Bills 2025 mock draft: A shift in pass rusher philosophy and picks for future starters

Time is ticking down to the start of NFL free agency, and now, with the NFL Combine wrapped up, were starting to get a better sense for how the Bills could approach all of their roster decisions.

Free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft go hand in hand, and what the Bills do over the next two weeks will have a direct impact on who they select.

Advertisement With that in mind, its time for a brand new, post-combine Bills mock draft.

After the combine wrapped up, The Athletic draft expert Dane Brugler released his newest mock draft , and we looked at the remaining player pool after Bruglers first 29 selections as the starting point for this Bills-only mock.

Heres a pre-free agency look at how the Bills draft could shake out.

Projected Bills picks: Nos.

30, 56, 62, 108, 131, 171*, 175*, 178, 205, 207 *Projected compensatory picks No.

30: James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee With how Bruglers most recent mock draft worked out, it left a couple of really interesting, high-ceiling players on the board at the two major positions of need: edge rusher and wide receiver.

Those players were Pearce and Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III.

I went back and forth between the two but ultimately landed on Pearce.

The primary reason is that, ahead of free agency, my guess is the Bills will add a veteran wide receiver of consequence.

With an already strong young stable of receivers who are signed for the extended future, Pearce has the edge over Burden.

Even though Burden is a strong fit for the Bills in what theyre looking for at receiver this year, taking advantage of the strength of the edge rusher class in getting a player who normally wouldnt be at No.

30 was too good to pass up.

Plus, Greg Rousseaus impending free agent status in 2026 enhances the need.

When it comes to Pearce, at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds and a 32.75-inch arm length, he is not the type of pass rusher the Bills have selected with early picks in the past.

Rousseau and A.J.

Epenesa, their two most prominent swings in the draft at defensive end, had an elite combination of size and arm length.

And while both players have their merits, the prototype has failed to produce the production results.

However, there have been some subtle signs over the years that the Bills eyes are open to veering from that edge rusher prototype.

In signing Von Miller (6-foot-3, 250 pounds, 33.5-inch arm length) in 2022, signing Leonard Floyd in 2023 (6-foot-5, 240 pounds, 33.125-inch arm length) and drafting Javon Solomon in 2024 (6-foot-1, 246 pounds, 33.875-inch arm length).

Miller in 2022 before his torn ACL and Floyd in 2023 were two of their most productive pass rushers under Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane.

Advertisement Though Pearce doesnt bring the prototypical measurements, he does bring elite speed (97th percentile 10-yard split according to Relative Athletic Score) and explosiveness (92nd percentile broad jump), an excellent pass-rushing ability that creates a high ceiling for the NFL, and the college production to accompany it.

In his three seasons at Tennessee, Pearce used a combination of speed and power to generate 19.5 sacks in three seasons, 17.5 of which happened over the last two years.

But its the pass-rushing efficiency that stands out.

Over those three seasons, Pearce had a total of 532 pass-rushing snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

On those snaps, Pearce generated quarterback pressure on 113 of them for a pressure rate of 21.2 percent.

For context, in 2024, Myles Garrett had the top pressure rate amongst NFL players with over 200 pass-rushing snaps at 18.4 percent.

While that figure will likely come down for Pearce against better competition in the NFL, the production and ability show a player with consistent double-digit sack potential something the Bills have been yearning for from a young player for years.

GO DEEPER LB Terrel Bernard agrees to four-year extension with Bills: Source No.

56: Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina The Bills can take advantage of a good cornerback prospect at a discount because they likely wont need him to step in and be an immediate starter in 2025.

The most likely outcome is that the Bills do something at cornerback in free agency, whether to re-sign Rasul Douglas or sign someone else as a one-year starter.

Revel suffered a torn ACL in September, potentially derailing his ability to go through a full football workout for teams in the lead-up to the draft.

