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Re-Grading the Buffalo Bills 2025 Draft

Originally posted on Football Analysis | By Aaron Sauter | Last updated Mar 21, 2026 10:02 PM ET

The Buffalo Bills began 2025 with a “Super Bowl or Bust” mindset, but cracks in their offense and defense became evident each week. Still, the team posted a 12-5 record and reached overtime against the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round. Buffalo had to overcome a weak run defense, a lack of a serious vertical threat at receiver, and frequent changes at kicker due to injuries.

The Buffalo Bills and GM Brandon Beane were viewed as being a high-value, gritty group of players after the 2025 draft. However, the top end of the draft for Buffalo failed to live up to expectations due to injuries and inconsistency. On the other hand, the Bills did have some success with the players they selected on Day 3 of the 2025 draft.

Buffalo Bills 2025 Draft Class

Pick	Player	Pos	School
1 (30)	Maxwell Hairston	CB	Kentucky
2 (41)	T.J. Sanders	DT	S. Carolina
3 (72)	Landon Jackson	DE	Arkansas
4 (109)	Deone Walker	DT	Kentucky
5 (170)	Jordan Hancock	S	Ohio St.
5 (173)	Jackson Hawes	TE	Ga. Tech
6 (177)	Dorian Strong	CB	Va. Tech
6 (206)	Chase Lundt	OT	UConn
7 (240)	Kaden Prather	WR	Maryland

The Bills targeted draft picks to address known defensive weaknesses but failed to find the help they needed. First-round cornerback Maxwell Hairston missed most of the 2025 season with a training camp injury. The team drafted defensive tackle T.J. Sanders in the second round for his pass rush skills, but had to shift him to defensive end, where he struggled to set the edge.

Defensive end Deone Walker and tight end Jackson Hawes did perform well for the Bills when called upon to do so. In addition, both late-round draft picks had production that experts would associate with successful high-round draft picks. Consequently, Hawes allowed the Bills to maintain their heavy run game despite injuries to tight ends Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid.

Buffalo Bills 2025 Draft Re-Grade = C-

The Bills’ failure to build a solid draft class due to poor evaluations at the top of the draft exposes some inconsistencies in Buffalo’s scouting department over the last several years. Consequently, the Buffalo front office’s inability to find solutions to the Bills’ problems on offense and defense cost Bills head coach Sean McDermott his job. On the other hand, Brandon Beane continues to serve at his job post in the front office and he received a promotion at the end of the season. Ultimately, as the Bills prepare for the 2026 draft, they need to invest more resources in their assessments and evaluations of prospects to avoid future draft-day disasters.

Make sure that you check out, Re-Grading the Baltimore Ravens 2025 Draft

This article first appeared on Football Analysis and was syndicated with permission.

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