Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Through the first three rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills not only drafted three defensive players, but all three from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), generally regarded as the college football conference with the most talent in the country.
"How can you not respect the SEC and their track record?" said Bills general manager Brandon Beane following Friday night's picks. "A lot of talent. Every year, every draft, a lot of premium players. Not that that’s the only league, but it’s a pretty loaded division."
First, it was cornerback Maxwell Hairston out of Kentucky with the 30th overall selection. Hairston was the fastest player at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, running a 4.28 40-yard dash. He led the SEC with five interceptions in 2023.
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After a trade up in the second round, it was T.J. Sanders from South Carolina, a penetrating defensive tackle who totaled 8.5 sacks over the last two years with the Gamecocks.
"I’ve seen T.J. live three or four times over the past two years. He stands out on tape. His athleticism, his size, the way he uses his length," Beane said.
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In the third round, the Bills selected Landon Jackson, a 6-foot-6 and 264-pound defensive end who finished sixth in the conference with 14 tackles for loss in 2023, to go along with 13.0 sacks over the last two years.
Beane called Jackson "a longer, athletic dude," while praising his high football IQ and character.
"This guy is smart. He knows how to rush. He has feel in there," Beane said. "He’s tough, he’s a dawg. He’s everything we want in a DNA of a d-lineman."
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As they dipped into the SEC for their first three choices, the Bills also added talent and depth to a defense that was too inconsistent, at times, last year, and has several players going into the last year of their contracts.
"We did feel we needed to get younger in some areas on defense," Beane said, adding he felt they would, at least, take two defenders, but ultimately wound up taking three with how the board fell for them.
The Bills are slated to pick seven more times on Day 3 of the NFL Draft.