The Bills could let Revel rehab the injury at his own pace without rushing him, targeting him to potentially take over as the starter opposite Christian Benford in 2026.

At 6-foot-2 with a 32.625-inch arm length, Revel has the size the Bills look for at cornerback, with borderline first-round ability that can translate to either zone or man coverage.

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62: Jordan Phillips, DT, Maryland The hilarity of the name aside, Phillips fills an immediate need as a run-stuffing, block-occupying one-technique with the ability to be an early-down starter in time.

Phillips would be the primary backup to DaQuan Jones in 2025, potentially setting up for Phillips to be the long-term starter next to Ed Oliver in 2026 and beyond.

The hope in selecting him in the second round is that he would develop some pass-rushing ability over time.

However, even getting an early-down starter on a four-year rookie deal is worth the investment.

No.

108: Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas Although Bond failed to live up to his words of setting the combine record in the 40-yard dash, adding his speed as a deep-field threat at this point of the draft would be an excellent piece to help put the receiver room over the top.

The Bills dont have anyone like Bond on their roster and he has some better route-running chops than you might think.

Its worth an early fourth-round investment to see if that explosiveness can translate into a potential starting player.

At worst, they have a fastball to throw at defenses every once in a while as their fourth or fifth wideout for the next four years.

GO DEEPER NFL free-agency rankings: Which teams and players deliver the best value? TRADE! Bills acquire No.

130 from Saints for Nos.

171 and 175 No.

130: Trevor Etienne, RB, Georgia The Bills successfully dipped into two of the strongest positions in this years class at edge rusher and defensive tackle, and they do so again with a running back.

They have plenty of picks this year and not enough potential open roster spots for all of them, so a move-up like this one is a definite possibility.

The reason for moving up for Etienne is that he has a very specific skill set to complete their running back room as a pass-catching back who also shows ability in pass protection a potential long-term option on third downs.

It would be the Ty Johnson role on a four-year, cost-controlled deal.

This pick is not a direct correlation to James Cooks future with the Bills, but Etienne would be an insurance policy should the team and player not find common ground for an extension.

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131: R.J.

Mickens, S, Clemson Even though they selected Cole Bishop in the second round last year, using a fourth-round pick is not out of the question to secure the services of an instinctive, sound-tackling safety who wins with his mind more than his athleticism.

Mickens is the son of longtime NFL cornerback Ray Mickens, and sons of NFL players are usually a boost to a teams belief in the player and how theyll handle the job once drafted.

Mickens would serve as a special teams piece early on while being the developmental depth, and then by the time 2026 or 2027 rolls around, they can decide if he has progressed enough to potentially take over the job from Taylor Rapp (signed through 2026).

TRADE! Bills acquire No.

156 from Buccaneers for Nos.

178 and 205 No.

156: Cody Simon, LB, Ohio State The team needs an upgrade at backup middle linebacker over Baylon Spector, and a trade up the board to secure a good one is a worthwhile idea.

Having a player like Simon in place as an every-week special teams asset and more trustworthy backup to the recently extended Terrel Bernard, given Bernards injuries, for the next four years should be heavily considered.

And you never know if a player like Simon could also cross-train at outside linebacker down the line once the team moves on from longtime starter Matt Milano.

Dorian Williams, Milanos current backup, is only signed through 2026.

No.

207: Jeremy Crawshaw, P, Florida The Bills released veteran punter Sam Martin in a cost-cutting move that saved nearly $1.9 million on the 2025 salary cap.

The Bills do have Jake Camarda, the Buccaneers 2022 fourth-round pick, on a reserve/futures deal, but the Bills have shown a preference for having a kicker or punter on a long-term, cost-controlled deal.

The situation seems ripe for the next iteration of the #Puntapalooza, with the 2025 NFL Draft seeming like an appropriate time for another pick to the position.

Crawshaw hails from Australia and served as the Gators primary punter from 2021 through 2024.

(Top photo of James Pearce Jr.: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images).

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