In the latest NFL mock draft, the Buffalo Bills selected Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Derrick Harmon with the 30th overall pick. The Bills are overall in good shape offensively as they enter the 2025 season. They finished last season ranked top-10 in total offense and their 30.9 points per game was second overall. The offseason focus will most likely be on the defensive side of the ball after ranking in the NFL’s bottom half in total defense. Buffalo is in the unfortunate spot of having to face Patrick Mahomes in his prime and must find a way to get past Kansas City. The Chiefs have eliminated Buffalo from the playoffs in three of the last four years.
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Derrick Harmon Grading Out Well At The NFL Draft Combine
Performing well at the NFL Combine is vital for anyone who is a borderline first-round draft pick. Derrick Harmon is doing his part to make sure he makes the cut. Harmon, who stands 6′-5″ and weighs 322 pounds, opened a lot of eyes by running a 4.95-40-yard dash. That time was in the top four among defensive linemen. In the workout part of the combine, he showed well in the wave drill and agility movements.
Harmon enters the draft coming off his best collegiate season, he showed consistent penetration and ability to disrupt offenses. He transferred to Oregon from Ohio State and was a big factor in helping the Ducks get into this year’s NCAA Football Playoff. Harmon is climbing draft boards and some draft pundits have him being selected as high as pick 17 by the Bengals.
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Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott, being defensive-minded, could not have been pleased with how the Bills finished last season. Buffalo allowed 62 total points to Baltimore and Kansas City in the playoffs. They were fortunate to beat the Ravens in the Divisional round. They can use upgrades at all three levels defensively but have four unrestricted free agents along the defensive line. Drafting a player like Harmon fills that void and he can put pressure on the quarterback. That indirectly makes the Buffalo secondary better. Getting pressure in the opponent’s backfield makes life so much easier on a team’s secondary. Show me a team that can cover the pass and I will show a team that can rush the passer and be disruptive in the offensive backfield.
Buffalo plays a 4-3 defense so defensive line play is paramount to their success. A 4-3 relies on the defensive line to generate pressure on the quarterback and we saw how vital that was in the Super Bowl. The Eagles pressured Patrick Mahomes without having to blitz a lot. This afforded Philadelphia to drop seven into coverage. The Bills can attack this by drafting a player like Harmon and through free agency. There are now rumblings of them potentially targeting Cleveland’s Myles Garrett. This makes perfect sense as it was just three years ago they signed Von Miller to a huge deal. At this point, if Buffalo is going to get a Super Bowl, a major off-season focus has to be on how to beat Kansas City.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – Imagn Images
