While Brandon Beane does deserve some criticism about his recent draft classes, he has certainly brought some severely underrated players to Buffalo over his tenure. His only true 1st-round superstar that he has drafted is of course Josh Allen. However, he has done well outside the first round.
In his tenure, Beane and the Bills have drafted players like James Cook, Christian Benford, Spencer Brown, and Taron Johnson all outside of the first round. This past NFL Draft back in April, the Bills got themselves a huge steal with drafted defensive tackle Deone Walker out of Kentucky.
Had he come out of college in the 2024 draft, there is a good chance that he would have been a high first-round pick after recording 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 2023 with the Wildcards. In 2024, Walker’s production dropped because of a back injury which made him slip into day three of the draft.
Buffalo not only drafted Walker, they traded up for him which shows how much they believed in him. He certainly delivered in his first year as a Bill.
Deone Walker was Buffalo's best draft pick in 2025
Ben Solak from ESPN recently published the 2025 NFL All-Rookie team, which highlights the best first-year players around the league and Walker was placed on the list on the defensive line. Here's a bit on what Solak said about Walker:
"Walker regularly takes on two blockers at the line of scrimmage, creates tackle-for-loss opportunities and makes high-effort pursuit plays into the boundary. He has also found more quick wins as a pass rusher than I expected. He'll get his hands into passing lanes, too -- and at his size, that's a big impediment for opponent QBs."Ben Solak, ESPN
When you look at Buffalo’s draft class from this past year, the top rookies that Beane drafted were Walker and tight end Jackson Hawes. Every other rookie still has a lot more growing to do, or didn’t make it on the field at all. While Hawes has shown to be a great blocking tight end who can also catch crucial catches, Walker has earned himself a starting job from here on out.
The best part about having Walker in the middle of the trenches is that the Bills will have him and Ed Oliver, who has only played three games this season due to injury. With Walker already shining as a rookie, fans should be excited about what he can bring even more with experience underneath his belt.