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Buffalo General Manager Brandon Beane went heavily on the defensive side in the 2025 draft, with good reason as the team had trouble getting stops all season in 2024. The Bills entered the draft with 10 picks and despite making a couple of trades, still wound up with 9 players. Here is the list of players chosen:

Round 1 – Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky – an infusion of youth and speed to the secondary is just what the doctor ordered for the Bills. Hairston ran a sub-4.3 40 at the combine, and is an immediate prospect to start at outside corner opposite Christian Benford.

Round 2 – T.J. Sanders, DT, South Carolina – Beane traded up to get this player, who adds much needed size and again, youth, to the interior defensive line. He should be a good addition to the D line rotation provided he develops as expected.

Round 3 – Landon Jackson, DE, Arkansas – a large, mature defender who is slated to step into the role vacated by the departure of Von Miller. He was a 2 year captain for the Razorbacks, highlighting his leadership.

Round 4 – Deone Walker, DT, Kentucky – this pick could be a steal. In drafting Hairston’s Wildcat teammate, the Bills get a mammoth player (6’7 331 lbs.) whose production tailed off in 2024 due to a nagging back injury, but based on his 2023 tape he could’ve been a top 10 pick.

Round 5A – Jordan Hancock, DB, Ohio State – his listing as a defensive back, rather than a safety or corner, is due to his versatility, a trait the Bills’ coaches love. His best spot appears to be at slot corner.

Round 5B – Jackson Hawes, TE, Georgia Tech – a need since the team jettisoned Quinton Morris. He has been called the best blocking tight end available in this draft.

Round 6A – Dorian Strong, CB, Virginia Tech – highlighting a glaring need, the Bills select a third defensive back. His coverage skills make him a “strong” candidate to make the squad and be a contributor as a rookie.

Round 6B – Chase Lundt, OT, Connecticut – Beane scours the smaller schools for a large (6’7 304) offensive lineman in the mold of Spencer Brown. With the team enjoying a huge amount of depth on the O line, he may be relegated to the practice squad, where he would be open to be poached by other teams.

Round 7 – Kaden Prather, WR, Maryland – late round picks like this are always long shots to make the team, but Prather has some traits that could help him. He was a secondary option for the Terps behind Tai Felton, so who knows what untapped potential might be there?

The NFL college player selection draft is this week, so our staff here at Rayonsports has submitted their predictions for the seven round draft for the local club, the Buffalo Bills. No scouting reports on this year’s predictions, just the predicted players, mainly because there are a lot of repeat picks among our experts. It’s a six round mock draft since the Bills currently have no seventh rounder. Here are the choices:

Round 1, Pick 30

Connor Pohlman – Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon

Bobby Salami III – Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan

Scott Prelewicz – Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

Ray Prelewicz – Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan

Round 2, Pick 56

Connor Pohlman – Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky

Bobby Salami III – Azareye’h Thomas, CB, Florida State

Scott Prelewicz – Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State

Ray Prelewicz – Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame

Round 2, Pick 62

Connor Pohlman – Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State

Bobby Salami III – J.T. Tuimoloau, Edge, Ohio State

Scott Prelewicz – Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State

Ray Prelewicz – Landon Jackson, Edge, Arkansas

Round 4, Pick 109

Connor Pohlman – Oluwafemi Oladejo, Edge, UCLA

Bobby Salami III – Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State

Scott Prelewicz – Billy Bowman, Safety, Oklahoma

Ray Prelewicz – Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State

Round 4, Pick 132

Connor Pohlman – Zy Alexander, CB, LSU

Bobby Salami III – Chris Paul Jr., LB, Mississippi

Scott Prelewicz – Jordan Phillips, DT, Maryland

Ray Prelewicz – Jaylen Reed, Safety, Penn State

Round 5, Pick 169

Connor Pohlman – Ty Robinson, DT, Nebraska

Bobby Salami III – Trevor Etienne, RB, Georgia

Scott Prelewicz – Simeon Barrow, DT, Miami (FL)

