Two areas the Buffalo Bills must attack during the NFL Draft are defensive line and cornerback. Anyone who watched a Bills game last season knows getting after the passer and defending the pass was a letdown most of the year.
While the Bills did sign Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa to a contract this offseason, adding him to the defensive line isn’t the only answer.
Bosa is only on a one-year contract, so he may not return to the team in 2026. The Bills need to ensure that they are looking to help the team win this upcoming season and in the future.
Mel Kiper Chooses Kenneth Grant
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Mel Kiper published a new mock draft with Buffalo choosing Michigan’s defensive tackle Kenneth Grant at pick No. 30.
“Buffalo should be eyeing the cornerbacks in this class, assuming it doesn’t bring back free agent Rasul Douglas, who is still unsigned,” Kiper wrote. “But with Jahdae Barron, Azareye’h Thomas, and Maxwell Hairston coming off the board in the previous six picks of this mock draft, the Bills probably would have to pivot. Perhaps they look at Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III to give quarterback Josh Allen another run-after-catch ace. But I’m going with Grant. This 6-foot-4, 331-pound run-stopper fits well in the middle of Buffalo’s defensive line with Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones. Grant can push the pocket from inside, too. He had three sacks and 17 pressures in 2024.”
Grant would be an unbelievable pick if he fell to the Bills at the end of the first round. It would be nice for the Bills to add another defensive end, but the NFL Draft seems strong with pass rushers this year. Grant seems like a player that would pair well with Ed Oliver. If Oliver and Grant can stop the run, it will be a long day for opposing offenses.
Of course, cornerbacks are much more needed than the interior defensive line, but as Kiper stated, six corners were gone in the first round of his mock draft before the Bills drafted.
The Bills Could Pass On A Corner
It would be better for the Bills to pass up on the No. 7 cornerback in the class and draft arguably the second-best interior defensive lineman.
Why reach for a corner when a defensive lineman can come in and stop the running attack and get after the passer? A great defensive line is a secondary’s best friend; the more pressure on the quarterback, the less the secondary will have to cover and can make a play on the ball.
Drafting Grant will be the best-case scenario for the Bills if six corners go before No. 30.
The great news is that the Bills have two second-round picks, and they could target a corner and maybe a wide receiver to pair with quarterback Josh Allen.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane has to hit on a first-round pick this year because the last two first-rounders he has selected haven’t been great.
In 2022, Buffalo chose Florida’s cornerback Kaiir Elam, now a Dallas Cowboys member.
In 2023, the Bills took Utah’s tight end, Dalton Kincaid and he’s nowhere close to being one of the best in the sport.
The Bills’ first-round selection could be why they finally get over their Super Bowl appearance drought, so Beane needs to hit on this year’s pick significantly.
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