3 Bills go in first round of 2022 NFL re-draft, but obviously not Kaiir Elam

Kaiir Elam isn’t the only Buffalo Bills player in a new place in the 2022 NFL re-draft.

The Buffalo Bills traded cornerback Kaiir Elam this offseason and the Dallas Cowboys recently announced they would not pick up his fifth-year option. He certainly qualifies as a bust, even if he ends up on the Cowboys’ 53-man roster in 2025.

SB Nation re-drafted the 2022 NFL Draft and in addition to the change at the Elam pick for the Bills, Buffalo also lost two players in the first round that they were able to nab later in 2022.

Let’s take a look:

18. Tennessee Titans: Khalil Shakir, WR
Original Pick: Treylon Burks, WR

The Treylon Burks experiment hasn’t gone well at all, so in this re-draft the Titans opt for Shakir, who’s been an explosive and dynamic target for the Bills out of the slot.

The Bills lose their most consistent wide receiver to the Tennessee Titans in this re-draft. Shakir has 125 receptions for 1593 yards and seven touchdowns in 46 games for the Bills, with significant improvements to his numbers every year. In 2024, his 76/821/4 slash line was tops on the team in every category except TDs (he was one score behind Mack Hollins).

Shakir signed a pretty nice deal this offseason while Burks has been a massive disappointment replacing A.J. Brown in Nashville.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: James Cook, RB
Original Pick: Kenny Pickett, QB

Man, the Steelers really screwed up that pick huh? In this re-draft, the Steelers go with James Cook, who provides much more of a pop from the backfield in the run and passing game.

The Steelers had Najee Harris at the time and during the 2022 offseason they added Jaylen Warren as a UDFA. Would drafting Cook in the first round be better than signing Warren as a UDFA? Not in contract terms, but Cook has been better than Warren for sure.

Cook has 533 rushes for 2638 yards and 20 touchdowns while adding 97 receptions for 883 yards and seven touchdowns through the air.

23. Buffalo Bills: Christian Benford, CB
Original Pick: Kaiir Elam, CB

Benford was supposed to be the smaller name CB who didn’t show up as often for Buffalo, but has turned himself into one of the most underrated players at his position in the NFL. He’s rewarded by going to Buffalo again, but this time he’s five rounds higher.

Benford signed a rich extension this offseason and it was well-deserved. It’s nice to see him get some national recognition from SB Nation here. He’s started 34 of 39 games that he’s played in the NFL, with five picks, 25 passes defensed, four fumbles forced, two fumbles recovered, and a sack on top of his 142 tackles. That doesn’t tell the whole story, though, as he’s developed into the best cover corner on the Bills’ roster.

This is also the way the Bills handled the draft, luckily, double-dipping...