The tiny buds should be fine for budding. A bud is a bud, as long as it is alive. I have whip grafted 2-year wood. Not sure how to bud it given there is no bud per se.

Sounds like a plan. There's only two buds on last year's growth but on the previous years growth it's full of buds so I'll use those. It said dormant branch that I thought was a very long pieces first year Sicon wood

I have grafted two year old wood, sometimes older, with good luck.