Logic's 2025 NFL Draft Review

[Logic]

Just thought I'd give a quick rundown of the Bills' draft class as I see it, with a few non-Bills draft thoughts as well. If this should be merged elsewhere, please do so. 

 

 

My favorite non-Bills draft class:

Cleveland Browns - They got immediate help to their defense (blue chipper Mason Graham and LB Carson Schwesinger), offense (Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, Harold Fanin Jr), and most importantly, they attacked the QB position in an intelligent way, taking Dillion Gabriel and Shadeur Sanders in the middle rounds AND collecting a 2026 1st round pick that should help them climb the board if they like a QB prospect next year. Very savvy draft for a team not exactly known for them.

My least favorite non-Bills draft class:

Minnesota Vikings - Sure they didn't have many picks to work with, but they didn't exactly do anything to try to fix that by trading back to gain picks. They took an offensive lineman in the first round despite spending big money there in free agency and...proceeded to do not much else of note. Time will tell, of course, but when I look over the names, I see what feels like a wasted draft class.

On to the Bills...




 

Ask yourself a few simple questions, Bills fans: which side of the ball has been keeping Josh Allen and the Bills from reaching the Super Bowl once the playoffs hit, the offense or the defense? Which side of the ball performed more poorly in the AFC Championship game this year for the Bills? How did the Bills defense perform on third downs throughout 2024 and again in the AFCCG?

If you answered those questions the way I think you did, then this draft class should make a ton of sense to you. 

 

The Bills attacked their consensus biggest defensive roster holes with multiple players with varying skillsets. In the case of the first four picks, all of them are premium athletes with impressive RAS. All of them had great production in the SEC. That, to me, was the first major through line of this draft: Productive college players in big time conferences who are also premium athletes.

The other major through line of this draft was a common Brandon Beane principle once again being on display: drafting high ceiling, extremely physically gifted players and entrusting his coaching staff to maximize their talents.

Max Hairston has unreal speed and athleticism which, combined with his eyes and instincts and aggressiveness, give him a sky-high ceiling and a playmaking potential we haven't seen in a Bills corner in years. Tre White should be the perfect mentor for him.

TJ Sanders and Deone Walker are both excellent athletes and havoc-creating interior pass-rushers who, with refinement and NFL strength and conditioning programs, have the chance to be steals at their respective draft positions.

Landon Jackson has a rare build and wingspan and was highly productive at Arkansas. He has the potential to be an edge-setting early down rotational lineman and, with added refinement and technique, to develop into much more than that.

Beyond that, they took a smart and technical outside corner and what looks to be a positionally versatile slot corner/safety/special teams demon. 

On offense, they only take a blocking specialist TE3 (think Lee Smith but with a degree from Yale), a developmental o-lineman (they sure love doing this in late rounds) and a developmental outside receiver. I certainly hoped they'd take a wide receiver sooner and/or add a pass catching, kick returning running back type. But hey, when you score the 18th most points in a season in league history and then give up 30 points to a mediocre Chiefs offense in the AFCCG, you can hardly blame the GM for aggressively attacking the defense rather than the offense.

All in all, the Bills sent a strong message with their free agent additions and with this draft class: Our defensive line wasn't good enough, our cornerback group wasn't good enough, our DEFENSE wasn't good enough. They did not sit on their hands. They very purposefully threw multiple resources at multiple players who all possess different skillsets on the line and in the secondary.

The first result is that they now have quite an array of weaponry on the defensive lines. The mix and match combinations with guys like Groot, Bosa, Jackson, Oliver, Sanders, Walker, and eventually Hoecht and Ogunjobi are frightening. They leaned into the strength of this class and put heavy effort into remaking this line. The second result of this is that they suddenly have a very deep cornerback room. So deep, in fact, that a guy like Dane Jackson or Jamarcus Ingram may find himself on the outside looking in. Turning your two biggest defensive need areas -- DL and CB -- into deep pools of strength and versatility in one offseason? An impressive feat. 

Add in the litany of re-signing the Bills completed this offseason (keeping their young, homegrown core in tact for years to come), the internal improvement expected of guys like Kincaid and Coleman and Carter and Bishop, and you have a potentially improved Bills squad who once again looks ready to try to reach their first Super Bowl in 32 years.

Not a bad few months of work, Mr Beane. On to camps.

 

Edited 8 hours ago by Logic

[Dr. Who]

3 minutes ago, Logic said:

Just thought I'd give a quick rundown of the Bills' draft class as I see it, with a few non-Bills draft thoughts as well. If this should be merged elsewhere, please do so. 