Ray Prelewicz – Jamaree Caldwell, DT, Oregon

Round 5, Pick 170

Connor Pohlman – Jordan Hancock, Safety, Ohio State

Bobby Salami III – Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon

Scott Prelewicz – Sebastian Castro, Safety, Iowa

Ray Prelewicz – Jackson Slater, OL, Sacramento State

Round 5, Pick 173

Connor Pohlman – Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Edge, Georgia

Bobby Salami III – Mitchell Evans, TE, Notre Dame

Scott Prelewicz – Nick Nash, WR, San Jose State

Ray Prelewicz – Zy Alexander, CB, LSU

Round 6,Pick 177

Connor Pohlman – Jalin Conyers, TE, Texas Tech

Bobby Salami III – Logan Brown, OT, Kansas

Scott Prelewicz – Riley Leonard, QB, Notre Dame

Ray Prelewicz – Mitchell Evans, TE, Notre Dame

Round 6, Pick 206

Connor Pohlman – Ricky White, WR, UNLV

Bobby Salami III – Shaun Dolac, LB, Buffalo

Scott Prelewicz – Upton Stout, CB, Western Kentucky

Ray Prelewicz – Elijah Roberts, DT, SMU

The National Football League will host it’s annual college player draft in Green Bay this year, with the first round kicking off on Thursday, April 24th. Every year our Rayonsports staff predicts each of the 32 teams’ choices for that round. Connor Pohlman, Robert Salami III, Scott Prelewicz and Ray Prelewicz were primed and ready for this year’s picks. The staff got 3 of the first 4 players right last season, but it was pretty much all downhill from there. Here are the 2025 picks:

1. Tennessee Titans (Connor Pohlman) – Cam Ward, QB, Miami (Fl)

2. Cleveland Browns (Robert Salami III) – Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado

3. New York Giants (Scott Prelewicz) – Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

4. New England Patriots (Ray Prelewicz) – Mason Graham, DT, Michigan

5. Jacksonville Jaguars (CP) – Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State

6. Las Vegas Raiders (RS III) – Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

7. New York Jets (SP) – Will Campbell, OT, LSU

8. Carolina Panthers (RP) – Tetalroa McMillan, WR, Arizona

9. New Orleans Saints (CP) – Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia

10. Chicago Bears (RS III) – Matthew Golden, WR, Texas

11. San Francisco 49ers (SP) – Armand Membou, OT, Missouri

12. Dallas Cowboys (RP) – Mykel Williams, DE, Georgia

13. Miami Dolphins (CP) – Jahdae Barron, S, Texas

14. Indianapolis Colts (RS III) – Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M

15. Atlanta Falcons (SP) – Walter Nolen, DT, Mississippi

16. Arizona Cardinals (RP) – Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State

17. Cincinnati Bengals (CP) – Mike Green, DE, Marshall

18. Seattle Seahawks (RS III) – Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (SP) – James Pearce, Edge, Tennessee

20. Denver Broncos (RP) – Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina

21. Pittsburgh Steelers (CP) – Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

22. Los Angeles Chargers (RS III) – Trey Amos, CB, Mississippi

23. Green Bay Packers (SP) – Donovan Ezeiruaku, DE, Boston College

24. Minnesota Vikings (RP) – Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon

25. Houston Texans (CP) – Kelvin Banks, OT, Texas

26. Los Angeles Rams (RS III) – Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

27. Baltimore Ravens (SP) – Princely Umanmielen, DE, Mississippi

28. Detroit Lions (RP) – Landon Jackson, DE, Arkansas

29. Washington Commanders (CP) – Jihad Campbell, LB, Alabama

30. Buffalo Bills (RS III) – Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky

31. Kansas City Chiefs (SP) – Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan

32. Philadelphia Eagles (RP) – Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina

There’s a three-way tie among schools for most players chosen, between Michigan, Ohio State and Ole Miss, with 3 each. Four other schools had 2 players picked, the most surprising of which is Colorado, with 2 of the first 3 picks.

Here we go again with Part 4 of our annual review, answering the questions of what do the Bills need to do to get to the top of the mountain in the NFL. With trades, free agency and the draft all being considerations, GM Brandon Beane’s priority has to be shoring up the defensive side of the ball. With that in mind, we’ve highlighted only one position on offense that may need an upgrade.

