Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - In Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills made moves to fortify their defensive line.
In the second round on Friday, the Bills traded up from Pick 56 to 41 so they could get defensive tackle T.J. Sanders from the University of South Carolina.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane said they traded up for Sanders because he was graded higher than 56 on their board, and they didn't want to run the risk of another team drafting the Marion, South Carolina native.
At 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, Sanders is not the prototypical run-stuffing defensive tackle that many Bills fans were hoping for. But he does have the sought after long arms, measuring at 33 5/8-inches.
However, he can be a three-down player, and Beane believes as a rookie, Sanders is someone they could pair with fellow tackle Ed Oliver on clear passing downs.
One of 30 prospects the Bills brought in for a pre-draft visit, Sanders played in 39 games for the Gamecocks, where he totaled 8.5 sacks over the last two seasons. While it isn't an eye-popping number, keep in mind he only averaged 36 snaps a game.
Sanders, who will turn 22 in July, didn't get serious about football until his junior year of high school. His first love was basketball, and he was All-State in South Carolina in that sport.
Sanders doesn't necessarily need to start right away, but DaQuan Jones, who has been the starter next to Oliver, only has one year left on his contract.
Remember the Super Bowl back in February when the Philadelphia Eagles' pass rush dominated the Kansas City Chiefs offense en route to running away with an NFL title? The Bills sure did.
After all, in the four playoff losses to Kansas City during the Sean McDermott/Beane era, the Bills have given up an average of 34 points.
Three of the six picks used on defense in this draft were tabbed for linemen.
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Here is what Joe Marino from the "Locked On Bills" and "Locked on NFL Scouting" podcasts had to say about Sanders:
Positives:
I'm really high on T.J. Sanders.
He's a havoc wreaker, a guy that can create chaos. Very athletic, dynamic ability to get off the football, and he's got really good footwork. He's very athletic, in terms of his ability to change directions, spring laterally, and close.
Sanders is very quick off the ball, and has a skill set that should lead to a lot of penetration and chaos creation for the Bills defense.
While he's not the biggest defensive tackle, I'm very impressed with the run defense. He's a guy that plays with good leverage, plays with good extension, firm hands, knows how to stack blocks. He's going to handle single blocks with ease.
You just get excited about his ability to create negative plays for the defense because of the athleticism, and he's still pretty new to football. He kind of got a late start, and I think there's just a lot of upside and ceiling to be excited about, based on what he's already proven to this point this football career.
Concerns:
I think it's block recognition with Sanders. That would probably be the area of his game that has the room for the most growth, identifying the blocks that are coming to you and where that means the ball is going. I think it's probably firming that up a little bit.
He's also a guy that when you apply him to the Bills, you get a little concerned about the pairing of him with Ed Oliver. I think he's a better run defender than some give him credit for, but you'd be pretty light on the interior to go with a light second level. You wouldn't have all the beef in the world.
To play him and Oliver at the same time, I think you create some challenges, based on two guys that thrive in a penetration style role as opposed to just anchoring at the point of attack and allowing the second level to run free.
All Bills rookies will be in town for a minicamp May 9-11.