 

 

My favorite non-Bills draft class:

Cleveland Browns - They got immediate help to their defense (blue chipper Mason Graham and LB Carson Schwesinger), offense (Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, Harold Fanin Jr), and most importantly, they attacked the QB position in an intelligent way, taking Dillion Gabriel and Shadeur Sanders in the middle rounds AND collecting a 2026 1st round pick that should help them climb the board if they like a QB prospect next year. Very savvy draft for a team not exactly known for them.

My least favorite non-Bills draft class:

Minnesota Vikings - Sure they didn't have many picks to work with, but they didn't exactly do anything to try to fix that by trading back to gain picks. They took an offensive lineman in the first round despite spending big money there in free agency and...proceeded to do not much else of note. Time will tell, of course, but when I look over the names, I see what feels like a wasted draft class.

On to the Bills...




 

Ask yourself a few simple questions, Bills fans: which side of the ball has been keeping Josh Allen and the Bills from reaching the Super Bowl once the playoffs hit, the offense or the defense? Which side of the ball performed more poorly in the AFC Championship game this year for the Bills? How did the Bills defense perform on third downs throughout 2024 and again in the AFCCG?

If you answered those questions the way I think you did, then this draft class should make a ton of sense to you. 

 

The Bills attacked their consensus biggest defensive roster holes with multiple players with varying skillsets. In the case of the first four picks, all of them are premium athletes with impressive RAS. All of them had great production in the SEC. That, to me, was the first major through line of this draft: Productive college players in big time conferences who are also premium athletes.

The other major through line of this draft was a common Brandon Beane principle once again being on display: drafting high ceiling, extremely physically gifted players and entrusting his coaching staff to maximize their talents.

Max Hairston has unreal speed and athleticism which, combined with his eyes and instincts and aggressiveness, give him a sky-high ceiling and a playmaking potential we haven't seen in a Bills corner in years. Tre White should be the perfect mentor for him.

TJ Sanders and Deone Walker are both excellent athletes and havoc-creating interior pass-rushers who, with refinement and NFL strength and conditioning programs, have the chance to be steals at their respective draft positions.

Landon Jackson has a rare build and wingspan and was highly productive at Arkansas. He has the potential to be an edge-setting early down rotational lineman and, with added refinement and technique, to develop into much more than that.

Beyond that, they took a smart and technical outside corner and what looks to be a positionally versatile slot corner/safety/special teams demon. 

On offense, they only take a blocking specialist TE3 (think Lee Smith but with a degree from Yale), a developmental o-lineman (they sure love doing this in late rounds) and a developmental outside receiver. I certainly hoped they'd take a wide receiver sooner and/or add a pass catching, kick returning running back type. But hey, when you score the 18th most points in a season in league history and then give up 30 points to a mediocre Chiefs offense in the AFCCG, you can hardly blame the GM for aggressively attacking the defense rather than the offense.

All in all, the Bills sent a strong message with their free agent additions and with this draft class: Our defensive line wasn't good enough, our cornerback group wasn't good enough, our DEFENSE wasn't good enough. They did not sit on their hands. They very purposefully threw multiple resources at multiple players who all possess different skillsets on the line and in the secondary.

The first result is that they now have quite an array of weaponry on the defensive lines. The mix and match combinations with guys like Groot, Bosa, Jackson, Oliver, Sanders, Walker, and eventually Hoecht and Ogunjobi are frightening. They leaned into the strength of this class and put heavy effort into remaking this line. The second result of this is that they suddenly have a very deep cornerback room. So deep, in fact, that a guy like Dane Jackson or Jamarcus Ingram may find himself on the outside looking in. Turning your two biggest defensive need areas -- DL and CB -- into deep pools of strength and versatility in one offseason? An impressive feat. 

Add in the litany of re-signing the Bills completed this offseason (keeping their young, homegrown core in tact for years to come), the internal improvement expected of guys like Kincaid and Coleman and Carter and Bishop, and you have a potentially improved Bills squad who once again looks ready to try to reach their first Super Bowl in 32 years.

Not a bad few months of work, Mr Beane. On to camps.

 

I agree with all of this, but it is also now true that the expectation is and should be that the defense is not going to be a liability, especially when it matters in the playoffs.

[Logic]

Just now, Dr. Who said:

I agree with all of this, but it is also now true that the expectation is and should be that the defense is not going to be a liability, especially when it matters in the playoffs.

I totally agree with that statement. 

After this heavy an investment in the defense, if the Bills go into the playoffs and give up 30 to the Chiefs again, you have to start asking serious questions about Sean McDermott. You cannot continue to invest these types of resources into the defense and have it completely lay an egg in the playoffs.

Full agreement with you on this.

[Wizard]

I can agree with almost everything. Good thoughts.

 

I would say that Walker is an unusually large young man, but I do not think in any way at this point one could call him a great athlete.

 

I see him redshirting this year. Hopefully a season with the medical staff, strengths coach, nutritionist, and solid line coaching, he can become a solid starting 1T.

