The Buffalo Bills ended up picking the third round afterall, but they needed to make a trade in order to do so. Early on in the second round, the Bills moved up from No. 56 to No. 41 with the Chicago Bears to acquire T.J. Sanders and add him to the defensive line.
While the Bills sent No. 62 in the trade package, they did get No. 72 in the third round and they have used it on edge rusher Landon Jackson out of Arkansas. Getting Jackson the third round is an unbelievable steal for the Bills and it brings in another pass rusher to utilize in the playoffs.
Jackson was a Second-Team All-SEC player in 2024 and led the Razorbacks with 6.5 sacks. Since 2023, he has 25 tackles for a loss which ranked third in the SEC. He is a player who plays with great technique and has a long frame to use against blockers.
Bills get a major steal in DE Landon Jackson
Jackson could have arguably been a first round pick, but it just didn’t go his way. It honestly wouldn't have been surprising to see the Bills take him at No. 30, or even trade up to get him in the second round. Instead, Brandon Beane got lucky and Jackson fell right into Buffalo’s lap. He will now join a room that has Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, and Joey Bosa.
The Bills get fantastic depth with Jackson for 2025 and depending on what happens with Bosa, Jackson may have a serious shot at becoming a starter. The good news for him for this upcoming season is that the Bills love to rotate their defensive linemen so Jackson will get some action early on.
Up to this point, Brandon Beane has delivered three solid picks all on the same side of the ball. He’s got his corner in Maxwell Hairston, traded up for T.J. Sanders, and got lucky to get Jackson in the third round. Maybe Beane should consider going with offense to kick off the Bills’ Day 3 journey.