Bills land former Top 3 pick in 2022 NFL overhaul

It’s often said that an NFL draft can only be accurately evaluated several years after its conclusion – that it’s impossible to get a proper assessment of a player’s perceived ability or the class of a team until we see how all situations ultimately play out.

It’s fun, especially during the NFL offseason, to look back at older versions and form a more contextual and therefore informed final opinion about a particular class and its players. Re-drafts are a popular tool for evaluating past drafts because it’s an accessible way to re-rank players while giving fans of the league the opportunity to imagine. what if things had happened a little differently?

The 33rd Team’s Ian Valentino recently took part in the exercise, drafting a 2022 NFL first-round redo for the outlet. It has the Buffalo Bills — who initially traded up to select Florida defensive back Kaiir Elam in the 2022 draft — taking another cornerback, this time going out of the first round with then-LSU defensive back Derek Stingley Jr.

“It’s true that Stingley hasn’t really lived up to expectations that he would be a versatile cover man with top-notch ball skills, but he’s bright enough to believe he’s on the right track to be an entry-level option,” Valentino said. wrote about Buffalo’s new selection at pick No. 23. “The same can’t be said for Kaiir Elam, who only played 16 games for the Buffalo Bills and is coming off a serious injury to his ankle.”

Related: Underrated Bills CB dubbed potential Pro Bowl candidate for 2024 NFL season

Stingley was originally selected with the third overall pick by the Houston Texans, and while he was solid, he may not have made it. enough living up to the hype once associated with it. He was widely considered one of the best defenders in college football and a future top-five selection after a 2019 freshman season in which he snagged 21 pass deflections and six interceptions, shining on a Tigers team that went 15-0 en route to a National Championship. Injuries limited him to just 10 more games throughout his college career, but the Texans still felt confident taking him top-three in 2022.

The former Tiger featured when available during his two professional seasons, but was limited to just 20 regular season games due to impending hamstring injuries. He collected 82 combined tackles, 18 pass deflections and five picks as a pro, particularly impressive under and under new head coach DeMeco Ryans in 2023.

Elam, Buffalo’s original first-round pick, doesn’t appear in the new draft, which was fitting considering he’s only appeared in 16 regular-season games in his career. He showed moments of promise, but struggled to gain the trust of the team’s coaching staff due to his aggressiveness and knack for drawing untimely penalties. The Bills did, however, manage to land a starting cornerback in the 2022 draft, selecting Villanova defensive end Christian Benford in the sixth round; the 23-year-old has started 19 games over the past two seasons and projects to be a starter again for Buffalo next campaign.

—Benefit from free bill coverage Buffalo Bills on SI—