Cuopom: NFL Draft 2022: Bills find missing ingredient, add Sauce to secondary in big trade (Mock 2.0)

The Buffalo Bills have a wide open Super Bowl window, but the team wants to bring a championship home now.

Buffalo entered the offseason with one of the NFL’s best rosters and it only improved by adding Von Miller, DaQuan Jones, Tim Settle, Rodger Saffold, O.J. Howard, Jamison Crowder and others. The Bills’ roster, on paper, stands out among the best of the best in the league, but the draft is where the team can really separate themselves from other contenders.

The best way to gain some separation from the rest of the pack? Make a bold move.

In our mock 2.0, the Bills do just that and add some sauce to their secondary.

TRADE Round 1, Pick 7: CB Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, Cincinnati

Bills receive: 2022 1st (7)

Giants receive: 2022 1st round pick (25), 2022 3rd round pick (89), and 2023 1st round pick, 2023 5th round pick

Last year, the Bears jumped from No. 20 to No. 11 to select Justin Fields. To make the jump, Chicago traded two first round picks (2021, 2022), a 2021 5th and a 2022 4th round pick. This year, there are few, if any, quarterback prospects that will have teams giving up significant draft capital so the Bills are able to make a bigger jump from No. 25 to No. 7 for a similar price.

After jumping up to No. 7, the Bills land the draft’s top cornerback in Sauce Gardner. With Tre’Davious White coming off of a season ending injury and the Bills losing Levi Wallace in free agency, the team finds a potential 1B to White’s 1A who will be locked up on a rookie contract for the foreseeable future.

In three seasons with the Bearcats, Gardner recorded nine interceptions and 16 passes defensed while locking down opposing wide receivers.

The biggest hole on Buffalo’s roster gets filled by an elite prospect.

What they’re saying:

Gardner thrives in zone coverage and playing from a half-turn where he can read the backfield and work into throwing lanes. He has a strong feel for layering coverage, squeezing routes, and working into throwing windows. His length is a major asset in zone, where he can truly test the ball placement of the opposing quarterback by staying leveraged and restricting the catch radius of the receiver. -Joe Marino, The Draft Network

Round 2, Pick 57: WR Christian Watson, North Dakota State

The Bills re-signed Isaiah McKenzie and signed Jamison Crowder in free agency, but the team still needs to address the position with a downfield threat. In Round 2, Buffalo adds a wide receiver who can provide an immediate impact as a big play weapon in North Dakota State’s Christian Watson.

Watson had 57 plays that went 20-plus yards in his career with the Bison. Watson can be used to stretch the field and on gadget plays on offense as a rookie. In addition to his contributions on offense, Watson could vie for the team’s kick returner job. Watson averaged 26.38 yards per return.

What they’re saying:

A receiver prospect with intriguing measurables and a strong belief in the team aspect of the game, Watson possesses an alluring combination of size and speed. He showed off improved route running and catch strength in 2021. He is much more gifted than his opposition was at NDSU and needs to prove he can elevate his game against bigger, faster players at the next level. He plays hard and fast but needs to add a few more pounds and learn to impose his frame on the coverage. He’s a field-stretching option requiring a linear route tree and projects as a capable WR3/4 with more work. -Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

Round 4, Pick 130: OT Nicholas Petit-Frere, Ohio State

Petit-Frere is one of the Bills’ known top-30 visitors. The Ohio State prospect had his ups and downs in 2021 with Ohio State, but the skill-set is there for him to be a starting caliber tackle in the NFL. The selection may seem like a luxury pick for Buffalo considering they have Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown as their bookends, but Petit-Frere could be an excellent swing tackle out of the gate for the Bills and a terrific insurance policy in the event that one of the starting tackles misses time due to injury.

What they’re saying:

Petit-Frere is large and mobile, and he’s a natural left tackle who should only get better in time. He has starting potential once he polishes his game. -Tony Pauline, Pro Football Network

Round 5, Pick 168: G Chris Paul, Tulsa

The Bills add back-to-back offensive linemen. In Round 5, the Bills are adding a developmental guard in Chris Paul. The lineman played out of place the past two years at Tulsa at tackle and will likely play guard in the NFL. Buffalo gives Aaron Kromer a project to work with in the short-term in the hopes of developing Paul into a starter.

What they’re saying:

Across his four seasons of starting experience for the Golden Hurricane, Paul spent two seasons at guard and two at tackle. I believe his best position in the NFL comes at guard, where my concerns about pass sets, lateral mobility, and weight distribution are eased. Paul is a technician with his hands and does well to vary his strikes and activate them with good timing and placement. He excels in the run game where his hands allow him to control reps and he does well to get his frame positioned to seal lanes. In pass protection, Paul is flashy but his tendency to overset and soften rush angles for his opponent must be corrected if he is tasked with playing on an island in the NFL. Paul will turn 24 during his rookie season in the NFL. I think he can provide depth with some positional flexibility. He has modest intrigue to develop into a reliable starter by year two or three.-Joe Marino, The Draft Network

Round 6, Pick 185 (from Carolina): P Jordan Stout, Penn State

A lot of Bills fans like the idea of adding Matt Araiza, a.k.a. “The Punt God,” but are they willing to give up a late day two-early day three pick? It’s possible that Araiza falls in the draft, but some projections have him going this high.

Instead of Araiza, the Bills land Jordan Stout. Stout is arguably the second best punter in the draft class and has experience playing in similar elements to what he will see in Orchard Park.

Stout has a big leg with over 30 percent of his kicks traveling 50 yards in his career. NFL.com also noted that Stout had a low touchback rate and can consistently drop pooch punts inside the 10-yard line.

In addition to punting, Stout can kick field goals in a pinch.

What they’re saying:

Handled both kicking and punting duties but will be a full-time punter at the next level. Stout combines quality power with outstanding touch to flip fields and throw darts depending upon his positioning. He hangs the ball up to limit returns and rarely boots it into the end zone. He’s consistent and works with quick operation time. He has the makings of a steady, long-term NFL punter. -Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

Bills trade Round 6, Pick 203 & Round 7, Pick 231 for 2023 5th Round Pick

Buffalo saw two draft picks get signed elsewhere last year when the team couldn’t fit Jack Anderson (Eagles) and Rachad Wildgoose (Jets) on their 53-man roster. The same could happen again this year considering how deep and talented their roster is heading into the draft.

Instead of selecting two players who may not even make the roster, Buffalo sends the 6th and 7th round selections for a 2023 5th round pick.

Last year, the Eagles received a 2022 5th round selection by sending their 2021-6th and 7th round picks to the Washington Commanders. This trade also recoups the 5th that the Bills would lose in their trade for Sauce Gardner.

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