Buffalo Bills The offseason begins — NFL draft Apr. 24-26

[Husko]

Buscaglia on his recent pod speculated that maybe one way the Bills use more of these late round picks is to take some injured guys they can stash for the year. He specifically mentioned it being an idea at QB to see if you can redshirt someone to be the full time backup in 2026. Was an interesting thought on how they could use more picks.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

Buscaglia on his recent pod speculated that maybe one way the Bills use more of these late round picks is to take some injured guys they can stash for the year. He specifically mentioned it being an idea at QB to see if you can redshirt someone to be the full time backup in 2026. Was an interesting thought on how they could use more picks.

The Justin Shorter/Marquez Stevenson strategy.

 

[Ace]

Also…I know that ten picks won’t make the team…but they are going to have two extra spots for the first six weeks due to suspensions on guys they signed. By the time they return…you’ll have guys injured anyway.

 

[Buffalowing1988]

Also…I know that ten picks won’t make the team…but they are going to have two extra spots for the first six weeks due to suspensions on guys they signed. By the time they return…you’ll have guys injured anyway.

This is why I'd like to stash as many corners as possible. Benford hasn't exactly been the picture of health for us and even if Tre does make the team, he's always one wrong turn away from his career actually being over. I'm so tired of being lean in the secondary (outside of Taron, of course).

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Buscaglia on his recent pod speculated that maybe one way the Bills use more of these late round picks is to take some injured guys they can stash for the year. He specifically mentioned it being an idea at QB to see if you can redshirt someone to be the full time backup in 2026. Was an interesting thought on how they could use more picks.

I see them using some of those later picks for special teams players. McD recently mentioned the need to get special teams players again.

 

[Buffalowing1988]

They must believe Tre will get his step back another year removed from the Achilles more than Douglas will who lost his naturally.

Not at all.

It's a contract loaded with incentives. If Tre is playing Week One I will eat crow. I think we are all going to be enamored with a 2nd round CB who can potentially fit right into McDermott's system.

If our coach has one attribute that is better than anyone in the NFL, it's with the secondary. He's been phenomenal in that regard. And that dates back to Carolina. He was the guy who made Josh Norman into a star in 2016.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Reuter's latest mock seems filled with holes, including the Bills trading up for 2 4ths to 24?? and then taking Mike Green Mar, that's the highest I have seen him projected. Amos & Grant drop to the 2nd ??

Seven-round 2025 NFL mock draft: Patriots pick Ashton Jeanty in Round 1; Packers trade up

 

[Digable5]

Love the White signing. The Bills do well having DBs that know and can play their system best.

1. The Bills did not lose to the Chiefs because their defensive backfield wasn’t good enough; including Elam. Imagine having Dane Jackson on the field instead of Elam in that spot. We would have been fine.

2. The Bills lost because our defensive line was not good enough and the Chiefs defensive line was better than our OL.

3. The Eagles DID beat the Chiefs in large part because of the their play in the trenches.

4. This is a copycat league that will likely prioritize QB, OL and DL in this draft in response to what everyone saw in the playoffs. Not to mention it’s been said for decades you win games at the line of scrimmage.

5. If there is a run on DL, that doesn’t necessarily mean you pick another position. If you wait for DT like we did last year, you get Dwayne Carter in the 3rd. Someone not as good and yet still over drafted.

***my preference is to take DT/DE depending on who you like best at 30. And then grab DT at 56 if you picked edge in the 1st and then grab someone like Darien Porter at 62.

 

[truthbluth]

I know I seem to be alone on the island here that I prefer Walter Nolen to Kenneth Grant, but to drive the point home, a new mock at Fox sports has the Bills taking Grant and then Nolen, arguably the draft’s premier penetrating DT, going to the Chiefs at 31. I’d rather piss razor blades than have to watch the Bills OL deal with a Jones/Nolen interior pass rush.

 

[HOOats]

I know I seem to be alone on the island here that I prefer Walter Nolen to Kenneth Grant, but to drive the point home, a new mock at Fox sports has the Bills taking Grant and then Nolen, arguably the draft’s premier penetrating DT, going to the Chiefs at 31. I’d rather piss razor blades than have to watch the Bills OL deal with a Jones/Nolen interior pass rush.

