ORCHARD PARK — The Buffalo Bills’ defensive overhaul continued Friday with a southeastern flavor.
For the first time since 2018, the Bills used three consecutive draft picks on one side of the ball and took three defensive players in a row to start the draft for the first time since 2016. After taking Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston in the first round, the Bills added a pair of defensive linemen, with all picks coming from the Southeastern Conference.
The Bills traded both of their second-round picks (56 and 62) and their first fourth-round pick (109) to the Chicago Bears in return for the 41st, 72nd and 240 (seventh round) picks. The first pick was used to choose South Carolina defensive tackle T.J. Sanders and then Arkansas defensive end Landon Jackson in the third round.
The Bills have now added five new defensive linemen and nine defensive players overall during the offseason. The Bills now have seven picks remaining, starting with the 132nd pick in the fourth round Saturday.
“You have to have a quarterback and then after that it starts up front,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said. “… I haven’t found anything that’s changed my mind from that. We’ve got to protect Josh Allen and we’ve got to stop the run and get after the opposing quarterback.”
Sanders isn’t the wide body many were hoping for and he doesn’t appear to be the play many analysts thought either. The Bills anticipate using Sanders as an inside rusher or a 3-technique rather than the 1-technique (between the center and guard) that seemed to be the major need for the defensive line.
Sanders is listed at 6-foot-4, 297 pounds, but said he’s been training at 305 and feels most comfortable between 300 and 310. Sanders played 1-tech and 3-technique (between the guard and tackle) and an even split at South Carolina.
But the Bills now have a logjam at 3-technique (between the center and guard).
That’s Ed Oliver’s position, plus they added veteran Larry Ogunjobi in free agency and they drafted DeWayne Carter in the third round last season. Recently-signed defensive end Michael Hoecht can also play 3-technique on passing downs.
Teams frequently play two 3-techniques on passing downs, but the 1-technique is used on early downs. Beane thought Sanders was the best player left on the board and didn’t think he would make it to them at 56, which turned out to be the right call because a defensive lineman was selected with three of the next four picks.
And Beane feels it’s harder to find an inside rusher than it is to find a nose tackle.
“It’s harder to find inside rush than a two-down nose,” Beane said. “… You can go into the agency now and find those guys. If you go down the pecking order of what D-tackles make, those guys at the top, they know how to rush.”
Beane doesn’t seem keen on adding a 1-technique despite only having one on the roster. He believes Carter has the versatility to serve as the primary backup for 33-year-old DaQuan Jones at the position.
Ogunjobi has experience as a 1-tech, as does Sanders. Despite being undersized for the position, Sanders offset an average first step by using a powerful base and quick hands, allowing him to clog running lanes or occupy two gaps to free up teammates to make plays.
For the Gamecocks, Sanders notched 18 tackles for a loss. 9 ½ sacks and has a high ceiling after not playing football until his junior year of high school.
“I actually enjoy getting more TFLs than sacks,” Sanders said. “When I first started playing, getting a guy as soon as he grabbed the ball and started running. He thought he got a gap and I’m just shutting it down immediately. That brings me the same type of exhilaration.”
Jackson has seemed destined for the Bills since the NFL scouting combine, where he met formally with the coaching staff. He also went out to dinner with Buffalo coaches after his pro day and was one of the team’s 30 allotted pre-draft visits (along with Sanders).
If that’s not enough, Jackson’s body type one the Bills seek frequently with defensive ends. At 6-foot-6 and 264 pounds, Jackson is now the third defensive end on the roster over 6-6 and the fourth over 6-5. Four of the five defensive ends drafted by Beane have been at least 6-6.
Jackson added to his large frame by running 4.68 seconds in the 40-yard dash, posting a 40 ½-inch vertical leap and 10-foot, 9-inch broad jump at the combine. His production didn’t always match as a rusher with 16 sacks in the last three seasons, but he did have 28 tackles for a loss.
“I’ve always been very physically gifted but not the most talented,” Jackson said. “And what’s always made me a step ahead of everybody was my motor and the way I play with relentless effort. I love playing the game of football and that’s what’s gotten me to this point.”