MITCH HORUCY
Sports Editor
Graphic by MITCH HORUCHY| Sports Editor
For the first time since 2017, it won’t be Sean McDermott’s staff making the selections in the NFL draft.
Joe Brady and his newly constructed coaching staff face an important draft, their first one of this new era.
McDermott and company had a great first draft, taking franchise pillars such as: Tre’Davious White, Matt Milano and Dion Dawkins in 2017.
With only two picks in the top 100 of the draft, general manager Brandon Beane must make his top two picks count.
Starting with pick 26, I can’t see them trading up, unless someone like Jordan Tyson or Carnell Tate falls deep into the late teens or early 20s.
This leaves the team with two options: staying put at 26 or trading back.
If they stay at 26, there’s a handful of players I really like who could come in and be instant contributors.
Starting with my top option, it’s unlikely he’ll make it to the Bills’ selection, but crazier things have happened.
That player is Dillon Thieneman, a safety out of the University of Oregon.
He offers a ton of versatility at the position, being able to line up at a multitude of spots.
The Ducks had him play deep safety, slot corner and in the box as a linebacker.
He may not start day one after the team added C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency, but he allows you to run three safety defensive formations, such as dime.
Gardner-Johnson is also only on a one-year deal, meaning he isn’t the long-term answer for the position.
Thieneman could be that answer and pair a fun safety pairing with Cole Bishop for years to come.
A second option at 26 is Auburn edge Keldric Faulk.
At 6’6”, 276 lbs. with a 4.67-second 40-yard dash, the athleticism speaks for itself.
With Faulk, you’re taking the bet that his technique will catch up to him, and athleticism will lead to production.
At Auburn, he only had 13 sacks in three seasons, which isn’t exactly round one edge rusher production.
In his 2024 campaign, he showed flashes of what he can be as a pass rusher, posting career highs in just about every stat, including nine sacks.
He’s already showcased he can be a good-to-great run defender, using his size and length to shut down run gaps, but taking an edge that can’t be on the field on third down situations in the first round raises questions.
He’d fit the defense if drafted, being able to be an outside linebacker and rush from the edge of a 3-4 or slide inside as a defensive end.
At just 20-years old, he still has a ton of room to improve his game, but he’ll be a development player if taken.
A final guy that could be the choice at 26 is Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.
McDonald is someone who didn’t fill up the stat sheet as a Buckeye, and won’t do it in Buffalo either, but could be extremely valuable to the defense.
He’s a massive human that’s nearly impossible to move in the run game.
He’d play nose tackle in Buffalo, lining up head-up on the center, clogging the interior of the offensive line.
Having a guy like McDonald creates plays even when he isn’t the one who makes them.
When having to double team McDonald, it creates one-on-one matchups with guys like Ed Oliver, Greg Rousseau and Deone Walker if they’re out together.
Those players all thrive in one-on-one situations in space, but the team hasn’t had a player to help create those opportunities.
McDonald could be that guy.
Moving onto the scenario where they trade back, using PFF’s mock draft simulator, the Bills traded pick 26 and 165 to Tennessee for picks 35 and 66.
Starting with pick 35, Jacob Rodriguez and Chris Bell are two players I could see the Bills taking.
Starting with Rodriguez, he was tremendous at Texas Tech, winning a plethora of awards, including best linebacker in the country.
There are questions about his ability to be an every-down off-ball linebacker in the NFL, but I think he can.
Adding him would spark discussions on the linebacker room in Buffalo, adding him to a room of Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams and Joe Andreessen, with only two of them being able to get real snaps.
Bell is an interesting prospect who could go anywhere from the mid-20s to the back half of the second round.
He was trending toward being a mid-first round selection before tearing his ACL in November, which has heavily affected his stock, as expected.
At 6’2”, 220 lbs., he fits the mold of a boundary receiver, pairing his size with 4.4 speed.
He’s a problem when matched up with smaller cornerbacks, and uses his size to excel after the catch, running with purpose.
He visited Buffalo, so the interest is there, but it’ll be a question of if he can recover from his ACL injury and return to his old self.
At pick 66, possibly my favorite prospect in the entire draft should be the pick if he’s on the board.
That player is Skyler Bell, a wide receiver out of UConn.
With a smaller frame, I’m unsure if he will be able to continue to be an impactful boundary receiver at the next level, but that doesn’t turn me aware from him.
From weeks eight through 10, he had a three-game stretch where he totaled 26 receptions for 432 yards and five touchdowns.
His hands have been questionable in his career, but he seemed to make improvements this past season.
His contested catch ability also isn’t great due to his smaller frame, but he won’t need to do much of that in the league if he’s playing primarily inside.
If you want to watch a game of his to understand who he is as a player, his game against Boston College was filled with flashes of his ability to get open, along with his great ability after the catch.
A second guy at pick 66 is Josiah Trotter, a linebacker from Missouri.
He’s a physical, downhill linebacker who is great in the run game.
He needs to improve if he wants to be an every-down backer in the future, but he could be a great depth and a plug-and-play player if anyone in front of him suffers an injury.
As I’ve mentioned in all three of the draft columns I’ve done while at school here in Fredonia, this is one of my favorite days of the year.
With almost every pick outside of the Raiders at first overall completely up in the air, it should be yet another fun and entertaining draft weekend.
If you want a more in-depth look at some of the players I mentioned or are interested in a mock draft done by yours truly, check out my website, https://fifthquarterfootball.wnywebsource.com.