I'm warming up to Nolen in a big way late in the process. For those who want us to take big swings on game-changing talent, he's it as a former #1 recruit.

I think his game and his person will mature in the NFL. The last three years of NIL CFB have been bizarre in many ways and its impacts have rippled through this draft class (not to mention the covid years at the end of their HS).

That said, I think he goes in the top 25 and we won't get a shot. Someone will like him enough.

 

[Husko]

I know I seem to be alone on the island here that I prefer Walter Nolen to Kenneth Grant, but to drive the point home, a new mock at Fox sports has the Bills taking Grant and then Nolen, arguably the draft’s premier penetrating DT, going to the Chiefs at 31. I’d rather piss razor blades than have to watch the Bills OL deal with a Jones/Nolen interior pass rush.

I'd be fine with either. I just want talent added to the DL and don't care about the position. My understanding with Nolen is that he's a big time projection because of being a size outlier and having schemed up usage in college (a lot of his sacks came as a free runner, iirc). That said, if they believe in the talent, take the swing. I'd also be surprised if he fell to us.

Big picture all I really want with our first round pick is a high ceiling defensive player. I think the best way to get that is DL or Starks. We have a lot of Bs on our defense, many of which are now signed long term. We need to find a way to get some As.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

2nd year removed from a major injury is better than one year removed .

Yep. It’s not crazy to think that he could be better this year than last year. He had 2 major injuries in a row, and was just finding his game again after the ACL injury when he tore his Achilles.

I certainly like this bet better than if they had bet on Rasul Douglas (who looks washed due to age).

 

[Kupo]

I know I seem to be alone on the island here that I prefer Walter Nolen to Kenneth Grant, but to drive the point home, a new mock at Fox sports has the Bills taking Grant and then Nolen, arguably the draft’s premier penetrating DT, going to the Chiefs at 31. I’d rather piss razor blades than have to watch the Bills OL deal with a Jones/Nolen interior pass rush.

I too am warming up to the idea of Nolen. Then double dipping later for someone like Phillips like I did in my recent masterpiece mock.

 

[Husko]

I haven't been anywhere near engaged on the draft this spring as normal. Life and work just got too consuming. But I wanted to do one Bills mock draft just to force me to dig in on some specific guys and pick some favorites, even if it's all very surface level / what I've absorbed through podcasts and the beast.

So here's Husko's one and only 2025 Bills mock draft

A few ground rules:

• No trades, that's just too hard for me
• All players must be available at our slot based on Brugler's big rank (i.e. player #32 I can pick at 30) or close enough it passes the sniff test
• In later rounds the pick is more about an idea than the player itself - I don't know these guys!

Round 1

• Pick 30: Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss (#31): I honestly don't think Nolen falls this far, but he's #31 on Brugler's big board, so he's fair game. In addition to some size concerns, the big red flag with Nolen is some possible character and effort issues, so the interviews we don't have access to will be big. I'd also be fine with a Tyliek Williams or James Pierce in this slot, but I think Nolen probably represents a higher ceiling/swing for the fences (than Williams) while also requiring less imagination about fit (than Pierce, who is more of a chess piece). Ultimately, though, I think unless Starks falls, this pick is best spent on a high upside DL talent. I don't really care if it's a DE, 1-tech, or 3-tech. I want them to take whoever they have the highest grade on between the different options. I know some want corner, but aside from Baron (who probably isn't a strict boundary CB anyway), all the other corners strike me as foregoing talent and upside for pigeon holing a positional pick.

