Bills year in review: rookie grades

The Bills already had a deep roster going into the 2022 NFL Draft, but there were some areas of concern for GM Brandon Beane, including cornerback, running back and linebacker depth. They addressed those positions with their first three picks and then went on to add players who would be able to supplement the roster.

Of the eight players the Bills drafted in April, two of them never took the field in the regular season — Matt Araiza and Luke Tenuta. As for the six rookies that did play, four played a solid role on the team in their first year, while linebackers Terrel Bernard and Baylon Spector never got their chance to shine.

I assigned letter grades for all Bills rookies based off their performance in 2022, taking into consideration their draft position, playing time and PFF grade.

Kaiir Elam
Drafted: 1^st Round, 23^rd Overall Pick
Position:  Cornerback
% of Bills Defensive Snaps:  49%
PFF Grade:  64.6  
PFF Rank at Position:  59 of 118
PFF Rookie Rank at Position:  11 of 23 eligible
Grade:  C

The verdict is still out on Kaiir Elam. He was the fourth cornerback taken in the first round, yet he ranked 11^th of all rookie cornerbacks by PFF. Starting only 7 of the team’s 19 games in 2022, Elam struggled with a lingering foot/ankle injury for a large portion of the season. Elam did, however, have two game-changing interceptions — one on the Chiefs opening drive in the endzone and the other versus Miami in the playoffs. Kaiir Elam was drafted to be the Bills CB2 behind Tre White. Look for that plan to come to fruition in 2023.

James Cook
Drafted: 2^nd Round, 63^rd Overall Pick
Position:  Running Back
% of Bills Offensive Snaps:  26%
PFF Grade:  73.3  
PFF Rank at Position:  30 of 60
PFF Rookie Rank at Position:  7 of 8 eligible
Grade:  A-

James Cook fumbled his first snap of the season versus the Rams, damaging the coaching staff’s trust of the rookie. In his first 11 games of the season, Cook only averaged 17% of the offensive snaps, with much of that coming in garbage time. However, in the team’s last 7 games, he averaged 40% of the Bills offensive snaps. These were not garbage time carries, as this included important playoff-seeding games and actual playoff games. Cook averaged 5.7 yards per carry his rookie season which would have tied him for best in the league amongst non-quarterbacks if he’d had more rushing attempts. Though he never started a game in 2022, James Cook has the potential to not only be the Bills RB1, but to be among the best running backs in the league next season.

Terrel Bernard
Drafted: 3^rd Round, 89^th Overall Pick
Position:  Linebacker
% of Bills Defensive Snaps:  9.6%
PFF Grade:  64.6  
PFF Rank at Position:  Not enough snaps
PFF Rookie Rank at Position:  Not enough snaps
Grade:  C-

Playing behind two of the best linebackers in the league (Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds) resulted in very little significant playing time for Terrel Bernard, except for one spot-start for Matt Milano versus the Jets. Bernard did, however, see significant special teams play, averaging 56% of all special teams snaps. You’d like to see a third round pick have more playing time, and if Tremaine Edmunds isn’t re-signed this offseason, it might mean a starting spot for Bernard.

Khalil Shakir
Drafted: 5^th Round, 148^th Overall Pick
Position:  Wide Receiver
% of Bills Offensive Snaps:  24.6%
PFF Grade:  65.6  
PFF Rank at Position:  74/121
PFF Rookie Rank at Position:  10^th of 14 eligible 
Grade:  B-

Khalil Shakir was sprinkled in amongst the Bills offense sporadically throughout the 2022 season. Like fellow-offensive rookie, James Cook, the Bills coaching staff trusted him increasingly as the season played out. His 91 receiving yards on 5 catches in the Bills two playoff games was third on the team and more than his slot receiver counterparts, Isaiah McKenzie and Cole Beasley. Look for Khalil Shakir to make the transition to the Bills main slot receiver in 2023.

Christian Benford
Drafted: 6^th Round, 185^th Overall Pick
Position:  Defensive Back
% of Bills Defensive Snaps:  30.3%
PFF Grade:  55.7  
PFF Rank at Position:  96 of 118
PFF Rookie Rank at Position:  17^th of 23 eligible 
Grade:  B+

Brandon Beane found good value in Christian Benford in the sixth round. Though the rookie missed seven games with an oblique and hand injury, he still started seven games at cornerback and was in the defensive backfield 61% of time he was active. Rumor has it that the Bills will look to transition Benford to safety next season.

Baylon Spector
Drafted: 7^th Round, 231^st Overall Pick
Position:  Linebacker
% of Bills Defensive Snaps:  1%
PFF Grade:  27.9  
PFF Rank at Position:  Not enough snaps
PFF Rookie Rank at Position:  Not enough snaps
Grade:  N/A

Baylon Spector played in six games for the Bills in 2022 and most of his playing time was on special teams. He was a fringe roster guy but his role could increase if the Bills lose Edmunds or Tyrel Dodson to free agency.