Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - "You get a defender. You get a defender. And you get a defender."
Like Oprah Winfrey handing out cars, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane was selecting and giving defensive players to his coaching staff from the start of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday night, all the way through its conclusion on Saturday afternoon.
Six of Beane's first seven choices came from the defensive side of the ball, including three cornerbacks, two defensive tackles, and an edge rusher.
While Beane said after the draft that the team stuck to their board throughout the process, it was clearly a statement on how they wanted to approach the weekend and remake their roster.
"I thought it was a stronger, more depth on the defensive side of this draft," said Beane on Saturday. "We talked about that before the draft, there was some in the d-line and even in the secondary."
The Bills offense set franchise records this past season, including posting 30.9 points per-game, and quarterback Josh Allen was named the league's Most Valuable Player.
The defense, on the other hand, fell out of the top-10 of league rankings in both yards per-game and points per-game allowed for the first time since 2020.
"I think people forget, our offense, look at the ranks last year. I don't think we've regressed. Time will tell," Beane said. "I didn't leave last season on offense going, 'Man this didn't work. We didn't get the job done.' I didn't see us coming up short in games or in the playoffs on the offensive side of the ball."
Now it’s up to the coaching staff to put some of these new additions into the right spots to get the desired results.
That includes finding a starting cornerback opposite Christian Benford, and a 1-technique defensive tackle who can hold up against the run.
While the Bills drafted three cornerbacks, in addition to adding Tre’Davious White and Dane Jackson via free agency, it remains to be seen if someone on the roster can take hold of that spot and become a solid, reliable starter each week.
Maxwell Hairston, the team's top draft pick, will, no doubt, get plenty of opportunity to win the job, but he will have to prove he can also play the run adequately enough to be counted on.
Beane pushed back on the notion that the Bills don’t have enough size upfront on the defensive line, saying both second-rounder T.J. Sanders and fourth-round pick Deone Walker can play the 1-technique (closer to the center), and not just the 3-technique, where the undersized Ed Oliver lines up.
Those two will also join current starter DaQuan Jones and backup DeWayne Carter, who Beane said on Friday night could also play the 1-technique.
Now it's on to undrafted free agency, where the team can still add more there and around the rest of the roster with 76 players currently on the team and 14 spots available.
Beane says the team most likely won't get to the maximum of 90 players right away, since they'll first have a rookie minicamp and see if there are any tryout players they want to sign to join the undrafted free agents they'll be adding.