Round 2

• Pick 56: Shavon Revel Jr., East Caroline (#62): Here's your corner! Truth be told I think Revel either goes far before this pick (medicals check out) or falls as far as day 3 (bad medicals). But if the medicals are good enough and he's there, he's my preferred CB pick. He's a first round talent has the ideal size, length, and smarts for our zone-heavy scheme. Good chance he isn't available until the end of the season and maybe isn't a starting contributor until 2026, but the Bills have the room to take their time with him. There's lots of other guys that could be there (Amos, Thomas, Williams) but Revel is definitely my favorite because of ceiling.
• Pick 62: Oluwafemi Oladejo, DE, UCLA (#64): There's a few DE's bunched around here so it's sort of take your pick. If there was a safety or receiver I felt great about I'd be all for that too (maybe Watts falls?), but otherwise my preference is to double dip high on DL. I picked Oladejo because I think he clearly represents the highest pass rush ceiling. He played MLB until his final year of college, when he transitioned to a stand up pass rush role and had 4.5 sacks and 13.5 TFL. What that suggests to me is there's big room for untapped potential. He's got the exact body type you look for in a DE and has LB speed and quickness. I also love the floor: even if he doesn't develop to more than a situational pass rusher, he probably can play a blitzing SLB type role (think Lorenzo Alexander) given his MLB background. Not a bad chess piece to have.

Round 4

• Pick 109: RJ Harvey, RB, UCF (93): Ok this one is cheating. I doubt he gets out of day 2, so it probably requires a trade-up to get him. But given how loaded the class is, I think it's realistic enough for me to talk about my favorite RB prospect outside the top guys. Harvey was a QB his entire life until 2 years ago when he moved to RB, so he's still raw at the position. He's undersized but an explosive athlete and a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball. If we don't think we can retain Cook long term, my biggest fear is losing a fastball at the position. Harvey would immediately alleviate those concerns.
• Pick 132: Keandre Lambert-Smith, WR, Auburn (4-5 round grade): He's old and hasn't been terribly productive, and that's why he could fall this far, but Lambert-Smith is an explosive athlete that was actually a deep threat in college (so many speed guys are YAC specialists in college). He had 5 catches of 50+ yards last year, third most in FBS. Outside of a fly route specialist, he's not a very well-rounded receiver and is a lot leaner than you want, but that's why he's not going day 2. I love him filling the very specific role we need as a deep threat specialist.

Round 5

• Pick 169: Jackson Hawes, TE, Georgia Tech (5-6 round grade): I don't think Morris has been resigned yet, right? For awhile, I've been interested in the idea of upgrading that TE3 slot. McDermott/Beane have talked about rebuilding the core ST unit, and I think Hawes could be one of those guys while also being a new ingredient on offense. He's an old school tight that specializes in blocking, something neither Knox or Kincaid are great at. He's known for his nasty streak when blocking and plays through the whistle. Back when he wasn't a starter, he once had 5 ST tackles in a season, meaning he's comfortable there. I think he's someone we could fall in love with as a core specialty player.
• Pick 170: Ricky White, WR, UNLV (5-6 round grade): This is another "core special teams" pick. He's not a returner, but can play on return and coverage units. He blocked 4 punts last season and made a TFL on a fake punt to cause a TOD. On offense, one of his best attributes is what a willing blocker he is. I think of him as a sort of poor man's Mack Hollins?
• Pick 173: Jack Kiser, LB, Notre Dame (4-5 round grade): One more special teams ace for the road. Kiser was a four year starter at MLB in college, a team captain, a tackles leader, and generally the sort of guy it's easy to see the Bills loving. He also played on all five STs units in college where he was productive, totaling nearly 1000 career snaps. Decent athlete that can cover a lot of ground, so maybe there's room to develop good coverage skills.

What I like most is with these 3 picks we could reform our "core ST group" the Bills loved a few years ago, and be paying them all minimum salaries for the next 4 years.

Round 6

• Punter (6-7 round grade): There's two punters with draftable grades per Brugler, Jeremy Crawshaw and James Burnip. I'm not going to pretend to have an opinion on them. We're clearly going to have a punter battle. Best case scenario is a drafted player winning the spot and being on a rookie contract for 4 years. Take one of these guys.
• 206th overall: Kurtis Rourke, QB, Indiana (6 round grade): Stole this idea from Buscaglia, who mentioned drafting a QB with a pre-existing injury that they can redshirt. Rourke had a good season despite playing through an ACL injury, which he eventually had surgery on and will probably sideline him in 2025. Could use the pick, IR him for the year, and let him compete for the backup job in 2026.

