Mitch Horucy
Sports Editor
Third-round pick Landon Jackson (#94) rushes the passer during minicamp, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. | Image property of the Buffalo Bills.
With offseason workouts underway, fans are getting their first look at the Bills’ 2025 draft class.
It was a defense-heavy draft with six of Buffalo’s nine picks being on the defensive side of the ball, including the first five picks.
After touching on him briefly in my NFL Draft Round One edition of the 5th Quarter Column, the Bills surprised some, including myself, and stayed put at pick 30 to select cornerback Maxwell Hairston.
Out of the University of Kentucky, Hairston is a speed demon with great ball skills at the boundary cornerback position.
At 4.28 seconds, he ran the fastest 40-yard dash at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine.
The public’s view on Hairston was mixed as he comes in at 5’11”, 183 pounds, which is slightly undersized for the position.
However, the technique and skill are there, as well as the pure athleticism. It’ll just be a matter of whether or not he can match the physicality of the pros.
With the team’s next three picks, they beefed up the defensive line, starting at pick 41 with T.J. Sanders out of South Carolina.
He offers something the Bills have made a priority on defense over the years: versatility.
The team also hopes he can be the 1-tech they’ve been searching for since drafting Ed Oliver six years ago.
At 6’4”, 290 pounds, he’s very agile for his size. This allows him to excel in the pass rush while also being a stout run defender.
If he can develop into an above-average 1-tech and consistently draw double-teams, it could finally unlock Oliver’s full potential as a pass rusher.
With pick 72, the team selected Landon Jackson, a 6’6” monster out of Arkansas.
He’s an athletic freak with a 4.68-second forty-yard dash and a 40.5-inch vertical, which rank 91 and 99, respectively, in terms of percentile.
Pairing him with another monster in Greg Rousseau on the line gives you about 14 feet of wingspan on the edge, on top of being above-average athletes at the position.
After the Von Miller experiment, the team is still looking for a dominant edge rusher of their own to pair with Rousseau.
Keeping the theme of monsters on the defensive line, with pick 109 the Bills took Deone Walker, a defensive tackle out of Kentucky.
He comes in at 6’7”, 331 pounds, a massive human.
Walker is an incredibly interesting prospect, maybe the most intriguing out of the Bills’ nine picks.
Prior to the 2024 college football season, Walker was often mocked in the first round of drafts, even as high as the top five.
However, after a lackluster junior campaign, his stock dropped dramatically.
While you can’t teach his size, there are questions about his technique, work ethic and strength.
He’ll be a project, but if Sean McDermott and Bobby Babich can coach him correctly, the sky is truly the limit.
While Walker may be the most intriguing pick, taking Jordan Hancock at pick 170 may be their most under-the-radar pick.
Being an Ohio State fan, I’ve seen Hancock play a ton of football, logging over 1,400 snaps in his four-year career.
Something Hancock offers that I spoke about earlier, specifically on the defensive line, is versatility.
He’s played over 150 snaps at four different positions on defense, including over 200 in three.
With 837 snaps, he’s played slot corner more than any other position, but that is filled by All-Pro Taron Johnson.
But with over 400 snaps at safety, he could find his way onto the field in a multitude of ways.
“We have a plan going into it with Jordan, and it’s a well-thought-out, articulated, time-sensitive plan that we have, and we’re following that right now,” said Babich.
It’s rare to hear a coach talk about a fifth-round pick like this, which gives me reason to believe Hancock will be getting more snaps than most think.
The team’s last four picks will be predominantly depth pieces, with chances to find some time on the field.
With the departure of Quintin Morris, Jackson Hawes is a direct replacement.
He doesn’t offer a ton in the passing game, but he’s made a name for himself in the run game, which could lead to him getting some real time.
Out of all of Buffalo’s draft picks, there may not be anyone with more football played in college than Dorian Strong.
The team’s sixth-round pick played 2,700 snaps at cornerback for Virginia Tech in his five-year career.
He’ll be behind a few guys on the depth chart, but reports are that he’s impressed coaches in OTAs and minicamp so far.
As for the last two picks, there’s no guarantee they’ll make the final 53-man roster. Both are behind numerous players in positions that have crowded rooms.
One year removed from being a few plays away from a Super Bowl appearance, rookies may have to play some big snaps.