Injuries were a huge problem all year for the Bills, and that was especially prevalent among their rookie draft class. Here's a look at each player.
ORCHARD PARK - For a team like the Buffalo Bills that has a top-heavy payroll structure, largely thanks to the well-deserved contract of superstar quarterback Josh Allen, nailing the draft is imperative in building a playoff-worthy roster.
The Bills have been tight against the salary cap for several years, and that has limited the aisle where general manager Brandon Beane can shop in the free agent market. He can’t pick from the expensive name brands, he has to settle for generic brands, and as we’ve seen in recent years, that hasn’t worked out well.
For example, in the last two offseasons, just looking at two position groups that have been problematic for the Bills, Beane signed wide receivers Curtis Samuel, Joshua Palmer, Elijah Moore, Marques Valdes-Scantling and Chase Claypool, and defensive linemen Joey Bosa, Michael Hoecht, Larry Ogunjobi, Dawuane Smoot, Austin Johnson, and DeShawn Williams.
Bosa was good for the first half of 2025, Hoecht may eventually be the best of that bunch if he returns strong from his torn Achilles, and everyone else was either a bust - the level depending on the investment - or a player who contributed nothing much beyond rotational snaps.
Beane needs to be great on draft weekend, and in 2025, his nine-man class was far from great. In fact, it was pretty disappointing, though injuries played a major role in that evaluation.
The only player who didn’t make the team was seventh-round wide receiver Kaden Prather, but while the other eight made it, only two gave Buffalo a representative season - fourth-round defensive tackle Deone Walker and fifth-round tight end Jackson Hawes.
As for everyone else, they have a lot to prove heading into their sophomore 2026 season, and if those players - who need to be part of the core of the team moving forward - don’t provide more snaps and production, it’s going to be a setback for the Bills.
Here’s my breakdown of how each rookie draft pick performed in 2025:
First round: CB Maxwell Hairston
Beane knew he had to pick a CB high and Hairston looked like a fine pick, especially after he ran the fastest 40-yard dash time at the NFL scouting combine. Signing veteran Tre’Davious White to compete with Hairston and to also mentor him, was a good idea because it also eased some of the pressure on the rookie.
However, in no way did the Bills envision White being the starter almost the entire season, but that’s what happened after Hairston suffered a knee injury early in training camp. He ended up playing in just 11 games before another injury in Week 18 knocked him out of the playoffs. He was on the field for a mere 348 snaps and only three times did he surpass 40 snaps because even when he played, he shared the CB2 position with White and usually played less than the vet.
Per Pro Football Focus, Hairston gave up 15 receptions on 25 targets for 203 yards, not bad and it’s something to build on in 2026. He showed a willingness to tackle, and the Bills can only hope that even a truncated year under his belt will enable him to beat out whoever the competition is to line up opposite CB1 Christian Benford.
Second round: DT TJ Sanders
The Bills traded up to pick Sanders at No. 41 overall and they did not get what they were hoping for, though there were extenuating circumstances. A knee injury cost him five games, and then when he returned, because of other injuries up front, the coaching staff asked him to play out of position on the edge for a few games and that stunted his growth as an interior player.
Sanders played 331 snaps counting the postseason and he had just one sack - that in the regular-season finale against the Jets - 14 QB pressures, 16 tackles and one deflected pass. DT is always a tough position to accrue statistics, but Sanders rarely flashed as either a pass rusher or run stuffer, and that was always a concern for a 297-pounder playing in the middle of an NFL defensive line.
Third round: DE Landon Jackson
It was a waste of a season for the No. 72 pick. He struggled throughout training camp and the preseason and once the regular season began, he couldn’t get a game day jersey as he was a healthy scratch in the first four games.
He played against the Patriots and Falcons, was inactive the next two games, then on the second snap he played against the Dolphins in Week 10, he blew out his knee which ended his season. Thus, the Bills got 30 snaps, on which he did not have a sack, pressure or tackle. Yikes.
Fourth round: DT Deone Walker
Unlike the undersized Sanders, Walker brought 330 pounds of bulk to the inside, yet he was every bit as athletic as Sanders both as a pass rusher and run stopper. There were notable inconsistencies in his game which you would expect from a fourth-round rookie, but Walker made a number of splash plays that portend a bright future.
He came to the team with a worrisome back injury which cost him money in the draft, but he played in all 19 games, a total of 549 snaps which were the most of any DT on the team and trailing only Bosa and Greg Rousseau on the D-line. He finished fifth on the team with 20 QB pressures and fifth with 20 stops which PFF defines as a tackle that caused a failure for the offense.
Walker also had a sack, an interception, three pass deflections, and a fumble recovery. His run defense was spotty, not because he missed tackles but because he was too often pushed out of his gap. He shined in the pass game and pairing him with Ed Oliver on pass downs next season could be really interesting.
Fifth round: DB Jordan Hancock
He came to the Bills as a diverse piece who could play CB, NCB and safety. As a rookie, 132 of his 183 defensive snaps came at free safety, usually as an injury replacement for either Taylor Rapp or Jordan Poyer. In his minimal playing time, it was clear he has a lot to learn before the Bills can trust him on an every-down basis, but with Rapp and Poyer probably not returning, he’ll have a chance to win a position next to Cole Bishop in 2026, or maybe as a potential replacement for Taron Johnson at nickel.
Fifth round: TE Jackson Hawes
He was considered the best blocking TE in the 2025 draft, and that proved to be the case. He was a beast, one of the best among all TEs in the NFL, and several opponents commented on how dynamic a blocker Hawes was. If the Bills move on from pricey Dawson Knox, Hawes figures to get a huge snap count bump playing with Dalton Kincaid in two-TE sets.
No one thought much of his pass catching in college, but he was reliable the few times Allen threw his way. Hawes finished with 16 catches on 19 targets for 187 yards and three TDs. His success rate - plays where he gained the necessary yardage to keep the Bills in favorable down-and-distance - was a team-best 78.9%.
Sixth round: CB Dorian Strong
Strong had a solid camp and preseason and he earned the starting nod in Week 1 when both White and Hairston were sidelined. Unfortunately, he played in just three games before suffering a season-ending neck injury, and when he was asked about it during the season, former coach Sean McDermott seemed to indicate that Strong’s future in the game could be impacted. We’ll have to wait and see.
Sixth round: OL Chase Lundt
It was a bit of a surprise that he made the 53-man roster, but the Bills apparently didn’t want to risk putting him on the practice squad where he could be poached. Lundt was inactive for all but two games before a knee injury landed him on injured reserve in December. He’ll have a chance to compete for a backup job in 2026, but to project him as a future starter is a stretch.
Seventh round: WR Kaden Prather
He suffered a hamstring injury in training camp and was eventually waived with an injury settlement. He worked out for the Falcons when he was healthy but was not signed, and he’s a free agent entering 2026, a longshot to find a job.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 36 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at [email protected], and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills 2025 draft disappoints as cap limits raise the stakes
Category: General Sports
