The Buffalo Bills kicked off their 2nd round journey in the NFL Draft by making a massive trade up with the Chicago Bears, moving up from No. 56 to No. 41 to take a player with the last name Sanders (and no, it’s not Shedeur Sanders). The Bills have drafted South Carolina defensive tackle T.J. Sanders to add to their defensive line.
I originally had the idea of the Bills needing to focus in on acquiring Sanders after the Maxwell Hairston pick last night. Now the Bills get their own Sanders for the defense to pair with Ed Oliver.
Bills make a bold move up to solidify defensive line with T.J. Sanders
While the Bills get themselves a solid prospect in Sanders, they did pay a little bit of a hefty price. They sent Chicago picks No. 56, No. 62, and No. 109. At the same time, they moved up 15 spots to No. 41 and also acquired No. 72 (3rd-round pick) and No. 240 (7th-round pick).
So not only did the Bills get themselves a rotational defensive tackle for 2025 and potential fulltime starter for the future, they also get to stay busy on the second night of the draft by acquiring a third round pick, which they originally didn’t have.
Buffalo has now addressed the two positions that they had pressing needs at. Brandon Beane has done a fantastic job at building this draft class by getting Hairston and Sanders up to this point. Who would have thought that T.J. Sanders would be off the board before Shedeur Sanders…
Sanders can play the 1-technique and he is a true run-stopper. The Bills struggled to stop the run last season but now they have a rotation of Sanders and DeWayne Carter behind Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones. Keep it going, Beane!