Bills shouldn't need a high pick to improve their pass rush
Improving their pass rush will be one of the Buffalo Bills' priorities as the NFL Combine begins in Indianapolis.
After another batch of new defensive linemen failed to improve the Buffalo Bills' pass rush, general manager and president of football operations Brandon Beane pinned the struggles of his pass rush on the absence of one player.
"We missed Ed Oliver," Beane told reporters last month.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane is preparing for his eighth draft in Buffalo.
Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
Oliver, the Bills' top defensive tackle, missed all but three regular-season games because of injuries. In those three games, he totaled seven tackles for a loss and three sacks. Two of Beane's draft picks, especially fourth-round selection Deone Walker, helped Buffalo win without Oliver, but the Bills ranked 20th in sacks and 12th in Next Gen Stats' pressure rate. They had one sack in two playoff games, and they haven't recorded more than two sacks in any playoff game since the wild-card matchup with Miami in January 2023.
Bills coach Joe Brady's new defensive coordinator, Jim Leonhard, is going to implement a 3-4 scheme that's designed to stop the run and make quarterbacks uncomfortable. There will be different pressure looks and less predictability, with a focus on moving players around to create matchup problems.
The Bills' pass rush was rarely effective in 2025, in part because, too often, they could not stop the run. On the occasions when they limited explosive plays on the ground, the Bills were too easy to block because the offense's protection plans could focus on edge rushers Greg Rousseau and Joey Bosa. Former head coach Sean McDermott had to rely too much on blitzing to create pressures and, more often than not, the extra rusher did not impact the pocket.
Injuries impacted Beane's plan. Edge rushers Michael Hoecht and Landon Jackson were lost for the season. T.J. Sanders, the rookie defensive tackle Buffalo chose in the second round, lost valuable reps because of an injury. Practice-squad elevations were playing important snaps late in the regular season. Now, Buffalo's depth on the edge is thin because Bosa and A.J. Epenesa are free agents.
There are building blocks on the defensive line, led by Rousseau, Oliver and Walker. But can the Bills finally have the elite pass rusher they've coveted? Von Miller looked like one until he suffered a knee injury that derailed the plan. Bosa was too terrible against the run to be a candidate for 2026. Only one player, Leonard Floyd, had double-digit sacks (10½ in 2023) during McDermott's nine seasons as coach. Each of the past two Super Bowl champions had ferocious defensive lines that performed at their best in the playoffs.
Beane has mentioned multiple times in recent interviews that a team typically needs a high draft pick to land one of the NFL's best edge rushers. Some dominant ones have been selected high, most notably Myles Garrett and Chase Young, but recent history shows that a team does not need a top-15 selection to land someone who can get to the quarterback.
Over the past two seasons, 28 players have recorded double-digit sacks. Their average draft position: 63rd overall, or a late second-round pick. Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, a third-round selection in 2017, led the NFL with 17½ sacks in 2024. Though Rousseau has been an excellent run defender, he has yet to eclipse eight sacks in five seasons since he was picked 30th overall.
The Bills own the 26th pick in this NFL draft, which will preclude them from selecting David Bailey or Rueben Bain Jr. But they'll use the NFL scouting combine this week in Indianapolis to continue to evaluate this class of edge rushers. Other names to watch include Keldric Faulk (Auburn), Zion Young (Missouri), Akheem Mesidor (Miami), Cashius Howell (Texas A&M), T.J. Parker (Clemson) and R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma).
There's more to creating an effective pass rush than one or two players, but the Bills need to add juice to their front seven through the draft and free agency.
Receiver watch
Understandably, Bills fans want another wide receiver. The top four or five prospects will be gone by the time Buffalo is on the clock – this team has too many holes to trade its way into a top-10 or top-15 selection for a receiver – but here are several candidates whose testing results will be worth monitoring:Denzel Boston, Washington: The 6-foot-2, 220-pound playmaker totaled 20 touchdowns in his two seasons as a starter for the Huskies.
Germie Bernard, Alabama: The Crimson Tide’s leading receiver in 2025 finished tied for fifth in the Southeastern Conference with seven receiving touchdowns.
KC Concepcion, Texas A&M: The 5-11, 190-pound speedster can take the top off the defense and turn short catches into long gains. Can he block, though?
Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana: Caught 69 passes for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns as a top target for the national champions. Tough as nails and an outstanding run blocker. Might be my favorite prospect in this class.
Malachi Fields, Notre Dame: What kind of receiver will the Bills covet? If they want someone on the perimeter, then the 6-4 playmaker could give them another downfield target for Josh Allen. Fields was a standout at the Senior Bowl and totaled 630 yards with five touchdowns in his only season at Notre Dame.
Middle man
We do not know whether the Bills plan to bring back Matt Milano and/or Shaq Thompson. Either way, inside linebacker should be among their needs on draft day, and this class has several talented options.Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech: A high school quarterback who began his career as a Swiss Army Knife at Virginia, Rodriguez developed into one of the best linebackers in the country at Texas Tech. In 2025, Rodriguez was a Heisman finalist. He totaled 115 tackles with 10 tackles for a loss, one sack, four interceptions, 10 passes defended, seven forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. His combine testing numbers will determine how high he will go.
Harold Perkins Jr., LSU: Every team must decide where Perkins will play in the NFL because he played edge rusher, inside linebacker and a safety/linebacker hybrid during his four years at LSU. The versatility makes him an intriguing option for the Bills, whose new defense will move players around to create matchup problems. Remember, Perkins was a freshman All-American in 2022. His stock dropped because he wasn’t as effective at different positions and he missed most of 2024 with an injury.
CJ Allen, Georgia: The Bulldogs captain will probably improve his stock to the point that he’s not an option for the Bills, but he’d be a perfect fit.'
Anthony Hill Jr., Texas: A big (6-3), rangy mike linebacker who totaled 31½ tackles for a loss, 17 sacks and eight forced fumbles in three seasons.
Back end
The Bills need to find another safety to start next to Cole Bishop. Beane could add one in free agency, but the players at the top of the market may be too pricey. The top one in this class, Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, will be gone long before Buffalo picks, but there are others to consider.Dillon Thieneman, Oregon: The Purdue transfer became a first-round talent in 2025 with 96 tackles and five pass breakups for the Ducks.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo: At 6-2, 220 pounds, McNeil-Warren immediately would improve the Bills’ run defense, and he’s a talented playmaker who forces turnovers.
Zakee Wheatley, Penn State: A Senior Bowl standout whose production dropped under a new coordinator in 2025, but he broke out as a junior with 96 tackles and MVP honors in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal.
Buffalo connection
University at Buffalo linebacker Red Murdock made too many plays in college – including an NCAA-record 17 forced fumbles – not to get drafted, but he can improve his stock by acing the fitness testing this week.We do not know if the Bills would view Murdock as a fit because Leonhard will covet different skill sets than those prioritized by McDermott. But Buffalo needs help at inside linebacker, and Murdock is the type of young, athletic playmaker it lacked in 2025.
Mike Washington Jr., a 6-foot, 228-pound running back, started six games at UB between the 2022 and 2023 seasons before he finished his college career at New Mexico State and Arkansas. Washington broke out with the Razorbacks in 2025, totaling 1,070 rushing yards with eight touchdowns. A strong combine performance could make him a Day 2 pick.
QB watch
This is not a great year to draft a franchise quarterback. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who’s expected to go No. 1 overall to Las Vegas, and Alabama’s Ty Simpson will likely be the only quarterbacks selected in the first round of the draft because several talented prospects opted to return to school in the fall.The 2027 class may be the most talented in recent memory, led by Arch Manning (Texas), Dante Moore (Oregon), LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina), Julian Sayin (Ohio State), Darian Mensah (Miami), Brendan Sorsby (Texas Tech) and Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss).
Why should Bills fans care? If Beane wants to trade up in this draft, he may find more willing partners because teams want to collect draft capital in 2027 and they aren’t worried about the quarterbacks this year. There’s enough depth at other positions – especially on defense – that a team like Pittsburgh, for example, is better off trading back if Simpson is off the board and continue to build an infrastructure around the quarterback it will take in 2027.
There are still several talented quarterbacks worth monitoring this week: Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Carson Beck (Miami), Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Cole Payton (North Dakota State), among others.
Combine workout schedule
Feb. 25: Defensive linemen, linebackers and specialists.Feb. 26: Defensive backs and tight ends.
Feb. 27: Quarterbacks, receivers and running backs.
Feb. 28: Offensive linemen.