Buffalo gets their future top pass rusher, fill other crucial roster needs in a Bills 2025 three-round NFL mock draft
The first major step of the pre-draft process has come and gone, with the Senior Bowl happening down in Mobile in the dead week in the NFL schedule between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. With it, plenty of players left their mark.The top sources for NFL Draft information are starting to put out […]
The first major step of the pre-draft process has come and gone, with the Senior Bowl happening down in Mobile in the dead week in the NFL schedule between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. With it, plenty of players left their mark.
The top sources for NFL Draft information are starting to put out their first mock drafts and top-prospect lists (even though us at A to Z have been doing it for months. I digress), meaning the NFL Draft is drawing ever closer.
With three picks in the first two rounds, the top of the draft is going to be important for Brandon Beane to get right. There's time for the picks to change via trade, especially if Beane decides to go after a star pass rusher like Myles Garrett. However, based on where the picks stand right now, it's a good time to put together a Bills three-round mock draft (even though they currently don't have a third-round pick). Let's look at the options.
Pick 30: Princely Umanmielen, EDGE, Ole Miss
The Bills have multiple needs to address in the draft, but I think it's fair to say that landing a high-upside pass rusher is their most important target. That said, Beane needs to draft for talent. Just get good players. It's been widely discussed that Beane's last four first-round picks haven't yet developed into being difference makers. He needs to get one.
If Princely Umanmielen, edge from Ole Miss, is on the board, he's one of the highest upside players that can be found in the last first. At 6'3" 258lbs, he has prototypical size and length, and he's a lethal speed rusher. He's fresh off an 11 sack season, utilizing his incredible first step and rare bend to get to the quarterback. Umanmielen would be a home run pick for Brandon Beane.
Pick 56 (from HOU via MIN): Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida State
The Bills need more players in the secondary. Outside of Christian Benford, and with Rasul Douglas' potential with the team in question, Buffalo is certainly in need of more talent on the back end. The Kaiir Elam experiment is over. When Benford went down in the AFC Championship Game, Elam, a former first-round pick, was thrown into action, and his performance was less than good.
Enter Azareye'h Thomas, one of the top corners in the draft class. At 6'2" 200 lbs, he has length, speed, is great in press-man, and has great ball skills. Thomas has a ton of traits that would make him a contributor right away as the No. 2 corner on the Buffalo roster.
Pick 62: Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon
As an Oregon fan and as someone that covers the team, I am deeply familiar with Tez Johnson. I don't care that he's 156 lbs — he has game changing speed and is the most natural separator in this entire draft class. Bold? You heard me. Also, Johnson cooked the aforementioned Azareye'h Thomas a couple times down in Mobile.
His body control, his intellectual approach to the game, his gritty work ethic and toughness, and his ability to make his own plays and create space for himself is exactly what the Buffalo offense needs. Sure, Buffalo could also look for a perimeter wide receiver with more size, but in Joe Brady's offense, the ability to uncover and create space with speed and technique is more valuable than a jump ball expert down the boundary. Johnson would be a lethal addition to a wide receiver room with Khalil Shakir, and hopefully with Keon Coleman ascending in his second season.
Follow along all year for more Buffalo Bills coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, and make sure to follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.
