Bills 7-round mock draft: A new weapon for Josh Allen and filling big needs on defense
The Bills have some glaring needs, but also have opportunities to strengthen depth.
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The Super Bowl has been decided, which means officially, throughout the NFL, it’s on to 2025. The NFL Scouting Combine is in only two weeks, so the offseason maneuverings take center stage.
The draft is the most optimism-inducing event of the offseason calendar, and this year, the Bills have their fill of draft picks. They’ve got eight draft choices, with the potential for two more compensatory picks.
Since the offseason is here, it’s about time to fire up our first Bills-only mock draft of 2025. Let’s dive in.
*Pick numbers were generated by the Pro Football Focus draft simulator and their projected draft order.
Round 1
The pick at No. 30 — Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
If the 2024 season proved anything, it’s that the Bills need reinforcements along their defensive line. That begins with refreshing the defensive end position, which outside of Greg Rousseau, just wasn’t good enough from a pass-rushing perspective. A.J. Epenesa didn’t have the type of jump they were hoping for, making his starting spot at right defensive end susceptible to an addition. To make it a more pressing matter, Rousseau is a free agent following the 2025 season. So, too, is Epenesa. Von Miller turns 36 in March, and Dawuane Smoot is a free agent in March. The team must add a pass rusher this offseason, potentially a significant one.
Although they hold a late first-round pick, the Bills get helped by the strength of the defensive end class. The Athletic’s draft expert, Dane Brugler, has seven edge rushers ranked in his top 30. Ezeiruaku is the seventh on that list, but that doesn’t take away from the talent. Although at 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds, he doesn’t have the prototypical height or weight the Bills have gone for in the past, but they have slowly gone away from those measurements in favor of explosiveness and production. It began with signing Miller, and even last year when they drafted Javon Solomon in the fifth round, he was a smaller player (6-foot, 246 pounds) but tested really well in explosive metrics and was a highly productive college player. However, one clear preference for the Bills at the position remains — long arms. That’s the only measurable that hasn’t gone away from their previous lean toward the prototype. Rousseau (34.375 inches), Epenesa (34.5 inches), and Solomon (33.875 inches) are all easily in the top half amongst players at their position.
Ezeiruaku’s explosiveness, arm length (34.5 inches) and production all hold up for what the Bills seek in a pass-rushing prospect. In his final season at Boston College alone, Ezeiruaku had 16.5 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss. What makes the fit even more potent is how comfortable he is rushing from the defensive right side, which would pair nicely with Rousseau, who is at his best rushing from the left side. According to Pro Football Focus, Ezeiruaku spent 60.3 percent of his 2024 snaps on the right side. Although it may not be the big splash via trade or free agency some may hope for, there’s a lot to like about Ezeiruaku’s potential, fit and maybe even his impact in his rookie season, all while on a rookie contract.
Round 2
The pick at No. 56 — Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State
The Bills overhauled their wide receiver room last offseason, and while it provided some fruitful moments throughout the year, they were still lacking in one distinct area — production. The primary boundary receivers the Bills used were Keon Coleman, Mack Hollins and Amari Cooper, and all three lacked intermediate to deep field separation. On top of it, the Bills didn’t have a true Z-receiver. With Hollins and Cooper becoming free agents next month, the Bills can reshape the group slightly. Khalil Shakir will remain the primary slot receiver, with Coleman as the likely starter at X-receiver and Curtis Samuel as a depth player. Even if they bring back one of the two free-agent receivers, there’s an opening for another substantial addition to the group.
At 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, Royals would be an excellent fit for the Z-receiver spot potentially for the long term if he develops well enough. He is Brugler’s 58th-best prospect on his brand new big board, and Brugler’s reasoning for it lines up with skills the Bills would be looking for in that role.
“Thanks in part to his basketball background, Royals has a controlled, fluid stride and natural body coordination to be a weapon before and after the catch (10 catches of 50-plus yards over the last two seasons, No. 1 in the FBS).
His tape showed heavy helpings of screens, hitches and go routes, and he is still learning the nuances of route running, but he already showed improvements during Senior Bowl practices.”
Royals has outstanding straight-line speed and the athletic explosiveness that the Bills lacked at the position last season. Getting a player like Royals, who could challenge a defense at all three levels, could help open up the playbook a bit more for offensive coordinator Joe Brady while maintaining the principles that helped them be one of the most dynamic offensive attacks in the league in 2024.
The pick at No. 62 — Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
Regardless of what happens with soon-to-be free-agent Rasul Douglas, the Bills need to improve their situation at cornerback. Christian Benford is their locked-in top cornerback for the foreseeable future and remains a strong bet to receive a long-term extension with the team. Outside of him, only questions remain. Douglas is a free agent. Kaiir Elam is in the final year of his rookie deal and struggled on the field last season. Ja’Marcus Ingram was more of a depth and special teams asset than close to the starting lineup. The Bills could be in a spot to try and find both a starter and depth. Taking a cornerback with one of their two second-round picks gives them a good chance at finding their long-term starter to pair with Benford.
Morrison seems well-suited for the Bills’ standard operating procedure of zone coverage. At the same time, his athleticism would allow them to play man coverage more comfortably than last year with Douglas in the lineup. He is No. 55 on Brugler’s most recent Top 100:
“Regardless of the coverage, Morrison has terrific foot quickness, body fluidity and technique to mirror early and regain phase late, which allows him make plays on the football without panic. He shows a natural feel in coverage and understands play indicators, although play-strength and durability concerns will follow him to the next level.”
