The Buffalo Bills must feel like they are stuck in a Groundhog’s Day type timeloop where they keep facing the same questions every offseason. How do we improve the roster? How do we beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs? How can we finally win our first Super Bowl title in franchise history?
To be fair, the Bills feel much closer than most teams in the NFL to achieving this goal, but have a few opportunities to tweak this roster to elevate them from a perennial playoff team to a Super Bowl contender.
One big opportunity for them to help achieve this goal is through the 2025 NFL Draft, where one ESPN Analyst has them landing a big defensive prospect to help anchor the interior of the defensive line.
Bills Beef Up Defense with Michigan DT Kenneth Grant in Latest ESPN Mock Draft
When you look at the Buffalo roster, you quickly realize this squad has many of the necessary pieces required to make a legitimate push for the Lombardi Trophy. Yet, one area ESPN Analyst Field Yates identified as a potential place for improvement is within the interior defensive line – which is why he had them selecting Michigan DT Kenneth Grant in his most recent mock draft.
Yates said during a broadcast of NFL Mock Draft 3.0, “The Bills take Kenneth Grant, defensive tackle out of Michigan – who could go quite a bit higher than this – but this team needs to have a guy that can really fortify their run defense in got to have it situations.”
The Bills defensive unit up front wasn’t atrocious by any figment of the imagination, but the unit wasn’t exactly dominant either.
Ed Oliver and Gregory Rousseau felt like the consistent standout performers of this unit with the team getting pass-rushing contributions from A.J. Espensa and Von Miller too.
Yet, once you get past Oliver… it can be a bit difficult to pinpoint a long-term answer along the interior of the defensive line. DaQuan Jones will turn 34 years old later this year while Quinton Jefferson and Austin Johnson combined for just 1.5 sacks this season.
Oliver is best suited as a three-technique with his explosive athleticism and lateral agility, but this unit could certainly still find a consistent role for a 0 or 1-tech specialist to help anchor against opposing rushing attacks.
This is where the selection of Grant makes a ton of schematic sense for the Bills. Grant possesses surprising athleticism for a 6’3’’, 342-pound prospect – who recorded three sacks and seven tackles for a loss last year while operating alongside Mason Graham.
The Bills rushing defense gave up an average of 117.7 yards per game last year – which was the 13th-lowest mark in the league. Again, not atrocious, but not exactly elite either.
Bills Enter This Offseason Thin at Defensive Tackle
Buffalo has three interior defensive lineman who are set to be free agents this offseason – Austin Johnson, Quinton Jefferson, and Jordan Phillips. All three players arrre above the age of 30.
If the Bills are seeking an impact player who can be a long-term starting solution alongside Oliver in the interior of the defense – then Grant is certainly a viable option for Buffalo when they are on the clock when the 2025 NFL Draft rolls around.