 

 

Edited 8 hours ago by Wizard

[Logic]

2 minutes ago, Wizard said:

I can agree with almost everything. Good thoughts.

 

I would say that Walker is an unusually large young man, but I do not think in any way at this point one could call him a great athlete.

 

I see him redshirting this year. Hopefully a season with the medical staff, strengths coach, nutritionist, and solid line coaching, he can become a solid starting 1T.

 

 

I respectfully disagree. For his size, he is absolutely an unusually athletic man. So much so that they sometimes lined him up outside the tackle's shoulder and used him as an end and sometimes dropped him into coverage (!). Also, his first love is basketball and he still plays it to this day to keep his conditioning up.

Athletic dude.

[Alphadawg7]

24 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:

I agree with all of this, but it is also now true that the expectation is and should be that the defense is not going to be a liability, especially when it matters in the playoffs.

I agree with this…but let’s also remember it’s a lot of youth too, so raised expectations are warranted but also some patience will be needed to let these guys get their feet wet and develop too as the season goes on.  
 

With vets like Tre, DQ, Oliver, Groot, Bosa, etc here don’t be surprised if none of them open week 1 as the starter at their respective positions and see their roles grow as the season goes on.  Collins and Sanders are assured healthy snap counts as we run a heavy rotation, but it’s not out of the question that if Tre looks good in camp he opens at their starter.  

[Wizard]

I am not denying he is more athletic than 90% of the US population.

 

Will respectfully disagree on a great athlete right now.

 

Pretty easy to be a good pickup basketball player when you weigh as much as Shaquille O'Neal and playing against other guys 100 lbs lighter and 5 inches shorter in those playground games.

 

As far as playing DE in some cases, we are talking about Kentucky football and not playing Kentucky basketball competition.

 

Not sure about his conditioning being helped. If there are real back issues at 20 years old that is a degenerative issue or a conditioning issue.

 

 

Let's give it a year and we will see.

 

Like I said, I hope I am wrong.

 

 

Edited 8 hours ago by Wizard

[Shaw66]

50 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

I agree with this…but let’s also remember it’s a lot of youth too, so raised expectations are warranted but also some patience will be needed to let these guys get their feet wet and develop too as the season goes on.  
 

With vets like Tre, DQ, Oliver, Groot, Bosa, etc here don’t be surprised if none of them open week 1 as the starter at their respective positions and see their roles grow as the season goes on.  Collins and Sanders are assured healthy snap counts as we run a heavy rotation, but it’s not out of the question that if Tre looks good in camp he opens at their starter.  

I think your caution makes a lot of sense. Not all of these guys are likely to make it. It's more probable that one or two of these guys flop, so right now the depth is more perceived than real. And, as you say, some will need time to develop. Few will start out of gate - maybe Hairston if he's really smart and a quick learner.  Maybe one defensive lineman will be a regular in the rotation, possibly two.  

 

What would be nice would be by the end of the regular season to be getting reasonable participation in the defense by four of them.  That would be great, because it would mean there's some seriously improved talent on the field. 

 

The thing that intrigues me the most is the point that Dawg made - that Hairston could be an amazing player, and he could succeed as a rookie. Most season there's a rookie corner sensation or two in the league, and Hairston has the skill set to be one. Some of the other guys may project to be solid starters, and maybe a little more.  Hairston could be a guy who allows McDermott a lot more creativity on the defense.  If Hairston is that guy, and makes it as an impact player as a rookie, then the Bills have gotten the player they needed - a difference make on the defense. 

[JohnNord]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

Just thought I'd give a quick rundown of the Bills' draft class as I see it, with a few non-Bills draft thoughts as well. If this should be merged elsewhere, please do so. 

 

 

My favorite non-Bills draft class:

Cleveland Browns - They got immediate help to their defense (blue chipper Mason Graham and LB Carson Schwesinger), offense (Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, Harold Fanin Jr), and most importantly, they attacked the QB position in an intelligent way, taking Dillion Gabriel and Shadeur Sanders in the middle rounds AND collecting a 2026 1st round pick that should help them climb the board if they like a QB prospect next year. Very savvy draft for a team not exactly known for them.

My least favorite non-Bills draft class:

Minnesota Vikings - Sure they didn't have many picks to work with, but they didn't exactly do anything to try to fix that by trading back to gain picks. They took an offensive lineman in the first round despite spending big money there in free agency and...proceeded to do not much else of note. Time will tell, of course, but when I look over the names, I see what feels like a wasted draft class.

On to the Bills...




 

Ask yourself a few simple questions, Bills fans: which side of the ball has been keeping Josh Allen and the Bills from reaching the Super Bowl once the playoffs hit, the offense or the defense? Which side of the ball performed more poorly in the AFC Championship game this year for the Bills? How did the Bills defense perform on third downs throughout 2024 and again in the AFCCG?

