BUFFALO BILLS
Round 1 (No. 23 overall, from Cardinals through Ravens) – Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida: The Bills rise two spots, at the expense of a fourthrounder, to get Elam, who has extensive NFL bloodlines. His father, Abram, played in the league for seven years; his uncle, Matt Elam, was a first-round pick of the Ravens in 2013. Kaiir Elam is a big (6-2, 191), fast (4.39 40) corner who should not only become an instant starter for the NFL’s No. 1 defense, but provide insurance as Pro Bowl CB Tre’Davious White recovers from ACL surgery.
Round 2 (63, from Bengals) – James Cook, RB, Georgia: The brother of Dalvin Cook, the former Bulldogs back is an exceptional receiver who should also take some of the rushing load off QB Josh Allen. Cook (5-11, 200) has 4.4 speed and had 7.2 yards per touch last season.
Round 3 (89) – Terrel Bernard, LB, Baylor: On the light side at 6-1 and 224 pounds, he’ll probably get his initial opportunities on sub packages and special teams. He’ll do far more damage chasing quarterbacks than covering tight ends.
Round 5 (148, from Texans through Bears) – Khalil Shakir, WR, Boise State
Round 6 (180, from Jaguars through Buccaneers) – Matt Araiza, P, San Diego State
Round 6 (185, from Panthers) – Christian Benford, CB, Villanova
Round 6 (209, from Bengals) – Luke Tenuta, OT, Virginia Tech
Round 7 (231, from Falcons) – Baylon Spector, LB, Clemson
Grade: A
A team that may enter the 2022 season as the prohibitive AFC favorite didn’t necessarily have a lot of needs but came away with players who should pay immediate dividends. Elam has ideal physical traits (size, speed) for the position, and his presence could ease pressure on White to return too quickly from the ACL tear. Cook will bring needed juice to the ground game and maybe reduce some of that load on Allen. Even Shakir might soften the departure of slot WR Cole Beasley. The booming leg of “Punt God” Araiza will cut through those Lake Erie winds.