What happens if all the players the Buffalo Bills really want are gone by the 30th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft?
That scenario recently played out in a mock draft simulator on the NFL Mock Draft Database.
With DTs Kenneth Grant and Derrick Harmon and CBs Jahdae Barron, Trey Amos and Shavon Revel Jr. all off the board by the Bills' 30th pick, the Bills were scrambling for options.
Buffalo could draft DT Walter Nolen, who veteran Bills reporter Sal Maiorana worries is undersized, or the team could grab CB Maxwell Hairston, who is considered more of a Day 2 draft option than a first-round pick. Neither choice felt right because it's not smart for a small-market team to waste first-round money on what amounts to their sixth-best option at cornerback and defensive tackle.
It was time to do our best impression of Bills GM Brandon Beane and start wheeling and dealing. When the dust settled, by dropping back a few draft spots the Bills stockpiled three extra 2025 draft picks along with extra one in 2026.
The one wrinkle, the Bills had to violate an NFL taboo and make a deal with a division rival.
Buffalo Bills-New England Patriots trade
- Bills get: Second rounder (38th), fourth rounder (106th) and a fifth-round pick in the 2026 draft.
- Patriots get: First rounder (30th)
Buffalo Bills-Jacksonville Jaguars trade
- Bills get: Fourth rounder (107th), fifth rounder (142nd) and a seventh-round pick (221).
- Jaguars get: Fourth rounder (106th).
Positions addressed in the draft by Buffalo Bills
- Cornerback: In 2024, the Bills mostly ran a base 4-2-5, or nickel, defense, that cycled through versions of Cover 3, Cover 2 and Cover 1. That puts a premium on developing a solid core of defensive backs. The Bills really need a CB2, and Buffalo has to address this early in the draft or risk having the team's coverage exposed in the playoffs again when players are exhausted and/or injured.
- Defensive tackle: The Eagles showed in ...