Here are our suggestions:

Edge Rusher/Defensive End

The Bills need an upgrade here for certain to improve the pass rush. They have a promising rookie in Javon Solomon but haven’t gotten consistent enough performances from the likes of Von Miller, A.J. Epenesa and Greg Rousseau. Plenty of pundits are suggesting the best route for GM Beane to take to add a difference maker to the unit is through a blockbuster trade. There are numerous candidates, the best of which is Myles Garrett of the Browns, who has requested to be dealt. The Raiders’ Maxx Crosby was a possibility but new Las Vegas coach Pete Carroll seems reluctant to trade away his core pieces. Trey Hendrickson of Cincinnati is an interesting possibility. The Bengals’ GM, already facing having to pay star receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins big dollars to go along with Joe Burrow’s contract, has stated “we can’t have huge contracts at every position” so where does that leave Hendrickson? The Bengals are also notoriously cheap when it comes to paying players. The free agent market is packed with big names who range from aging stars like Khalil Mack, Matthew Judon, Haasan Reddick and Calais Campbell to younger options such as Josh Sweat, Chase Young, Charles Omenihu and Zach Baun. The Bills pick at 30 in the draft’s first round. Possible choices at edge rusher there are Nick Scourton of Texas A&M, Jack Sawyer of Ohio State, Nick Green from Marshall and Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruwaku. In later rounds, there’s Landon Jackson from Kentucky, Ashton Gillette of Louisville and LSU’s Saivion Jones.

Wide Receiver

This may be the only position on offense that the Bills need to address. Amari Cooper and Mack Hollins are both entering free agency, and the need for an outside threat is still present. There is word, maybe or maybe not substantiated, that Josh Allen would like to team up with Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, currently with Kansas City but a pending free agent. There are a lot of other names on the free agent market, but no others that fit the Bills’ need. That means the draft is the best option for an upgrade. With 3 picks in the first 2 rounds, the best receivers look to be already off the board in the first round, leaving intriguing prospects like Texas’ Isaiah Bond and Tre Harris of Ole Miss in round 2. Later round possibilities are Jayden Higgins of Iowa State, TCU’s Jack Bech and a possible real diamond in the rough – Oregon’s Tez Johnson.

Defensive Tackle

Three of the Bills’ veteran DTs are free agents, and Daquan Jones is a possible salary cap casualty, so there is a massive need for additions on the interior defensive line. The team should be salivating at the possibility of signing Philadelphia’s Milton Williams in free agency. He’s only 26, was a standout in the Super Bowl and shouldn’t command huge money. Defensive tackle is also the deepest position of players available in the draft, so that is the most likely place where the Bills will add, with at least 2, maybe 3 players drafted. Derrick Harmon from Oregon is almost certain to be there at pick 30, and later round choices could be Kentucky’s Deone Walker, T.J. Sanders from South Carolina, Texas’ Alfred Collins, and Toledo’s Darius Alexander. There are quality D tackles spread out throughout this year’s draft.

Safety

I can’t see any other possibility than the Bills focusing almost entirely on defense this offseason, and the safety position is in need of a quality starter and some depth. With former Jaguars’ DC Ryan Nielsen joining the staff, a free agent possibility is Andre Cisco. He’s only 25 and is a 4 year starter for the Jags. He could be plugged immediately into the starting lineup. Miami’s Jevon Holland is another player worth a look. He’s relatively young and has stood out in games against Buffalo. If the draft is the place to find answers, Nick Emmanwori of South Carolina is a first round possibility, and Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts could be had in the second round. For depth purposes, a couple of later round guys are Sebastian Castro from Iowa and Penn State’s Kevin Winston.

Cornerback

Cornerback is almost as big of a need for additions as defensive tackle and safety going into the offseason. The free agent market isn’t eye-popping. The best option might be to bring back Rasul Douglas and draft a couple of rookies to develop behind him. There are 3 top candidates who consistently drop to Buffalo in mock drafts – Texas’ Jahdae Barron, Shavon Revel Jr. of East Carolina and Azareye’h Thomas of Florida State. Later round depth possibilities – Maxwell Hairston of Kentucky, Ohio State’s Denzel Burke, Jacob Parrish of Kansas State and late rounder Justin Walley of Minnesota.