Morrison had season-ending hip surgery in October, which could yield a break on his usual price tag. The Bills likely wouldn’t need to force a second-round cornerback into the starting lineup immediately, anyway, which could yield an opportunity to take a talented player who may need to rehab an injury a bit longer. They could even approach Douglas, or a different veteran, for a one-year pact to get by for some or all of the 2025 season until the young cornerback is ready.
Round 3: No picks
Round 4
The pick at No. 107 – J.J. Pegues, DT, Ole Miss
The Bills definitely need to add a young defensive tackle this year, but because the role they’re trying to fill is the one-technique role, it weakens the motivation to spend one of their Day 2 picks on it. The three-technique position is the one they have invested higher picks into since 2017, and they have both Ed Oliver and 2024 third-round pick DeWayne Carter in place at that position. They’ll eventually need a long-term run-stuffing replacement for starting one-technique DaQuan Jones. But make no mistake, using an early fourth-round pick is a significant investment, and is only 11 picks later than when they took one-technique defensive tackle Harrison Phillips (No. 96) in 2018. That’s where the 6-foot-2, 325-pound Pegues comes into play. He is best known for his run-defending, which is exactly what the Bills should be after with the need.
The pick at No. 130 — Billy Bowman Jr., S, Oklahoma
Even if Damar Hamlin leaves in free agency, the Bills likely have both of their starting safety positions spoken for in 2025 with Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop. Rapp is signed through 2026, and Bishop is signed through 2027, which lessens the draft need even more. Regardless, with Hamlin’s potential exit, the Bills will need an infusion of youth for their depth. When looking for a safety to draft, someone who can supply good special teams ability while developing behind the scenes will likely be their lean. Bowman checks the special teams box, and has the reputation as an instinctive safety, which is the most important thing the Bills look for at the position. He also has 11 interceptions over his last three college seasons.
Round 5
The pick at No. 171 (projected compensatory pick) — Cody Simon, LB Ohio State
The Bills need a better plan at backup middle linebacker than what they had in 2024. That role was mostly taken up by Baylon Spector, who struggled when called upon to start and has had an injury-riddled three years with the team. Spector has one more year remaining on his rookie deal, but if they can find a better potential backup who also offers special teams ability, that should be a strong consideration on Day 3. Plus, it would be wise to have a middle linebacker with a year of experience in the defensive system should the Bills not re-sign Terrel Bernard, a free agent following the 2025 season. Simon would be a potential fit for all of those considerations.
The pick at No. 174 (projected compensatory pick) — Jo’quavious “Woody” Marks, RB, USC
The Bills don’t have a need for an early-round running back with James Cook and Ray Davis, but the positional class is so strong that there will inevitably be a late value the team could tap into in April. Ty Johnson was great for the Bills last year in a third down and two-minute drill role, but he’s due to be an unrestricted free agent on March 12. If Johnson exits, a new pass-catching back that can contribute between the tackles if needed, and that’s just what they’re getting in Marks.
Round 6
The pick at No. 177 — G/T Jack Nelson, Wisconsin
The Bills likely have eight offensive line spots spoken for on the 2025 roster, with the three top backups being guard/center Alec Anderson, center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and tackle Tylan Grable. They kept nine on the active roster last year, but Ryan Van Demark’s roster spot is not secured. The more versatile Grable outplayed him in the summer, and then Van Demark struggled at right tackle late in the year. Van Demark has never kicked inside to guard for a substantial amount of time and might be a left tackle only, which is never a good sign for a roster-bubble offensive lineman. Nelson would have a chance to take Van Demark’s spot, having experience at both tackle and guard and providing more value in multiple spots to round out the group.
The pick at No. 179 — Kurtis Rourke, QB, Indiana
The Bills haven’t drafted a quarterback since taking Jake Fromm in 2020, but Rourke could be a good opportunity for them this year. The listed 6-foot-5, 233-pound Rourke completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 3,042 yards and threw 29 touchdowns to only five interceptions. Rourke underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in January, making the likelihood that he won’t be ready for the start of the 2025 season. It would allow the Bills to select a developmental quarterback while being able to stash him on an injured list, rather than either using a 53-man roster spot on him or subjecting a draft pick to waivers. Backup Mitchell Trubisky and third-string quarterback Mike White are free agents after 2025. On top of the roster logic, Rourke is also a native of Kitchener, Ontario, merely a two-hour ride from Orchard Park.
The pick at No. 206 — James Burnip, P, Alabama
Punter Sam Martin isn’t a free agent, but he’s in the last year of his deal and has a $500,000 roster bonus due a few days after the new league year starts on March 12. If they released Martin ahead of that bonus, they would save $1.4 million on the 2025 salary cap. That’s a cut to be on the lookout for in the next month, but the Bills would likely want a good plan to move on. They signed punter Jake Camarda to a reserve/futures contract, signaling something could happen at punter. But having several sixth-round picks could be the ultimate plan, as they’ve attempted to utilize the savings of a four-year rookie contract for a kicker or punter twice in Beane’s seven drafts.
