The first round hype of the NFL Draft is completed and now we are focusing on Rounds 2 & 3 that will start tonight at 7PM EST. After waiting for a long time for their pick at No. 30, Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills stayed put and selected cornerback Maxwell Hairston out of Kentucky to pair with Christian Benford for the future.
There was no question that the Bills needed to leave this draft with a starting caliber corner and Hairston provides that. He has speed, fantastic playmaking ability, and he’s got great energy that has already been displayed to Bills fans. He is big on family and he has familiarity coming to Buffalo, having been college teammates with running back Ray Davis.
In addition, his cousin Taiwan Jones was a fan-favorite when he played with the Bills a couple seasons ago. This is a perfect start for the Bills as they now have created some flexibility on what they could do tonight and tomorrow.
Bills' next pick after Maxwell Hairston is clear as day
While Buffalo could go in many different directions tonight, they should be heavily focused on getting more help at defensive line. DaQuan Jones might be entering his last season with the Bills and unless the Bills are hoping for big things from last year’s third-round pick in DeWayne Carter, there should be no doubt that Beane goes after defensive line help.
One player that the Bills should be eyeing is defensive tackle T.J. Sanders out of South Carolina. With Buffalo losing out on the top three defensive tackle prospects in the first round, they need to make it a priority in the second round. Someone like Tyleik Williams out of Ohio State would have been the perfect fit, but he surprisingly went in the first round to the Detroit Lions.
Sanders can play the 1-technique and help stop the run up the middle. The Bills' run-defense was atrocious last season at time and adding Sanders who can plug up the middle makes the most sense for Buffalo.
The Bills already met with Sanders on a pre-draft visit so there was interest then. Now Beane should be doing whatever he can to make sure that Sanders ends up in Buffalo for the future. If the Bills can walk out of the second round tonight with Sanders, Beane will look like a genius. Not to mention, Buffalo has picks No. 56 and No. 62 in the second round so there is a good chance that Sanders could be a Bill tonight.