Mel Kiper’s Mock Draft for the Bills

Mel Kiper’s Mock Draft for the Bills

    Ryan Talbot of newyorkupstate.com posted an interesting article on Friday regarding how the Bills can earn an A grade from Mel Kiper. The jist of what the article said was that the Bills can earn this grade by drafting TJ Hokenson at nine, N’Keal Harry with the 40th pick and Jaylon Ferguson with the 74th pick. I spoke in detail about Hockensen but Harry and Ferguson are two names I’m not too familiar with.

    Let’s look at Harry first, who like Drake, hails from Toronto. At 6’2, 228, Harry has terrific size at the position, which reminds me of Andre Reed. As far as hands are concerned, I’d say those are a safe bet. If you haven’t seen the catch he made against USC, you need to check it out right away. While I still feel DK Metcalf is the best choice for the Bills, I could see them going for both Hockensen and Harry if Metcalf is not available or to their liking.

    Then there’s Jaylon Ferguson. Of all the needs the Bills are looking to fill this offseason, Defensive End is not high on the list. That doesn’t mean the Bills shouldn’t look for talent if it’s available. I wrote an article not too long ago discussing why the Bills should go after Ed Oliver. As it is, Jaylon Ferguson is the NCAA’s all-time sack leader. Isn’t a man the Bills once drafted the all-time sack leader in the NFL?

    It would be tremendously unfair of me to compare Jaylon Ferguson to Bruce Smith. I guess I can compare them in both size and athletic ability but the hype surrounding Smith is far more than Ferguson. Smith was going either one or two, Ferguson will most likely remain seated until the third round. Perhaps that will take the pressure off of Ferguson should the Bills select him.

    Ferguson did win MVP at the 2018 Hawaii Bowl. Does this kind of performance showcase things to come? Will Ferguson prove to be the steal of the draft or will his name fade in time like so many other pass rushers before him. The same can be asked about N’Keal Harry and TJ Hokenson.

    At the end of the day, a great grade from Mel Kiper doesn’t necessarily translate to on-field success. Mel Kiper was wrong about Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson and even went so far as to say that he would retire if Jimmy Clausen wasn’t a successful NFL QB. Well, all I can say is that Jimmy Clausen can be held in high esteem by Carolina Panthers if only because his terrible play allowed for the drafting of Cam Newton.

    With all that aside, there have been plenty of times when Kiper was right and fans like myself can take comfort in knowing how we can get his approval…because we all live to get the approval of Mel Kiper. All I want is for the Bills to draft someone who can help them on their climb back to the top. If they can do that, I’ll be happy regardless of what anyone says.

-By: Thomas P. Braun Jr.