Bills add key depth on day three of Draft

Round 1 (pick 23) – CB Kaiir Elam; Round 2 (pick 63) – RB James Cook; Round 3 (pick 89) – LB Terrel Bernard; Round 5 (pick 148) – WR Khalil Shakir; Round 6 (pick 180) – P Matt Araiza; Round 6 (pick 185) – CB Christian Benford; Round 6 (pick 209) – OT Luke Tenuta; Round 7 (pick 231) – LB Baylon Spector.

The Bills traded back multiple times early in the 2022 NFL Draft and in turn accumulated more picks for the later rounds, having five total picks on day three without owning a pick in round four. They made good use of those picks and added depth at multiple positions, and even picked up a couple prospects that can come in and contribute right away.

The Bills selected Khalil Shakir, wide receiver from Boise State, in the fifth round with the 148^th pick. Shakir appeared on our ‘10 prospects the Bills could target at WR‘ rankings last week. He’s not only a good wide receiver and slot player but can easily be on special teams as a returner with his speed and elusiveness. He stands at 6’0” and weighs 196 pounds and ran a 4.43 40-yard dash. In 2021 Shakir had  77 receptions for 1,117 yards and 7 touchdowns. He could be the long-term answer in the slot for the Bills, as Jamison Crowder is only on a one-year deal.

The Bills selected punter Matt Araiza from San Diego State with the first draft pick in the sixth round Saturday. Araiza is a fan favorite by many Bills mafia members and rightfully so. Araiza punted 79 times for 4044 yards, with a longest punt of 86 yards. Araiza, with his strong leg, is the punter version of Josh Allen.  This ball is punted from his own one yard line and with a good bounce rolls down to the opponents’ two yard line:

With the 185^th pick the Bills selected Christian Benford, cornerback from Villanova in the sixth round. Benford is the second cornerback taken by the Bills in this draft after Kaiir Elam in the first round. He’s a good depth guy for the Bills but was a great player for Villanova, having 7 interceptions in 2021.  

With the 209^th pick the Bills selected Luke Tenuta, offensive tackle from Virginia Tech in the sixth round. Tenuta played left tackle in college and will provide depth on the offensive line. Bills GM Brandon Beane continues to select players with out-of-this-world physical size and attributes, as Tenuta stands in at 6’7” and weighs 315 pounds. 

The Bills selected linebacker Baylon Spector from Clemson with their final pick in the draft (7th round, 231 overall). Spector is a great coverage linebacker and could help the Bills in that regard. Spector is also good depth player who can play special teams. In 2021, Spector had 74 TOT, 38 AST, 2.5 SACK, 1 INT, and 3 TDs.