The following is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's 2025 Football Preview book. In addition to Warren's deep, detailed write-up on all 32 NFL teams, each chapter features page after page of full-color charts, stats, and heatmaps as well as draft class analysis from Ryan McCrystal. Click here for a full FREE chapter from the 2025 Football Preview.
With 2025 NFL training camps on the horizon, we’re starting to understand how 2025 NFL draft classes will impact each roster this season.
Let's look at the Buffalo Bills, breaking down the most likely instant-impact rookies from each class, while also providing some insight into why certain early picks may not see the field.
Who are the Buffalo Bills rookies?
- Maxwell Hairston (CB, Kentucky)
- T.J. Sanders (DL, South Carolina)
- Landon Jackson (EDGE, Arkansas)
- Deone Walker (DT, Kentucky)
- Jordan Hancock (CB, Ohio State)
- Jackson Hawes (TE, Georgia Tech)
- Dorian Strong (CB, Virginia Tech)
- Chase Lundt (OT, UConn)
- Kaden Prather (WR, Maryland)
Buffalo Bills Draft Class Grade:
The Buffalo Bills received a B draft grade from Sharp Football.
Which Bills Rookies Will Make An Impact?
The Bills are betting on the upside of cornerback Maxwell Hairston (first round). He is one of the best athletes in the entire draft class, but has limited experience (20 starts) and even less production. During his two years as a starter at Kentucky, he allowed a catch rate 1.5% above expected based on route adjusted data. Due to a shoulder injury, Hairston was only active for three SEC games last year, during which he allowed six catches on 11 targets in coverage for 129 yards. So while the raw talent is there, he might be a liability as a rookie if forced into action.
T.J. Sanders (second round) generated a 7.8% pressure rate on the interior last year and fits best as a three-tech interior lineman. That spot is currently occupied by Ed Oliver, so Sanders will likely be relegated to backup duties this fall. Oliver has two years remaining on his contract, but his cap hit more than doubles to $24.2 million next year.
Sanders will be joined on the interior defensive line by the 328-pound Deone Walker (fourth round), who could be the team’s nose tackle of the future. DaQuan Jones fills that role for now, but is in the final year of his contract. There’s also a chance Walker is more than just a nose tackle. There were high expectations for him after he posted an impressive 12.4% pressure rate when lined up as a three-tech in 2023, but that number plummeted to 5.1% in 2024 while he played through a back injury.
Landon Jackson (third round) will also contribute on the defensive line, though he’s likely to be buried on the depth chart as a rookie. Greg Rousseau and Joey Bosa are locked in as starters, with A.J. Epenesa and Michael Hoecht likely to rotate in as the primary backups. However, Bosa and Epenesa are free agents after the year. Jackson posted impressive numbers at the Combine but failed to flash that same athleticism on the field. He generated a mediocre 10.4% pressure rate when lined up on the edge at Arkansas last season.
Jordan Hancock (fifth round) played all over Ohio State’s secondary during his career, but settled into a role as the Buckeyes' nickel corner during their championship run. The nickel corner spot is occupied by Taron Johnson in Buffalo, and he’s under contract through the 2027 season, though his cap hit climbs above $10 million next year.
Dorian Strong (sixth round) joins Hancock in the secondary, though they are not in direct competition for a job given their different roles. Strong has almost exclusively lined up on the outside. Strong’s profile is essentially the opposite of Hairston’s, as the athletic traits are underwhelming, but the production has been steady. Based on route adjusted numbers, Strong allowed a catch rate 26% below expected over the last two years.
Chase Lundt (sixth round) has the height that Buffalo bizarrely covets. Over the last five years, Buffalo has used three linemen measuring 6-foot-8 or taller and drafted another who never saw the field. Lundt primarily played right tackle at UConn, a spot locked down by Spencer Brown for the foreseeable future in Buffalo.
Kaden Prather (seventh round) is a big outside weapon 一 29% of his targets were at least 15 yards downfield last year at Maryland. Buffalo has a log jam at receiver, but Prather and Keon Coleman are the only ones taller than 6-foot-1.
This is a tough draft class to evaluate. On one hand, it’s easy to envision a scenario where Buffalo’s first four picks are starters on the 2026 squad. However, there’s a good chance none of them are significant contributors in 2025, and that’s a tough pill to swallow for a team trying to get over the hump and win a conference title. We may eventually look back on this class as a critical moment in resetting the Bills’ defense, but Buffalo may also regret the lack of instant impact if the team falls short of its goals this year.
This analysis continues in the 2025 Football Preview
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