Bills’ draft plan while appearing on WGR 550, the team’s official radio station, on Tuesday, April 26. “For the most part [the draft board] is finalized,” Beane said.
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“We’re doing mock drafts right now. We did some yesterday [Monday], just trying to come up with different scenarios that could happen in the first two to three rounds is where we’re at.”
Mock drafts are tough this year because it remains unknown how many quarterbacks will be drafted early, making it all the difficult to predict which players will still be available at the bottom of the first round.
When asked about ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter’s report that numerous teams are actually looking to trade down this year, Beane said he’s been in contact with teams about moving both up and down from their No. 25 overall pick, while also noting these discussions are not unique to this year’s draft:
Yeah, we take calls from teams in the second round saying ‘Hey, if we had an interest in coming up – would you be interested?’ but you don’t know because you don’ know what’s on the board. So, that happens every year. And the same thing, we’ve had teams in front of us be like hey we’re moving down. But they’re going to want to see what’s on the board before they do that.
It’s all just preparing. We’ll do the same thing in our own way. We wouldn’t call teams that were way up the board that we’d give our whole draft to, but we would definitely call teams within range if it made sense. And we’ll talk to teams behind us as well just to really cover our bases.
Beane Says He’s Not Looking for a ‘Short Term’ First With the Bills’ First-Round Pick
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“Obviously, we’re not in the quarterback market,” Beane said, stating the obvious. As for what position they will take in the first round, most NFL analysts have surmised the team’s top need would be to select a cornerback, receiver, or offensive lineman.
There are also a ton of reports linking the Bills to selecting running back Breece Hall in the first round.
“You’re just looking for good players,” Beane said. “Free agency is probably where you can say, ‘Hey, we’ll spend a little more here and we’ll fill this here.’ The draft is more of a long-term approach. You’re drafting a guy in the first round that you would hope you’re, at least, picking up their fifth-year option and you’ve got him for five years. So you’re not looking for a short-term fix.”
Beane Announced Ed Oliver’s 5th Year Option on ‘One Bills Live,’ No Word Yet on Jordan Poyer
We’ve exercised the fifth-year option on DT Ed Oliver.
After speaking with WGR 550 on Tuesday morning, Beane did a second interview with One Bills Live, where he announced the Bills picked up the fifth-year option on defensive tackle Ed Oliver, the team’s former ninth overall pick from the 2019 NFL Draft.
The move cements Oliver in Buffalo through 2023 “at the guaranteed price of $10.735 million,” per SB Nation.
Beane, however, did not mention anything about safety Jordan Poyer, whose powerhouse agent, Drew Rosenhaus, made a public plea for his client’s extension earlier this month.
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Bills GM in Contact With Teams to Both Trade Up & Down From No. 25