WGR

‘At 6’4″ and 300 pounds, Sanders is not the prototypical run stuffing defensive tackle that many Bills fans were hoping for. But he does have the sought after long arms, measuring at 33 5/8 inches.’

‘He is very athletic and he is long, with 33 3/4 inch arms. Those are two attributes the Bills value in their defensive linemen.’

‘”We just scored 30 points in a row for eight straight games. A year ago, I get you guys asking why we didn’t have receivers, but I don’t understand it now. You just saw us lead the league in points, when you add all the postseason[points], no one scored more points than the Buffalo Bills, including the Super Bowl champions. So you just saw us do it without Stefon Diggs, same group. How is this group not better than last year’s group? Our job is to score points and win games. Where do we need to get better, defense? We did that, so I get it. You got to have a show. You got to have something to bitch about. But bitching about wide receiver is one of the dumbest arguments I’ve heard.”‘

‘Hairston played in 32 games for the Wildcats, 20 of which were starts. He totaled six interceptions and returned three of those for touchdowns. Hairston has blazing speed. He ran a 4.28 forty yard dash at the NFL Combine, the fastest time for any cornerback in this year’s draft class. It is also the fastest forty time of any player the Bills have drafted in their history.’

‘Across his college career, totaled 132 career tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 10 sacks along with 13 quarterback hurries, six pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.’

‘Prather finished his collegiate career with 162 catches and 1,966 yards and 12 touchdowns in 48 games. This was split between his time at West Virginia from 2021 to 2022 and Maryland from 2023 to 2024.’

‘Strong played five seasons at Virginia Tech from 2020-24. He tallied 112 career total tackles, two tackles for loss, seven interceptions, and 28 defended passes. In his senior season at Virginia Tech, Strong started 12 games, recorded a career-high 32 tackles, and added six pass breakups along with two interceptions.’

‘Six of Beane’s first seven choices came from the defensive side of the ball, including three cornerbacks, two defensive tackles, and an edge rusher.’

‘Hancock played in 42 games in his four-year career at Ohio State. He tallied 98 total tackles, including four tackles for loss, two and a half sacks, three interceptions, 14 defended passes and four forced fumbles.’

‘The Buffalo Bills decided not to wait until pick 56 to make their first selection of the second round. Instead, they traded with the Chicago bears to move up to pick 41 and select defensive tackle T.J. Sanders out of South Carolina.’

‘Jackson began his career at LSU in 2021 before transferring to Arkansas where he would play the majority of his career from 2022-2024.’

‘“How can you not respect the SEC and their track record?,” general manager Brandon Beane said Friday night after his picks were complete. “A lot of talent. Every year, every draft. A lot of premium players. Not that that’s the only league, but it’s a pretty loaded division.”’

‘Hairston completed his college career as a two-year starter. He played in 32 games and started 20.’

‘Three months later, they selected the player who ran the fastest forty yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine (4.28) and led the SEC with five interceptions in 2023.’

‘”It’s hard because we’re all competitive,” he said. “We all want to be right, but we’re not always right. And as I’ve said, this is a projection business. You’re weighing risk, whatever round it is. Especially when you’re talking about a one and two and things like that. And so, you know, I just want to get it right for the team and for Terry Pegula and that crew. That’s my job. It’s not to pick the players how I rank them. It’s how the consensus, how we feel, making sure I see alignment and making sure we all have the shared vision for this player and how we’re going to use him here in Buffalo.”‘