In the draft's sixth round, Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills may have hit the jackpot again.
In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Bills struck gold with Christian Benford in Round 6, and in that same year, they took a first-round corner, similarly to this year. Has Beane done it again? Has he found another diamond in the rough?
Dorian Strong doesn't possess Max Hairston's blazing speed. Like Benford, Strong's unofficial 40-time was 4.5, but when reading various opinions on Strong's game, you will come away impressed. Beane likes football players; he likes smart players, too, and while they often look for traits, you don't always find that readily available in the sixth round.
Strong is a smart player who knows how to diagnose what is happening during any given play, and he has tremendous instincts. On a recent episode of One Bills Live, Greg Cosell said one of Strong's coaches at Virginia Tech called him "the best press man corner he's ever been around".
Strong started 45 games throughout his collegiate career, with 28 career pass breakups. His strengths are man coverage and his instincts. He also excels at reading the receiver's eyes to know when the ball is coming, and is a solid tackler, something that Beane and McDermott covet in their corners.
The similarities between Benford and Strong are eerie. Both have similar 40-times and Relative Athletic scores. Both are sixth-round picks who have been doubted, and Strong has a very good chance of becoming the Bills' starting corner opposite Benford to open the 2025 season.
