APC Community Mock Draft - The Bills are set to pick at 30

Over the weekend, the APC Community spoke and made their selection for the Green Bay Packers with the 29th overall pick of our Mock Draft. The Packers opted to forgo a receiver at 29 and instead picked the massive chess piece that is Zaven Collins. While he hasn’t been mocked to the Packers much, mostly because he is gone by 29 in most mocks, Collins would bring a lot of heat to the Packers’ defense. At 270 pounds, he can play snaps at edge right away and showed the range last year to make plays all over the field. Collins needs to get better at diagnosing plays, but his athleticism will make him a factor in Green Bay early.

The Bills are now up at 30 after coming one game away from the Super Bowl last season. Defense is commonly mocked here as the unit was middle of the road for the Bills last year. While defense isn’t the reason the Bills lost in the AFC Championship Game, Buffalo struggled in games where the offense was below average and bolstering the defense could put them over the hump to defeat the Chiefs. General Manager Brandon Beane mentioned the secondary and defensive lines as areas for improvement in comments last week. Interior offensive line would have been a need here, but the Bills were able to provide themselves flexibility by signing Forrest Lamp to a one-year deal in free agency.

Eric Stokes is the top corner left on the board and could be an intriguing pick for the Bills. It’s been no secret that while the Bills like Levi Wallace, they would like to upgrade. There is little depth for the Bills at CB right now, so it’s a guarantee they’ll be adding to the position room this week in hopes they find a player to hold down the spot opposite Tre’Davious White for years to come. Stokes’ blazing speed would certainly be a benefit if the Bills see the Chiefs again in the playoffs.

In addition to CB, the Bills would love to find an impact edge rusher. As the Buccaneers showed in the Super Bowl, a great pass rush will always be a key ingredient in slowing down great QB’s like Mahomes. Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison are entering the last year of their deals and the pass rush is lackluster already. Either Jayson Oweh or Azeez Ojulari would be a great pick here. Both could use refinement in their technique, but possess every tool to be capable rushers right away. Oweh is the more raw pick, but could be a better fit as an end in the Bills’ 4-3 scheme. We’ll recap the first 29 picks before checking out the Bills’ options at 30.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
2. New York Jets - Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
3. San Francisco 49ers - Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
4. Atlanta Falcons - Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
5. Cincinnati Bengals - Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
6. Miami Dolphins - Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
7. Detroit Lions - DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
8. Carolina Panthers - Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
9. Denver Broncos - Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
10. Dallas Cowboys - Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama
11. New York Giants - Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
12. Philadelphia Eagles - Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
13. Los Angeles Chargers - Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
14. Minnesota Vikings - Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL, USC
15. New England Patriots - Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
16. Arizona Cardinals - Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
17. Las Vegas Raiders - Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State
18. Miami Dolphins - Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan
19. Washington Football Team - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame
20. Chicago Bears - Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
21. Indianapolis Colts - Jaelan Phillips, EDGE, Miami
22. Tennessee Titans - Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern
23. New York Jets - Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State
24. Pittsburgh Steelers - Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
25. Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU
26. Cleveland Browns - Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama
27. Baltimore Ravens - Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
28. New Orleans Saints - Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida
29. Green Bay Packers - Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa

Who will the Bills select to bolster their defense?

Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia

Could six corners go in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft? If so, Stokes could be number six. Blessed with good size and elite speed (4.29 in the 40), Stokes broke into the starting lineup late in his redshirt freshman year and never looked back. As a junior in 2020, Stokes grabbed four interceptions, taking two of them back for touchdowns, and broke up another four passes. He also played on special teams early, blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown as a freshman. Stokes isn’t just a burner, either, as he shows great explosiveness and ball skills.

Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, Georgia

The Bulldogs keep producing quality edge rushers from their 3-4 defense, and Ojulari is the latest in that line. He leaves Athens after a redshirt sophomore year that saw him accrue 9.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles in just ten games. Three of those sacks came in Georgia’s bowl game against Cincinnati. With excellent speed and functional strength, he looks to have all the tools to turn into a top-flight pass-rusher, and given his youth, he has a tremendous ceiling. He just may need to add some bulk over time to hold up in the run game.

Jayson Oweh, EDGE, Penn State

Of all the edge rushers in this draft, Oweh may be the most athletic. While he didn’t record a sack in 2020, Oweh finished with 6.5 tackles for loss and was voted first-team All-Big Ten. The tools are not all there yet, but Oweh only played 20 games in college and didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school. At 6-foot-5, 257 pounds, he has the strength and speed to be a situational rusher from day 1. Oweh does not have many pass rush moves in his arsenal and will need to develop counters to what he’ll see in the league. He may be too raw to make a real, every-down impact in his first season, but teams will be salivating over the possibilities down the line.

With the 30th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select…

The Bills have a few athletic edge rushers to choose from here as well as a speedy corner to start across from Tre’Davious White. Expect them to prioritize both positions in the draft. Later today, at 4 PM EST, we’ll be taking a look at the Ravens’ options at pick 31, which they acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs over the weekend. Check back here and be sure to vote above and on Twitter @acmepackingco.