Next month in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the NFL Draft will be kicking off and we will find out which teams the incoming rookies will be playing on to start out their career. It’s a huge step towards the new season and the three-day event will have the attention of NFL fans.
After a very successful start to their free agency frenzy, the Buffalo Bills have a better idea at what they are working with going into the draft. There were a lot of concerns, especially on defense. However, Brandon Beane has done an unbelievable job at addressing some of those concerns.
The biggest free agent signing without question that the Bills have made was acquiring Joey Bosa, formerly of the Los Angeles Chargers. Bringing Bosa onboard gives the Bills a ferocious pass rush to pair with Greg Rousseau, who was given a four-year, $80 million extension prior to free agency starting.
Overall, Beane made a lot of improvements on defense, which gives him a little bit of flexibility on what they can do in this upcoming draft. With that, we present to you our first full 7-round NFL mock draft here at BuffaLowDown. *There are no trades in this mock draft.*
BuffaLowDown 7-round NFL mock draft 1.0
Round 1, No. 30: Kenneth Grant, DT - Michigan
The last thing that Buffalo needs to do on the first night of the draft is to reach for a player. Sure, they obviously have a huge need at cornerback but the last time they reached for a corner was Kaiir Elam and we was just traded away this past week to the Dallas Cowboys.
With the way Buffalo’s defensive line performed last season, they need all the help they can get. Even though they have signed Joey Bosa, Michael Hoecht, and Larry Ogunjobi, if defensive tackle Kenneth Grant somehow falls to No. 30, getting him for the future would set Buffalo’s defensive line up for success in the future.
With his massive frame and the speed he has, Buffalo would be beyond foolish not not draft him. This would be the perfect late first-round value and it avoids the Bills making a reach at a position of need and setting themselves up for a mess.
Round 2, No. 56: Darien Porter, CB - Iowa State
Now the Bills finally get a corner here with Darien Porter. The Iowa State Cyclone is a big defensive back who can battle contested catches. He’s coming off his best season at Iowa State with 3 interceptions and 18 total tackles.
He played a majority of zone coverage in college which is a perfect for the Bills defense. Porter shouldn’t be the only cornerback the Bills draft next month.
Round 2, No. 62: Kaleb Johnson, RB - Iowa
It’s becoming more and more likely that James Cook might be approaching his last season in Buffalo. If Brandon Beane isn’t planning on extending Cook’s contract, then he needs to draft a running back next month, no questions asked. While the Bills did bring back Ty Johnson on a two-year deal and also signed Darrynton Evans, the Bills need all the competition that they can get in the backfield.
Enter Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson into the conversation. He’s coming off a phenomenal year with the Hawkeyes with 1,537 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. Standing at 6 ‘0 and 225lbs, Johnson is a bigger back that the Bills could heavily benefit from having.
Round 4: No. 109: Jordan Burch, EDGE - Oregon
Despite the Bills getting a lot of defensive line help already at this point, what’s one more edge rusher? Oregon’s Jordan Burch, who stands at 6 ‘6, 295lbs had a career-high 8.5 sacks with the Ducks, and also recorded 5 pass deflections from the line of scrimmage.
Burch coming into an edge rusher room that has Joey Bosa, Greg Rousseau, and A.J. Epenesa would give him lots of mentorship and ability to learn a lot to become a potential impactful player for the Bills.
Round 4, No. 132: Danny Stutsman, LB - Oklahoma
Let’s face it, Matt Milano’s time in Buffalo will be coming to an end sooner than later. The heart and soul of the Bills defense for a long time has lost a little bit of a step due to multiple massive injuries that has caused him to miss a lot of action the last two seasons. The good news is that Terrel Bernard is back in Buffalo for the future after getting a four-year extension.
The Bills are going to need to bring in some depth and Oklahoma’s Danny Stutsman would be a solid prospect to draft to compete on defense. Much like Dorian Williams, Stutsman is a great run-stopper and is constantly making plays. Over the last three season, he has recorded 100+ total tackles.
Round 5, No. 169: Nohl Williams, CB - California
The Bills decide to draft their second corner in Nohl Williams out of California. Getting Williams in the 5th-round here would be an absolute steal for the Bills. Last season with the Golden Bears, Williams had 7 interceptions, 8 pass deflections, and was credited for 52 total tackles.
Buffalo has always drafted atleast one corner every year under Beane and now they decided to take two with Porter and now Williams.
Round 5, No. 170: Marcus Tate, OL - Clemson
Buffalo’s offensive line was fantastic last year protecting Josh Allen. There is no change over going into 2025, but it’s important to still bring in competition and the Bills do that by drafting Clemson offensive lineman Marcus Tate.
It’s all about keeping the franchise protected and Tate can help provide stability on the depth chart and step in should a starter go down.
Round 5, No. 173: Connor Colby, OL - Iowa
Bills go with back-to-back offensive linemen with Tate and now Connor Colby out of Iowa. You never know if you can find a diamond in the rough and maybe Colby is one. Either way, it brings in another body to help protect the MVP.
Round 6, No. 177: Kitan Crawford, S - Nevada
Even though the Bills signed Darrick Forrest and brought back Damar Hamlin, the contracts look like they will have to truly compete well to even get a roster spot. Not to mention, the Bills ran into a major problem in training camp with multiple injuries to their safety room. Don’t think that Beane forgot about that.
Now Buffalo gets a safety in Kitan Crawford from Nevada, and also spent a majority of his career with the Texas Longhorns. Sean McDermott wants physical defensive backs who aren’t afraid to hit. That is what Crawford is.
Round 6, No. 206: Luke Lachey, TE - Iowa
The Bills get their second Hawkeye in tight end Luke Lachey. Iowa has produced two fantastic tight ends in recent memory with George Kittle and T.J. Hockenson, so maybe Lachey is a late round steal? More than likely he won’t be, but you never know. Buffalo could always use a third tight end to add with Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid.