The Buffalo Bills head into Miami to face the Dolphins in a game that looks on paper like an easy win, with the Bills heavily favored. But the Bills go into Sunday’s game with some significant injury situations, including to both starting cornerbacks.
And while it may not come this year with the NFL trade deadline in the rear-view mirror, help may be on the way. A top NFL draft expert now predicts that the Bills will take a cornerback in the first round â again.
Depth Issues at Cornerback
Four-year veteran Christian Benford is listed as “questionable” with an ongoing groin problem, as is eighth-year cornerback Taron Johnson, also with a groin strain.
That creates a chance that not only will rookie Maxwell Hairston â who has appeared in just two games this season, and been on the field for less than half of the defensive snaps available, see increased playing time â but so will back-up Cam Lewis.
A 2019 undrafted free agent, Lewis got his first start of the season last Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, but overall has seen only one of every three snaps.
The persistent issues at cornerback led one NFL expert this week to predict that the Bills will use their first-round draft pick on a cornerback for the second straight season.
Former Sanders Protege Picked to go to Bills
According to Pro Football Focus draft analyst Trevor Sikkema, the Bills will use the 25th pick on Day One to take a player whose college career took off under the tutelage of the former NFL cornerback generally ranked as the best ever to play the position â Hall of Famer, six-time first-team All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl winner Deion Sanders.
The corner predicted by Sikkema to attract Buffalo’s interest, 20-year-old Colton Hood, began his college career at Auburn. But the Georgia native got into only four games, and his freshman season went down as a redshirt year.
Hood then entered the transfer portal and moved to Colorado where Sanders, aka “Coach Prime,” is head coach. That’s when Hood developed into a potential first-round draft pick.
Hood Showed Potential Under Sanders
“While with the Buffaloes, Hood tallied 24 total tackles (20 solo), six pass deflections, and two interceptions. Hoodâs first career interception came against Kansas Stateâs Avery Johnson as he returned it 59 yards, while his second came the following week against Arizona with a 46-yard interception,” recounted Ric Butler of the Rocky Top Insider college football site. “While neither went for touchdowns, both big plays completely flipped the field for the Buffsâ offense.”
Former New York Jets scout Daniel Kelly of First Round Mock anointed Hood as Colorado’s best cornerback of 2024 â better than Travis Hunter who won the Heisman Trophy and went to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 2 pick in the draft, albeit as a two-way player which presumably increased his value.
Ranked 30th Among 2026 Draft Prospects
But despite flourishing under Sanders, Hood apparently wanted to attend college closer to his home, transferring again â this time to the Tennessee Volunteers where he was quickly dubbed a “revelation” by Vols correspondent Zach Ragan of A to Z Sports.
Hood is ranked 30th among all 2026 NFL draft prospects by expert Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic.
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