If you answered those questions the way I think you did, then this draft class should make a ton of sense to you. 

 

The Bills attacked their consensus biggest defensive roster holes with multiple players with varying skillsets. In the case of the first four picks, all of them are premium athletes with impressive RAS. All of them had great production in the SEC. That, to me, was the first major through line of this draft: Productive college players in big time conferences who are also premium athletes.

The other major through line of this draft was a common Brandon Beane principle once again being on display: drafting high ceiling, extremely physically gifted players and entrusting his coaching staff to maximize their talents.

Max Hairston has unreal speed and athleticism which, combined with his eyes and instincts and aggressiveness, give him a sky-high ceiling and a playmaking potential we haven't seen in a Bills corner in years. Tre White should be the perfect mentor for him.

TJ Sanders and Deone Walker are both excellent athletes and havoc-creating interior pass-rushers who, with refinement and NFL strength and conditioning programs, have the chance to be steals at their respective draft positions.

Landon Jackson has a rare build and wingspan and was highly productive at Arkansas. He has the potential to be an edge-setting early down rotational lineman and, with added refinement and technique, to develop into much more than that.

Beyond that, they took a smart and technical outside corner and what looks to be a positionally versatile slot corner/safety/special teams demon. 

On offense, they only take a blocking specialist TE3 (think Lee Smith but with a degree from Yale), a developmental o-lineman (they sure love doing this in late rounds) and a developmental outside receiver. I certainly hoped they'd take a wide receiver sooner and/or add a pass catching, kick returning running back type. But hey, when you score the 18th most points in a season in league history and then give up 30 points to a mediocre Chiefs offense in the AFCCG, you can hardly blame the GM for aggressively attacking the defense rather than the offense.

All in all, the Bills sent a strong message with their free agent additions and with this draft class: Our defensive line wasn't good enough, our cornerback group wasn't good enough, our DEFENSE wasn't good enough. They did not sit on their hands. They very purposefully threw multiple resources at multiple players who all possess different skillsets on the line and in the secondary.

The first result is that they now have quite an array of weaponry on the defensive lines. The mix and match combinations with guys like Groot, Bosa, Jackson, Oliver, Sanders, Walker, and eventually Hoecht and Ogunjobi are frightening. They leaned into the strength of this class and put heavy effort into remaking this line. The second result of this is that they suddenly have a very deep cornerback room. So deep, in fact, that a guy like Dane Jackson or Jamarcus Ingram may find himself on the outside looking in. Turning your two biggest defensive need areas -- DL and CB -- into deep pools of strength and versatility in one offseason? An impressive feat. 

Add in the litany of re-signing the Bills completed this offseason (keeping their young, homegrown core in tact for years to come), the internal improvement expected of guys like Kincaid and Coleman and Carter and Bishop, and you have a potentially improved Bills squad who once again looks ready to try to reach their first Super Bowl in 32 years.

Not a bad few months of work, Mr Beane. On to camps.

 

Overall I liked the draft.  I just wanted a new WR for Josh and not in the 7th round.  I’m not banking on the internal improvement of Kincaid, Coleman or Carter

[BuffaloBillyG]

I got a give a shout out to the Carolina Panthers. All "future Bills" jokes aside they got some really good players at nice values IMO. 

[SoonerBillsFan]

Great defensive offseason.

2 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

I got a give a shout out to the Carolina Panthers. All "future Bills" jokes aside they got some really good players at nice values IMO. 

Agreed, Carolina had a good draft.

[pennstate10]

3 hours ago, Wizard said:

I am not denying he is more athletic than 90% of the US population.

 

Will respectfully disagree on a great athlete right now.

 

Pretty easy to be a good pickup basketball player when you weigh as much as Shaquille O'Neal and playing against other guys 100 lbs lighter and 5 inches shorter in those playground games.

 

As far as playing DE in some cases, we are talking about Kentucky football and not playing Kentucky basketball competition.

 

Not sure about his conditioning being helped. If there are real back issues at 20 years old that is a degenerative issue or a conditioning issue.

 

 

Let's give it a year and we will see.

 

Like I said, I hope I am wrong.

 

 

Kentucky is in the SEC. 

[Big Turk]

4 hours ago, Dr. Who said:

I agree with all of this, but it is also now true that the expectation is and should be that the defense is not going to be a liability, especially when it matters in the playoffs.

 

The defense has always been a liability against KC in the playoffs even when it was top 5 in the NFL.

[Turk71]

Agree

 Whatever personnel they have it is the inexplicable coaching in critical moments that sinks the d imo. 

[Solomon Grundy]

The one teams draft I disliked the most, other than the Dolphins, was the Raiders. It seemed like that prick, Pete Carroll, had a hidden camera in Beane's draft room and kept talking our players right before us.