Bills’ Brandon Beane may have hit the jackpot with his 2025 NFL draft picks and one simple picture is all the proof
The regular season can’t begin soon enough.
During the 2025 NFL Draft, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane and the front office clearly prioritized the defense through the team’s first four selections. Maxwell Hairston, T.J. Sanders, Landon Jackson, and Deone Walker were all taken with the hope that they’d be able to compete on game days. Specifically for Walker, Jackson, and Sanders, they’d be able to wreak havoc on the defensive line. It seems as though that’s working out incredibly well for the Buffalo Bills. Both Walker and Sanders wound up on the 2025 Preseason Rookie iDL Win Rate, according to Pro Football Focus.
Beane wants to be able to apply pressure up front, and though it’s a small sample size, these two were doing exactly that. Getting after the quarterback and disrupting the running game will go a long way toward success during the regular season. From early returns, it looks like Beane has hit the jackpot.
Walker and Sanders shine in the preseason
Pressure, pressure, and more pressure. The key window that this metric focuses on is whether the pass-rusher is able to beat their block within 2.5 seconds of the snap. An interior defensive lineman can “win” in a few different ways, one of which is by beating his blocker directly by using a pass-rush move to get past the offensive lineman. Another, pushing the pocket, this can come from causing havoc in the running lane or the quarterback’s space by pushing the blocker inward. Or controlling the pocket, which is forcing the quarterback out of his spot to avoid the rush. Sanders and Walker landing in the top 10 is huge.
Sanders has been a bit more consistent throughout the preseason, but Walker has had higher highs, with some lower lows. There’s sure to be ups and downs with both of these rookies heading into the regular season, but they look more than ready for the challenge.
Now that the preseason has ended, let’s take a look at their snap counts and what they were able to contribute to on defense throughout the preseason. Deone Walker was on the field for 68 snaps (27 in rush defense and 41 in pass rush), earning six total pressures (five hurries, one sack), with one batted pass, and four stops. A stop is measured by Pro Football Focus when an offensive gain on first down is kept to less than 40 percent, less than 40 on second down, and any third or fourth down play without a first down or a touchdown. His overall PFF grade for defense came in at 68.9, run defense was 40.1, tackling landed him at 72.4, and his pass rush was a 90.5 throughout three preseason games.
As for Sanders, he was on the field for 60 total snaps (20 in rush defense, 40 in pass rush), earning five total pressures (five hurries, one hit) with two stops. Hurries are described as a disruption that forces an early throw or moves the quarterback from their intended spot. His overall PFF grade for defense was a 62.5, run defense came in at a 48.1, tackling was a 68.7, and his pass rush was a 71.5.
Exactly the type of production Beane and the front office were hoping for. Here’s hoping they can continue to be disruptive during the regular season.
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