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.

Part 3 of our annual Buffalo Bills’ season review deals with the defense and special teams. Despite head coach Sean McDermott’s specialty being on this side of the ball, the defense has been mostly responsible for the team’s playoff failures over the years. In his first year as coordinator, Bobby Babich can take pride in the fact that his unit was a machine in causing turnovers, but needs improvement in stopping the run, pass rush ability and percentage of third down conversions against. Toward that end, the Bills have made a few additions to the defensive coaching staff to help Babich. They also replaced the special teams coordinator with a much more experienced coach.

Here is a position-by-position look at the defense and special teams:

Defensive Line

Overall, and especially in the conference title game, this unit underachieved. They were gouged against the run too many times and produced too few sacks on passing downs. After a stellar 2023 season, tackle Ed Oliver regressed, and his fellow starting tackle, Daquan Jones, began to show signs of his age. At the backup tackle spots, rookie DeWayne Carter, like most of the draft class, was slowed by injuries and never developed as he should have. Austin Johnson was a free agent signee who made some plays in limited snaps as the team used a rotation system. Quinton Jefferson and Jordan Phillips were in-season stopgap signings that likely won’t return as they were on one year contracts. The production of the edge rushers/ends was also limited by the rotational usage. Von Miller has not produced the expected results since he was signed, and his snap counts being as low as they have been may signal his end. Like Oliver, Greg Rousseau was decent but inconsistent, and the same can be said for A.J. Epenesa, although he produced more splash plays in less playing time. Veteran Dawuane Smoot had a decent season, and he has the added versatility of being able to play inside and out on the line. It sounds like a broken record, but rookie Javon Solomon, just like the other draftees, showed tremendous potential at times but needs experience to grow into what he can possibly become. The D line could use an infusion of size and power on the interior next season, and a star pass rusher would help also.

Linebackers

The duo of Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard should be a force for opponents to reckon with. The problem is Milano has trouble staying on the field, as he has dealt with multiple injuries the last couple of years. Bernard has grown into the leader of the defense, and was named a team captain last season. He is one of the few playmakers on the unit. Dorian Williams is a capable starting linebacker, as he proved while filling in for Milano last year. The rest of the reserves are a mix of a special teams guy, Baylon Spector, and 2 young, inexperienced rookies, Joe Andreessen and Edefuan Ulofoshio.

Defensive Backs

After being the most solid unit on the team in 2023, alarm bells need to go off for help for the secondary next season. Buffalo routinely plays a 5 man nickel defense as their base unit, and as of now only 2 of those spots, border corner with Christian Benford and slot corner with Taron Johnson, can boast competent players. The concussion Benford suffered in the championship game looked severe enough to even worry about his future as a player. At the other CB spot, Rasul Douglas was a great trade acquisition in 2023, but his play slipped noticeably this past season. Both starting safeties, Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin, are adequate at best. Rapp is also prone to injury. Among the reserves, Ja’Marcus Ingram is a more than capable backup, while Kaiir Elam is now officially a first round bust who won’t be back. Cam Lewis is a player whose value is important to the team, both as a backup to all the secondary positions and as a special teams player. It’s conceivable, maybe even expected, that rookie Cole Bishop will play his way into a starting safety spot in 2025. He ended the year there as a replacement for Rapp, who was injured. The secondary is a prime spot for both new starters and added depth for next season.

Special Teams

After 2 seasons of the special teams not only not being special but being a hindrance, the Bills parted ways with ST coach Matt Smiley. His replacement, Chris Tabor, is a much more experienced and respected coordinator. It will be interesting to see what he bring out of these units. Those units include a solid long snapper in Reid Ferguson, a potential game-changing return man in rookie Brandon Codrington, an aging punter, Sam Martin, and an inconsistent placekicker in Tyler Bass. There are useful bomb squad contributors like Reggie Gilliam, Cam Lewis, Mack Hollins (if he re-signs), Baylon Spector and Quinton Morris. Competition for Martin is already on the roster, as Jake Camarda inked a futures contract right after the season.