ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Two days prior to the start of the 2025 NFL draft, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane was asked what he viewed to be the strongest position in the class.
"I would say it's a pretty good D-line draft," Beane responded.
That assessment was reflected in the way the Bills came out of the weekend in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where they drafted six defensive players, including three defensive linemen. The three linemen were among the defensive players who made up the team's first five picks, marking only the second time the Bills went defense on each of their first five picks (2006 was the other time) in the common draft era (since 1967).
The message coming from One Bills Drive is clear. It's actually one that Beane said specifically in a Monday appearance on local radio station WGR 550 as part of a strong response to criticism about the team's approach to wide receiver.
"Where do we need to get better? Defense," Beane said. "We did that."
Focusing on defense shows the Bills already have plenty of faith in last year's MVP, quarterback Josh Allen. The Bills did so by following the team's board, per Beane. The Bills addressed the unit's short- and long-term needs by overhauling the defensive line and bringing speed to the cornerback position.
"I can tell you 100% it wasn't going into it, 'Hey, we have to get X number of defensive players out of this draft,'" Beane said on Saturday. "... I did think the way the board was stacked, where the strengths of the board were, two of our first three picks would be ... we would have a defensive player there that we liked, that filled a need, as well, at the value. We went up to get T.J. [Sanders], because we had him higher on our board and in our minds, if we have 'em up there, we feel like at least a few other teams are."
The defense has fallen short in the postseason, notably against the Kansas City Chiefs, multiple times in the last several years. In the five regular-season games quarterback Patrick Mahomes has played against the Bills, Buffalo has held the Chiefs offense to an average of 20.8 points and 370 yards. That increases to 34.8 points and 430 yards in four playoff games. The Chiefs have two rushing plays of 20-plus yards in the regular season meetings against the Bills and eight in the playoffs.
The first way the Bills addressed the position in the draft was at cornerback with 30th overall pick Maxwell Hairston from Kentucky. Hairston gives the Bills a speedy cornerback after running the fastest 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. He can compete for the No. 2 role to start this year and ideally maintain it for years to come.
Statistically, last year was Buffalo's worst pass defense since coach Sean McDermott took over in 2017. The unit allowed a 68.5% completion percentage, 10 more passing touchdowns than in 2023 (28) and greater than 200 yards after catch more than any other season.
On Day 3, the Bills selected defensive back Jordan Hancock from Ohio State, who the team will try at nickel corner and safety, and cornerback Dorian Strong from Virginia Tech, adding depth to the defensive backs as a whole.
When it comes to the defensive line, the group has an entirely different look and is filled with a diversity of players -- making the roster at the position will be no easy feat. That comes after an offseason of Beane and McDermott emphasized their belief in building up the front.
"We want it to be deep," Beane said. "We want it to have a variety of skill sets, and we want competition. I want it to be hard as hell to be one of the however many D-linemen we keep together on this 53."
The Bills have two free agent additions facing six-game suspensions to start the season in defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and defensive end Michael Hoecht.
Gone are Von Miller, Dawuane Smoot and Austin Johnson, in addition to veterans Jordan Phillips and Quinton Jefferson, who were brought to help midseason but are no longer with the team. Instead, the team traded up twice in the draft to acquire interior defensive linemen with second-round pick Sanders and fourth-round pick Deone Walker. The Bills had eight sacks from players lined up at defensive tackle/nose tackle last year, third fewest in the league. Defensive tackle Ed Oliver led the team with three sacks when lined up there, a total exceeded by 36 players in 2024.
These are moves for the future in the sense that DT DaQuan Jones, 33, is entering the final year of his deal, and getting younger in the middle of the line has been something to address for multiple years including by drafting DeWayne Carter last year.
A presence was also added on the edge with Landon Jackson in the third round, someone who brings length and Beane said tested better than they would have thought. He'll add a younger presence to a group that includes projected starters Greg Rousseau and newly signed Joey Bosa.
As far as this year's draft class, the Bills took advantage of their perceived highly rated defensive line class and added to an area to keep the ball in Allen's hands. The pressure will now be on those selections to pay off in the 2025 defense and beyond.
"You've got to have a quarterback, and then after that it starts up front," Beane said. "We're always trying to look for ways to do that on both sides of the ball. I think if you look back, we've spent a decent amount of capital, whether it's in free agency or the draft, on both sides of the ball. I haven't found anything that's changed my mind on that. We've got to protect Josh Allen and we've got to get after the opposing quarterback."