Buffalo Bills 2025 NFL Draft Grades
The grades are in! The ever important draft grades from people outside the organization made before the players ever take a snap are flowing in, and while I mock the process, I am dedicating my time to reading and reviewing them. In reality, I don’t put a lot of stock in these because they are all from people who are not tied into what the Buffalo Bills’ scouts and front office are looking for.
There has been some perceived criticism from local media, as evident in Brandon Beane’s WGR appearance on Monday. Buffalo started the draft with five straight picks on defense and used six of their nine selections on that side of the ball. The NFL draft analysts, along with some local media, have weighed in on this approach. Here is what they had to say.
National News Grades
Chris Trapasso CBS Sports - A- “Hairston raises the ceiling of the cornerback room -- which was very much needed -- and Sanders gives Buffalo another explosive interior rusher. Jackson has upside on the edge, and Walker is the mammoth nose tackle the defensive front had to get in this draft.” Trapasso acknowledged the Bills had vacancies and room for improvement on the defensive side, which I assume led to this grade.
Leger Douzable CBS Sports - A “The Bills had major needs on defense, and they did a good job filling them…DT TJ Sanders was a home-run pick, as he'll help with interior pass rush and is hard to move in the run game. EDGE Landon Jackson gives them some much needed juice off the edge. Love the depth pieces of DT Deone Walker, CB Dorian Strong…” Leger Douzable is a former NFL player who spent the 2016 season in Buffalo.
Rob Rang Fox Sports - A “Sometimes, it isn't just the positional fit that warrants a high grade but the specific prospect chosen. I love Buffalo's bet on the speed and playmaking of cornerback Maxwell Hairston, as the Bills needed more game-breaking ability on the defensive side of the ball.” Rang was a big fan of the Hairston pick and the additions of Sanders, Jackson, and Walker.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) - A- PFF graded the draft classes using their ratings for the players selected from the 2024 and 2023 seasons. Hairston, Sanders, Jackson, Walker (2023), and Hancock all graded out very well.
Chad Reuter NFL - B+ “Sanders has a chance to be an interior presence, but will need to be a more consistent threat for the team's trade up for his services to pay off. Walker is a massive body in the middle, but trading up a second time for a defensive tackle didn’t maximize the team's draft capital, in my opinion.” He liked the CBs taken and saw value in the Prather selection.
Matt Verderame Sports Illustrated - B “General manager Brandon Beane aggressively attacked that side of the ball with Hairston in the first round, followed by three defensive linemen in Rounds 2–4. Hairston will start alongside Christian Benford and Taron Johnson, while Walker and Sanders will form a nice rotation next to Ed Oliver.”
Mel Kiper ESPN - B- “Not taking a receiver until No. 240 (Kaden Prather) was curious. The Bills' first five picks went to defense, only the second time in the common draft era they've done that (2006).” Kiper’s grade seemed to be tied to this and he felt that T.J. Sanders was a reach at 41 when he had him ranked 121.
Nate Davis USA Today - B- (24th) “A team that seems oh-so-close to its first Super Bowl breakthrough didn’t seem to come out of this draft with that player or two who seem capable of putting it over the top.” Short recap but doesn’t seem high on their picks as difference makers.
Nate Tice/Charles McDonald Yahoo Sports - B- “It's a solid class that makes sense for what the Bills need, even if a few of the players went a little higher than I would have preferred.” They had Deone Walker as their most interesting pick of the class.
Connor Rogers NBC Sports - C+ “The Bills clearly covet Maxwell Hairston’s speed and ball skills, but his slender build both at the catch point and against the run gives me concerns as a first-round pick. Deone Walker is built like a clogging nose tackle (which is a position I hoped to see the Bills grab in this draft), but Walker doesn’t play like one due to poor pad level.” Rogers was critical of the Hairston and Walker picks but was very high on Dorian Strong.
Local News Grades & Comments
Jay Skurski Buffalo News - No Grade given. “It sure seems like Allen will need to play at a near-MVP level again. That’s a lot to put on the quarterback’s shoulders.” There was a lot of skepticism of the selections made and not made. Skurski does not seem confident that enough has been done to improve the offense. “We’ll also learn the answer to another important question. In focusing so much of his time and energy on rebuilding the defense, has Beane done enough to support Josh Allen and the offense?”
Ryan O’Halloran Buffalo News - B+ “They used their first five picks on defensive players … and needed to.” Thinks Hairston, Sanders, Jackson, and Walker will have “immediate Week 1 roles” and feels Jordan Hancock will provide roster flexibility.
Sal Maiorana Rochester Democrat & Chronicle - No Grade Given. “All we know right now is that the Bills recognized a problem and have gone all in to try to rectify it.” Maiorana has Hairston as the “perfect pick” at 30 and mentions the Bills added much-needed girth up front and can never have enough CBs. A very good in depth article on the 2025 draft class.
