Ever since the 2020 season, the defense for the Buffalo Bills has had some kind of weakness or was dealt with countless injuries. The unit has had some major shining moments, but it has also been the major reason why the Bills have fallen short of reaching the Super Bowl.
Now that Sean McDermott is no longer in Buffalo, and Jim Leonhard is calling the defense, fans are hoping that he can implement a scheme that will build Buffalo’s defense back up to an elite level in order to make sure that the offense doesn’t have to light up the scoreboard in order to win.
Last season, the NFL world saw how bad Buffalo’s run defense was. They were giving up 136 rushing yards on the ground per game, which ranked as the 5th-worst only in front of the Jets, Bengals, Commanders, and Giants. Even with the Bills trading up twice for two defensive tackles in last year's draft (T.J. Sanders and Deone Walker), the Bills were still horrendous against the run. It's time to change that.
Even though it appears that Giants’ star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence might be available via trade, and while the Bills should be interested, there is no guarantee that a blockbuster trade will happen with Buffalo. If they want to add more run-stop support in the draft, there is a prospect that almost no one has talked about for Buffalo, until Adam Rank from NFL.com did in a recent mock draft.
NFL mock draft has Bills taking DT prospect that no one is talking about
Rank’s mock draft was all about what teams should do, and at No. 26 overall, Rank has the Bills drafting Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter.
"This time around, all the first-round-worthy receivers are off the board, so let's meet your need at nose tackle in new DC Jim Leonhard's 3-4 front. I love Hunter in this spot; he absolutely demolishes the run and could develop into a force as a pass rusher." said Rank.
The most common player that has been mentioned as the top defensive tackle has been Kayden McDonald out of Ohio State. However, if the Bills are looking to go in the DT direction in the first round, there could be a scenario where McDonald is not available. With that, Hunter could be a solid replacement for the middle of the trenches.
In four seasons where he spent time with Central Florida and Texas Tech, Hunter had 168 total tackles and he is known for taking on double teams to create a mess against the run. Buffalo hasn’t had a true run-stopping defensive tackle since Star Lotulelei, and now might be the time to get someone who can take care of a major problem that the Bills have.
It may not be the pick that fans like, but it would make a ton of sense to correct a problem that Buffalo has. Who knows, maybe Hunter could be a big time steal that no one is paying attention to.
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