Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - In the days leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, WGR will provide profiles on some players that could be a good fit for the Buffalo Bills at positions of need.
As we continue to focus on defensive tackles, this profile will feature a player who has played the University at Buffalo plenty over his college career, Darius Alexander from the University of Toledo.
The NFL Draft isn't just about adding talent from college football's power conferences. Those in NFL front offices look at all conferences and all levels.
The Mid-American Conference (MAC), which is home to the Bulls, does a good job of producing NFL players out of a mid-major Division I league.
Alexander is one of the latest who could go from the MAC to the NFL, even though he is a bit older than your normal draft prospect, turning 25 when training camps are going on in August.
A native of Fort Wayne, Ind., Alexander was All-State twice in high school, but was not highly recruited.
After red-shirting the 2019 season at Toledo, Alexander went on to play in 57 games over the next four seasons for the Rockets. He totaled 127 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, nine sacks, 13 passes defended and one interception in his collegiate career. Alexander was also credited with 81 pressures over his final two seasons.
The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Alexander was named Third-Team All-MAC after his 2023 season, and moved up to Second-Team All-MAC after last season.
In the era of the transfer portal, it seems rare to find a player who spent his entire career with the same program. However, Alexander said loyalty is a core belief for him.
Alexander had a very good week at the Senior Bowl and at the NFL Combine, where he ran a 4.94 40-yard dash. That was one of the five fastest times for defensive linemen. In the bench press, he did 28 reps of 225 pounds.
Here is what Joe Marino from the “Locked on Bills” and “Locked on NFL Scouting” podcasts has to say about Alexander:
Positives:
I really like Darius Alexander.
Functional strength is obvious. You look at this player and this is a 305-pound defensive tackle. This is different than these 330-pounders that we're talking about. But there is outstanding functional strength, through his core in his lower half. I think he's able to turn that into impact on the field with his bull rush as a pass rusher, with how he can reset the line of scrimmage, with how he can play through contact.
He's also got good length, 34-inch arms, and he maximizes that with good hand power. So you talk about length, functional strength, hand power, and there are a lot of different ways that he can beat blocks.
He's got legit pass rush upside, and a deep bag of pass rush moves. Combine that with the explosiveness and the functional strength and it gives him a lot of playmaking appeal for how he would project to a Bills defense that is kind of up the field and getting on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
Concerns:
I would say for him, he's going to turn 25 In August, before he plays a game. There's that to be mindful of.
I think quickness off this snap. Not that he doesn't have a good first step, he's very quick, but it's snap anticipation and snap timing. He's just a little bit tardy getting off the ball. Maybe that could be a bit of how Toledo asked him to play, but I want to see him get off the ball a little bit quicker. Again not movement skills but when the ball is snapped, go.
I think that there's also some leverage consistency. I want to see him play with consistently lower pads to maximize the functional strength.
WGR will provide full coverage of the 2025 NFL Draft during all seven rounds, starting Thursday, April 24 and continuing through Saturday, April 26.
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