With the Buffalo Bills sitting at the No. 30 pick on the first night of the NFL Draft, they will be watching the board for quite sometime, seeing big names go off the board. Now obviously, they basically have no chance at acquiring players like Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter, or Mason Graham. Players like them are going in the top ten and Buffalo should not be looking to move up that much.
However, the Bills will still have the chance to acquire an impactful player that they could potentially trade up for, or see them fall right into their lap. Players who are projected to go off the board quickly fall down the board every single year. That’s where the better teams get a lot stronger when they maybe thought it wasn’t possible.
One player that immediately comes to mind of who could provide an immediate impact for any team is Michigan defensive tackle, Kenneth Grant. Grant is a big player who is a fantastic run-stopper, which is something that the Bills had trouble doing last season. With DaQuan Jones nearing the end of his tenure in Buffalo, it would be wise for the Bills to bring in his successor to pair with Ed Oliver for the future.
Unless the Bills are still confident in last year’s 3rd-round pick DeWayne Carter, going defensive line early on in the draft is a must. While Grant would be a huge help for Buffalo’s defensive line, he could also be a big help for other teams in the league.
4 biggest threats who could steal DT Kenneth Grant from Bills
Cincinnati Bengals (No. 17)
The Bengals’ defense was atrocious outside of edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. They couldn’t stop anyone and quite frankly, Cincinnati missed out on the playoffs because their defense couldn't support their offense, which had one of the best passing attacks in 2024. Even though Grant won’t fix the pass defense in the secondary, he could easily be a huge disrupter against the run and create pressure against the pass with Hendrickson.
Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 21)
The Steelers are having one of the worst offseasons in recent memory. Sure, they acquired star wide receiver D.K. Metcalf and signed him to a long-term deal, but who is throwing the ball to him? Mason Rudolph is familiar with Pittsburgh’s offense, but no one is scared with him under center.
Pittsburgh has always been about defense under Mike Tomlin. Even though they desperately need a quarterback, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Pittsburgh keep boosting their defense. Pairing Grant with Cameron Heyward, T.J. Watt, and Alex Highsmith is just not fair. Plain and simple.
Baltimore Ravens (No. 27)
The one team that the Bills don’t match up well against is the Baltimore Ravens. Even though the Bills have won twice against them in the playoffs this decade, Baltimore’s physicality is sometimes too much to handle.
Much like the Steelers, the Ravens are always looking to have a ferocious defense that can cause nightmares for a quarterback. Putting Grant on Baltimore’s defensive line doesn’t need an explanation. It would just be a scary sight.
Kansas City Chiefs (No. 31)
Trading up in the draft happens all the time. Just last year, the Chiefs traded up with the Bills and landed speedy wideout Xavier Worthy. In 2022, the Chiefs jumped ahead of the Bills to select cornerback Trent McDuffie, is one of the best in the game (while the Bills acquired Kaiir Elam).
The Chiefs are just one spot behind the Bills and could easily make a trade to move up to acquire Grant and pair him with Chris Jones. At that point, life just got more difficult for the Bills in the playoffs.