Is it “defense of bust” for the Bills in the latest mock draft at NFL.com?
Despite making it all the way to the AFC Championship Game this past season, the Buffalo Bills have plenty of needs throughout their roster. Heading into the offseason, between impending free agents and other roster moves, the goal will be to build the team better than it was before.
Apart from quarterback, there really isn’t any position off limits for the Bills to consider with their top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Top of mind for most observers is Buffalo’s need for defensive difference makers, especially along the defensive line.
It’s become a bit of a broken record every year around this time, where One Bills Drive is placed into a corner and tasked with finding the solution to what ails their pass rush. Despite head coach Sean McDermott’s track record as a defensive maven, Buffalo has yet to field anyone nearly as dominant as Mario Williams proved to be from 2012-2015.
With that in mind, we turn our attention more meaningfully in the direction of the coming NFL Draft. It’s anyone’s guess at this point which direction the Bills may turn when the front office is on the clock. It may even come down to when or if Buffalo will have draft picks to make early in April.
Will general manager Brandon Beane make a play to land edge rusher Miles Garrett? On Monday, Garrett informed the football world that he notified the Cleveland Browns of his desire to be traded. There are plenty of moving parts before that could happen, but it’s safe to say landing Garrett would likely change Buffalo’s plans in April.
Several writers and analysts at NFL.com have unveiled their latest (in some cases first) mock drafts, and their decisions are noteworthy. Again, things could look a lot different after the surge of free agency dies down.
At minimum, the names listed below serve as a perfect jumping point for you to re-focus and learn about the prospects available in this year’s draft. Let’s dive in to see what four draft experts who write for NFL.com have to say about the Bills needs…
We’ll start with NFL media analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who released his Mock Draft 1.0 back on January 25. Jeremiah sends defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (Oregon) to the Bills at pick 30, noting of the big man, who’s 6’5” and 310 pounds:
Harmon is a very disruptive player at a deep position in this year’s class. He could fill a void with Austin Johnson among the Bills defensive linemen due to hit free agency this offseason.
It’s clear Buffalo could use some new blood on the interior of its defensive line, even considering defensive tackles Ed Oliver and DeWayne Carter (2024 third-round pick).
In looking at Derrick Harmon’s draft profile at NFL.com, his comparison is current Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones.
Draft analyst Lance Zierlein lays out a lot to like about Harmon, namely his physical intangibles and what appears to be a lot of raw talent that should help him blossom with the right coaching. Zierlein notes that “(h)e will bring an instant dose of stinginess and toughness to any defense he joins.”
Old friend and current NFL analyst Bucky Brooks released his first mock draft on January 29, targeting a player for the Bills at a position most have their eyes on early. Brooks has Buffalo selecting edge rusher JT Tuimoloau (Ohio State) with the 30th pick in Round 1.
Say Brooks of the 6’5”, 269-pound Tuimoloau:
The Bills’ blue-collar culture makes this Ohio State product a perfect fit. JTT’s a rugged edge player with upside as a pass rusher.
Zierlein’s draft profile of JT Tuimoloau’s at NFL.com paints the picture of a physical, lunch-pail edge defender, noting that he’s “unlikely to become a star but his traits and demeanor fit the profile of a good NFL starter.” That may give some Bills fans pause, but every analysis of any player from here on out should be taken with a grain of salt or 20.
The name of the game right now with Tuimoloau is strength and power. Zierlein does point out that Tuimoloau’s pass-rush repertoire enabled him to “tear through” the College Football Playoff tournament this past season, raking up 6.5 sacks.
Next up, we have NFL.com lead draft writer Eric Edholm’s first mock draft of the season, which published on January 31. Edholm also went defense for the Bills at pick 30, sending a defensive lineman to Orchard Park, NY. Edholm sees the Bills’ best move as selecting an interior defender, namely defensive tackle Kenneth Grant (Michigan).
Edholm does lead with another idea before commenting on Grant heading to One Bills Drive:
I’m sure the Bills will look hard at the cornerback options, too, but they also need reinforcements up front. Grant is a massive body who can be groomed to eventually take DaQuan Jones’ spot.
The best question one may have from that quip is if the move at 30 should be to add reinforcements or a potential starter out of the gate (should Buffalo need to find one at cornerback). This isn’t to say that the 6’3”, 342-pound Grant couldn’t fill a role in similar fashion at defensive tackle.
In Kenneth Grant’s draft profile with NFL.com, Zierlein pointed out that he’s “expected to be a monster tester but needs to prove he can become a more consistently dominant force to be more than an average starter.”
Finally, we come to Lance Zierlein’s first mock draft of the 2025 cycle with NFL.com. Zierlein points out from the start that he’s working off what he views at each team’s need(s), and not necessarily how front offices may operate. Understanding that, one might conclude that Zierlein is also sending a defensive lineman to Buffalo — and you’d be absolutely… wrong.
With pick 30, Zierlein has wide receiver Tre Harris (Mississippi) heading to catch passes from quarterback Josh Allen. Zierlein had this to offer about Harris:
Harris has excellent build-up speed to give Josh Allen a vertical threat, but he is also an extremely physical runner after the catch. The Bills could use a big-play threat outside, and Harris is a talented option.
Those two sentences alone describe a player the likes of which Buffalo didn’t have outside of perhaps wide receiver Mack Hollins as the one receiver who could play anywhere from the position. Yes, Keon Coleman will continue developing, and it’s possible Amari Cooper returns for year two with Buffalo.
That said, “big play threat outside” would certainly benefit Allen and the offense, and the 6’3”, 210-pound Harris appears to have that in spades. In Zierlein’s draft analysis of Tre Harris with NFL.com, he notes that though any wide receiver has much to learn and refine as they exit college, Harris “looks locked in as an “X” receiver with big-game potential and a future home as a WR2” with NFL-ready size, physicality, and speed. The biggest concerns with Harris may be his injury history, which plagued him in consecutive seasons.
So what do you have to say about these four picks, all different players — though with analysts keenly focused on defense? Which of these four players would you prioritize if the choice was yours?
- Derrick Harmon, DT (Oregon) [Daniel Jeremiah’s pick]
- JT Tuimoloau, EDGE (Ohio State) [Bucky Brooks’ pick]
- Kenneth Grant, DT (Michigan) [Eric Edholm’s pick]
- Tre Harris, WR (Mississippi) [Lance Zierlein’s pick]