ORCHARD PARK – Brandon Beane is at it again.
The Buffalo Bills traded up to the No. 41 overall pick in the second round of the NFL Draft. Buffalo received picks 41, 72 and 240 and sent Nos. 56, 62 and 109 to the Chicago Bears, then selected South Carolina defensive end T.J. Sanders at No. 41.
When it was announced that the Bills were making the trade, it certainly felt like Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku was the player they wanted. He was a first-round projection who slipped into Day 2 and was still available at No. 41, but the Bills made the move for Sanders because defensive tackle is the greater need. Ezeiruaku wound up going to the Cowboys three picks later.
At 305 pounds, Sanders is not the biggest man the Bills could have picked in this draft to plug into the middle. In fact, he’s about 15 pounds lighter than their current starter at one-tech, DaQuan Jones. Just two picks later at No. 43, the 49ers picked Texas’ Alfred Collins who weighs 332 pounds and was thought to be someone the Bills could have picked.
But the Bills clearly preferred Sanders who is a much better athlete than Collins. Sanders had a relative athletic score of 9.3 out of 10 which is obviously elite. He stands 6-foot-3 and he ran a 4.95 in the 40 at his pro day.
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Just 21 years old, Sanders will be expected to not only share time with Jones this year in a rotation, but eventually become the heavy snap starter playing next to Ed Oliver in 2026 and beyond.
The Bills used a top 30 visit on Sanders, and they also met with him at the combine and he really enjoyed the interactions.
“Man, it was all great, it was all love,” he said. “They were telling me things I was good at, things I can improve on. Getting to meet everyone in the building, it was great people everywhere I went. And I was just excited to be up there, get a chance to know some more.”
In describing himself, Sanders said he’s “A guy who plays with a high IQ, adaptable, explosive, twitchy. Can play the run, can rush the passer, I feel like that’s just me. I just feel like I made a good impression when we had our visit. Feel like they liked my film a lot and could use me.”
Sanders definitely played more at the three-tech position in college, but he has the versatility to play both. He will have to work on his run defense which wasn’t always superior in college.
When he was asked about playing with Oliver and learning, Sanders said, “Someone who’s been in the league, been there, done it, so I can definitely get on his wing, teach me the ropes, show me things and know how to be a pro when I first get there.”
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com said of Sanders, “He’s a powerful road block with heavy hands and a strong core. He rarely touches the ground. Despite a lack of knee bend, he usually gives better than he gets and blockers have a hard time keeping him sealed. He punches and locks out quickly with a twitchy shed to tackle a gap over. His rush features average first-step quickness, but sudden hand swipes and play-through power in his lower half open pathways to the pocket. Sanders’ blend of power and pressure should put him on the board for both odd- and even-front defenses as a potential three-down solution.”
This is a breaking story. Check back for more information.
Buffalo Bills 2025 draft picks
- Round 1, No. 30: Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky
- Round 2, No. 41: T.J. Sanders, DT, South Carolina
- Round 3: No. 72 (from Chicago)
- Round 4: No. 132
- Round 5: No. 169 (Compensatory)
- Round 5: No. 170 (from Dallas)
- Round 5: No. 173 (Compensatory)
- Round 6: No. 177 (from New York Giants)
- Round 6: No. 206
- Round 7: No. 240 (from Chicago)
Buffalo Bills first-round picks through history
Where to watch, stream the NFL Draft
The 2025 NFL Draft will be broadcast on ESPN, ABC, NFL Network and ESPN Deportes. If you have an over-the-air antenna that picks up ABC, you can watch the draft without a cable or live streaming subscription.
It can live streamed on ESPN+, NFL+, Hulu+ Live TV, YouTube TV, Sling and Fubo.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at [email protected], and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social. Sign up for his Bills Blast newsletter here: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
