The cornerbacks who could help the Bills fill a glaring need in the NFL draft
Cornerback is the position where the Bills are the shakiest going into the draft.
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The 2025 NFL Draft is only one month away, and the Bills addressed several significant need areas for the upcoming season. In doing so, they have at least one player they’d feel comfortable starting on most parts of the roster.
However, if there was a position that screamed as their biggest need heading into the draft, boundary cornerback is the clear choice. In the short term, the Bills have fringe starter Dane Jackson slated as their No. 2 cornerback after not re-signing Rasul Douglas and trading Kaiir Elam. Over the long term, the Bills have yet to strike a contract extension with top cornerback Christian Benford, meaning they don’t have any starting options on their books for 2026.
While it doesn’t mean that the cornerback is a lock to be their top selection next month, it would be a relative surprise if they don’t utilize one of their top four selections for the position should the situation remain the same before the draft.
Among those available this year, who fits what the Bills usually look for at cornerback? After watching the prospects this year, these are the ones worth keeping an eye on.
1st Round
Jahdae Barron, TexasWhile Travis Hunter and Will Johnson would both be options, it seems unlikely either would be available to the Bills in the first round, so this list begins with Barron. When you look at his measurables, it doesn’t scream as a great fit for the Bills. At 5-foot-10, he’s a bit shorter than they usually look for. Barron has an arm length of 29.625 inches, well below their usual threshold for investment. However, when you watch his games, his abilities more than justify veering from their usual prototype. Barron can play a little bit of everywhere for a defense, but most notably, he can play boundary cornerback well in the Bills’ zone-heavy defensive scheme. His instincts are excellent, and he can become an impact run defender and tackler on the edge.
Besides his game, the versatility he can provide the Bills in the future is equally impressive. Barron can certainly play nickel as he showed at Texas. Taron Johnson is entrenched as the team’s nickel, but he turns 29 in July, his contract expires in 2028, and they could save quite a bit of cap space to move on in 2027 — which would be his age-31 season. Once Johnson’s time in Buffalo is over, Barron would remain the starting boundary cornerback against heavier formations, and he could seamlessly slide inside to nickel against 11 and 10 personnel. It would be a similar role to how the Ravens have used Marlon Humphrey in the past. Barron’s short-term and long-term roles are an intriguing fit for the team. It’s also important to remember that the Bills were heavily interested in the similarly statured Trent McDuffie in 2022.
Shavon Revel Jr., East Carolina
When you watch Revel’s film, the fit and the talent are clear. At almost 6-foot-2, 194 pounds and a 32.625-inch arm length, along with the varying scheme abilities, ball skills and tackling ability make him a potential top cornerback in Buffalo for years to come. However, there’s a big if when it comes to Revel. He suffered a torn ACL in September, which puts his availability and overall effectiveness for 2025 in question. If the Bills don’t feel great about his medicals, he’s probably closer to the next group of players than the group including Barron and the next name on the list. But if the Bills feel good about his prognosis and they are comfortable with starting Dane Jackson in the interim for 2025 in hoping they stole a great value in the late first round, there’s an easy case for the Bills to take Revel.
Trey Amos, Mississippi
Much like Revel, I was close to putting Amos in the fallback first category. However, the all-around abilities of Amos didn’t have a real hole in a potential fit for the Bills, unlike those in that group. Although Amos doesn’t quite have the protoypical height and arm length combination that Revel provides, his 6-foot, 195-pound frame with a 31.25-inch arm length is pretty close to the Bills’ averages of their boundary cornerback investments over the years. His game is what helps push him into consideration at No. 30. Amos would give them a diverse skill set that can fit well into their zone-heavy scheme, while also giving them the versatility to turn to man coverage when the game plan calls for it. He’s got solid ball skills and is a willing tackler who can hold his own on the edge. He could be an instant starter for the Bills in 2025.
Fallback 1st round picks, trade-down from 30, trade-up from 56 or hope-they-last until then options
Maxwell Hairston, KentuckyHairston blew away the NFL Combine with a 4.28 40-yard dash, and also has great instincts to make a play on the ball. You can see the easy case for him to translate well into a zone-heavy scheme like the one the Bills use, giving them big play potential if those speed and instincts guess right on a play. However, his profile has some holes. Hairston is shorter (5-foot-11), lighter (183 pounds) and has shorter arms (31 inches) than what the Bills usually target. On top of that, that size could prohibit him from being the type of tackler they need on the boundary. Those holes put him just a tier underneath Revel and Amos. However, those aspects have been overlooked by the Bills before in some of their boundary cornerback investments, so he should be firmly on their radar, and could wind up on the tier above if they feel strong enough about his instincts to make a game-altering play.
Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State
Thomas has a ton of potential in a prototypical package (6-foot-1, 197 pounds, 32.375-inch arm length). His movement abilities and fluidity for a player of his stature are impressive, and so is his run-defending potential. You can see what would make him into an intriguing prospect from a Bills perspective. However, there are a couple of holes in his profile, which are the exact opposite of Hairston’s. For one, Thomas’s ball skills are lacking a bit even if he breaks up some passes. In a zone defense that wants their cornerbacks to read the quarterback, anticipate and make a game-changing play, it could take a bit of projection for him to get there. Would he be a better fit for a team that runs man-coverage at a higher rate? It all depends on their team-specific evaluation, which could put him on the same level as those above him on this list. However, there are enough questions to put him just a tier below for now.
Stand pat and pick in Round 2 or trade into 3rd options
Nohl Williams, CaliforniaWilliams is a case where he could be more valuable in the Bills’ scheme than others. Where he may lack in arm length and speed, he makes up for with his instincts. It’s all about his ball skills, specifically in zone coverage. According to Pro Football Focus, Williams allowed a quarterback rating of only 29.6 while in zone coverage, along with picking off four passes. Those playmaking skills put him in consideration for the late second round.
Quincy Riley, Louisville
At 5-foot-10, Riley is a bit shorter than what the Bills typically go for at cornerback, but at 194 pounds, he plays with good strength and has adequate arm length at 31 inches. The most important part is how translatable his skill set is to the Bills given all his experience as a zone corner. He shows a knack for anticipating throws from zone coverage, as evidenced by his 15 career interceptions over the last five college seasons. Riley does, however, turn 24 this month, which caps some of his ceiling on a rookie deal.
Cobee Bryant, Kansas
Bryant does his best work in zone coverage while still holding up with his play strength despite having a leaner build. He doesn’t get knocked back like some other tall, thinner cornerbacks, but he will likely have some problems in run support. Bryant (6 feet, 180 pounds) has adequate arm length (31.25 inches), and much like Williams and Riley, his ball skills and instincts help propel him as a potential fit for the Bills. While the hope is that the team would help him get stronger throughout his rookie contract, the team could view him as a much faster (4.53 40-yard dash), higher-ceiling version of what they had years ago in the thinner Levi Wallace.
Darien Porter, Iowa State
Porter’s fit with the Bills looks great on paper based on his combination of size (almost 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds), arm length (33.125 inches) and speed (4.30 40-yard dash), but there is a pretty clear concern with his game — his play strength. Some thinner cornerbacks hold up well to physical receivers, but Porter showed some bad reps of getting knocked back by block attempts and out of the play entirely. With how much the Bills depend on their cornerbacks to at least have some functionality as a tackler and run defender, that casts some doubt on Porter’s fit. But if they think they can get him stronger to fulfill his potential as a starter, there’s an interesting ball of clay to work with here.
Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
Much like Revel, Morrison is a difficult evaluation because of the unknown. He had two hip surgeries, and there are some concerns with his overall durability. It will really depend on how the Bills’ medical staff feels about Morrison’s overall profile to consider taking him in the first three rounds. However, unlike Revel, Morrison’s arm length (30.375 inches) would be tied for the shortest the team has used a draft pick on, and that previous pick was a seventh-round selection. While Barron has similar concerns, his overall game and how he can impact it in several ways more than makes up for it without the injury concerns. However, Morrison does look like a good fit for a zone-heavy scheme, and if the Bills feel good about the medicals and the lack of arm length, he could easily vault to the top of this tier.
Early 4th round options
Zy Alexander, LSUIf the Bills strike out at cornerback or see value elsewhere through their first three picks, Alexander is the first of a few that could deliver a starting-caliber player in the early fourth round. At 6-foot-1, 187 pounds and a 31-inch arm length, he fits into the usual mold of Bills corners, if just a bit lighter. Alexander is at his best in zone coverage, and his best football could be ahead of him after he made the switch from a smaller school to LSU quite seamlessly. If he can add some strength and ball-hawking to go along with his ability in zone and tackling ability, he could easily outplay his draft slot.
Denzel Burke, Ohio State
Like Alexander, Burke would be at his best as a zone defender who can give the Bills solid reps as a down-the-line starter. Burke is shorter (5-foot-11) but has arm length to make up for it (31.375 inches), and is right around the average investment the Bills have made at cornerback. Unlike Alexander, his tackling and run-defending is a bit more in question. However, there is plenty to like as a potential Day 3 steady depth option that could give some starts if he develops well enough.
Dorian Strong, Virginia Tech
Much like the other two players in this tier, Strong is another zone-based cornerback prospect who could struggle in man coverage. However, for the Bills, it’s less of an issue with the rate they play zone. Strong is 6-foot-1, 185 pounds with a 30.875-inch arm length, and although the arm length is a bit short, they are the same size as Elam. Even if a bit underweight compared to other cornerbacks, Strong plays with good play strength to deal with physicality in both the pass and run game. That, along with his instincts in zone make him an interesting option in the fourth round.