 

[Ace]

If we take a DT in round 1 he better need two seats in the plane into town. It’s like some big mystery they can’t solve at this point. Get a fat motherf***er and plop him in the middle of the f***ing line already. I don’t want to hear about fitting McDermott’s D…McDermott’s D has been the problem every year when the playoffs come. Fat. f***ing. Guy.

 

[Kupo]

If we take a DT in round 1 he better need two seats in the plane into town. It’s like some big mystery they can’t solve at this point. Get a fat motherf***er and plop him in the middle of the f***ing line already. I don’t want to hear about fitting McDermott’s D…McDermott’s D has been the problem every year when the playoffs come. Fat. f***ing. Guy.

Those guys are available in the middle round. Personally, I want Grant or Harmon at 30. But there's also a scenario I'd like if we went Nolen and then a behemoth like Phillips, Collins, or Farmer later on.

 

[truthbluth]

Those guys are available in the middle round. Personally, I want Grant or Harmon at 30. But there's also a scenario I'd like if we went Nolen and then a behemoth like Phillips, Collins, or Farmer later on.

As much as I love Walter Nolen, my favorite double dip idea is Alfred Collins and Omar Norman-Lott. I like Tyliek Williams but I think length matters for closing on ball carriers. Collins’ big knock is that he takes plays off, but, what if he’s in a rotation? I mean, he took 600 snaps last year, basically never coming off the field. For a 340lb guy playing in Austin, Texas that’s a lot. I wonder if his inconsistency is just an issue of Playing too much?

 

[PatLaFontaineASMR]

Mock with no CBs in the first 3 picks. Couldn't pass on Grant with the 30th. No decent CBs available at 56/62 so just took BPA.

 

[Digable5]

As much as I love Walter Nolen, my favorite double dip idea is Alfred Collins and Omar Norman-Lott. I like Tyliek Williams but I think length matters for closing on ball carriers. Collins’ big knock is that he takes plays off, but, what if he’s in a rotation? I mean, he took 600 snaps last year, basically never coming off the field. For a 340lb guy playing in Austin, Texas that’s a lot. I wonder if his inconsistency is just an issue of Playing too much?

I’m no expert, but even in the many “highlights” I watched of Collins, I thought he got pushed around way too much for someone his size. He’s plenty strong and able to throw OGs to the ground when he can, but too often he lost the leverage battle.

 

[truthbluth]

I’m no expert, but even in the many “highlights” I watched of Collins, I thought he got pushed around way too much for someone his size. He’s plenty strong and able to throw OGs to the ground when he can, but too often he lost the leverage battle.

You and I are watching different things then.

 

[Digable5]

My (somewhat realistic) dream draft results:

Trade 30 & 109 to move up for: DT Derrick Harmon

Trade Cook and 5th(169) for 3rd.

56: RB Treveyon Henderson

62: CB Darien Porter

3rd: DE or DT (double dip)

132: DE or DT (double dip)

170: Baylon Spector replacement Jack Kiser?

173: TE or Safety competition?

Start trading for future picks and filling the roster with competition.

 

[Digable5]

You and I are watching different things then.

That’s the beauty of the draft. Even the GMs being paid millions have differing opinions and are wrong almost as often as they are right.

And, don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to like about Collins and the Bills could fix some of the things he does wrong, I just got frustrated with what I felt was him being pushed around too much. For someone expected to hold the line as a 1tech, I thought it was too much. Maybe you didn’t see it that way or as big of a flaw.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

I will leave DT to Beane and the scouts. They all have there individual attributes it will come down to scheme fit and upside.

I feel Beane will trade down from 30 and then back into the 3rd.

For Corner I like Morrison ND if the hip checks out

For Pass rusher I like Landon Jackson, Ark

For WR I like Jaylen Royals Utah State

For LB I like Chris Paul LB Ole Miss

Double dip on DL & Corner, and special teams/depth

 

[Krieger Bot]

Don't worry guys, I did it. I'll send my resume in to Brandon. We'll make sure next weekend goes smoothly.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

This is ridiculous.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25188282-shedeur-sanders-says-its-amazing-have-colorado-number-retired-travis-hunter