Buffalo Bills NFL Draft Countdown: Tight Ends

Because the Bills signed free-agent tight end O.J. Howard in the offseason to pair with Dawson Knox, adding another player at that position to their 53-man roster could prove a little tricky, especially because they're already expected to go heavy at running back and wide receiver.

Nevertheless, as the NFL Draft approaches, the Bills have to weigh the long term against the short term and come up with a plan to sustain that could well involve selecting a tight end.

After all, Knox is entering the final year of his bargain rookie contract and looking at a healthy pay raise the Bills might not be able to provide if he follows his breakout season of 2021 (career-highs of 49 catches, 587 yards and nine TDs) with anything similar, and Howard is signed only for 2022.

The Bills also have Tommy Sweeney, but he's a depth piece who will struggle to make the team if Howard can stay healthy and proves to have anything left in the tank after being such a highly regarded prospect coming out of college.

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Sweeney also is playing on the last year of his contract.

General manager Brandon Beane will at the very least look to create some quality training-camp competition, so don't rule out the Bills being active here on the third day, which includes undrafted free agents.

Who the best fit is in the middle rounds will depend on how the Draft unfolds and a player with, say, a third-round grade falls to the Bills in the fourth.

A player like, Virginia's Jelani Woods, a late-blooming former quarterback who stands 6-foot-7 and presents a matchup problem for pretty much any defender as a result.

Woods' main shortcomings (blocking power and technique, slender frame) may be able to be corrected over time in the right system. And if the Bills drafted him, they'd theoretically be able to bring him along slowly.

Tight end definitely is a position to watch for the Bills.

They may be set at that position for 2022, but it's possible all of their tight ends in 2023 will be players who aren't on the team now.

In the meantime, here's how SI.com's Draft Bible lines year's crop up:

Tight end prospects

First-round grades: None.

Second-round grades: Trey McBride, Colorado State. Cade Otton, Washington.

Third-round grades: Jelani Woods, Virginia. Greg Dulcich, UCLA.

Fourth-round grades and later: Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State. Daniel Bellinger, San Diego State. Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M. Charlie Kolar, Iowa State. Chigoziem Okonkwo, Maryland. James Mitchell, Virginia Tech.

Bills draft picks

Round 1 (25th overall)
Round 2 (57th overall)
Round 3 (89th overall)
Round 4 (130th overall)
Round 5 (168th overall)
Round 6 (185th overall)
Round 6 (203rd overall)
Round 7 (231st overall)

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Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.

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