The biggest addition the Buffalo Bills made in free agency was signing former Los Angeles Chargers sack specialist Joey Bosa to a one-year deal to help bolster the defensive line unit opposite of Gregory Rousseau.
Yet, one recent mock draft sees the Bills aggressively trading up to land a productive edge rushing prospect who could fit their scheme perfectly entering the 2025 NFL season.
Bills Trade Up to Select Donovan Ezeiruaku in Recent Mock Draft
The Bills have certainly made a handful of aggressive moves in an attempt to improve the roster enough to get over the hump in the AFC and advance to their first Super Bowl in over 30 years. One of those moves included signing former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller, who signed a six-year deal worth up to $120 million back in 2022.
Since the Bills have parted ways with Miller this offseason, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic sees Buffalo still wanting to add more pass rushing juice to roster entering the upcoming season — which is why he has the organization trading up in the first round to select Boston College EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku at No. 26 overall.
Buscaglia wrote, “The Lions at No. 28 were likely taking a hard look at an edge rusher, so the Bills sent out one of their many Day 3 selections to the Rams to move ahead and secure Ezeiruaku, a defensive end who suits them perfectly…”
Buscaglia added, “Drafting him takes advantage of an excellent edge rusher class by getting a good value in the late first…”
The Bills trading up to select an edge rusher could be viewed with some skepticism after the signing of Bosa, but the veteran’s durability concerns and one-year deal don’t exactly scream that this is a long-term solution at the edge position opposite of Rousseau.
After generating just 13.5 sacks through his first three years at Boston College, Ezeiruaku exploded for 16.5 sacks in 2024 — which was amongst the leaders in that statistical department in all of college football last season.
Additionally, Ezeiruaku saw his draft stock rise with a solid outing at the NFL Combine, where his explosive traits were on full display with a 35.5 vertical jump, 9’11” broad jump, and 22 bench press reps.
Ezeiruaku’s movement skills are another positive aspect of his prospect profile, which was evident with his times of 6.94 in the 3-cone drill and 4.19 in the 20-yard shuttle.
Ezeiruaku’s knock on his prospect profile is that he is a bit undersized and has struggled against physically imposing offensive lineman who land their initial punch against him in run blocking situations, but his diverse arsenal as a pass-rushing prospect could contribute nicely in a rotational capacity in 2025 with long-term starting upside.
Other Options for the Bills in the 2025 NFL Draft
The Bills have been mocked to Michigan DT Kenneth Grant quite often throughout the early portions of this NFL Draft cycle, which could help Buffalo fortify the interior of the defensive line alongside Ed Oliver and newly acquired Larry Ogunjobi.
Additionally, the Bills’ decision to pass on re-signing Amari Cooper does leave room for Buffalo potentially doubling down on the receiver position for a second straight year to join Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir. Some of the top receiver prospects who could be available at the end of the first round include Emeka Egbuka, Luther Burden III, and Matthew Golden.
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Bills Trade Up for ‘Perfect’ Edge Rushing Fit in Recent Mock Draft