Bills bolster defensive line with stud pass rusher in way-too-early 2025 NFL Mock Draft

ESPN's Matt Miller has projected Texas A&M defender Nic Scourton to the Buffalo Bills in his way-too-early 2025 NFL Mock Draft.

Kyle Silagyi | Jul 2, 2024

Purdue Boilermakers linebacker Nic Scourton (5) watches a replay on the scoreboard during the NCAA football game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue Boilermakers won 49-30. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA

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We’ll kick this article off by addressing the proverbial elephant in the room—yes, it is far too early for a 2025 NFL Mock Draft.

Not a single snap of collegiate or professional football has yet been played this season, making everything about a mock draft published at this juncture incredibly premature; we’re not yet aware of ascending or falling prospects, we’re not sure which positions will manifest as areas of need for particular NFL teams, we’re not sure how the draft order is going to shake out, etc. There are countless circumstances that make any mock draft published more than nine months away from the commencement of any draft an exercise in futility.

That said, ‘way-too-early’ mock drafts can be an effective tool in familiarizing a fan with not only premier draft prospects, but with the long-term needs of their preferred team. It’s a fun—and entirely harmless—means through which one can learn additional information about the future of the NFL; besides, there’s nothing wrong with getting (albeit prematurely) excited about your team’s potential future.

ESPN’s Matt Miller recently penned a way-too-early 2025 NFL Mock Draft for the outlet, projecting the Buffalo Bills to bolster their defensive line late in the first round. The analyst has slotted Texas A&M defender Nic Scourton to the team at pick No. 26, projecting the new SEC pass rusher to cement his pedigree with a strong season at College Station.

“The Bills' early top needs for 2025 look a lot like they did in 2024,” Miller wrote. “But after selecting Keon Coleman to pair with Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel at receiver, GM Brandon Beane might opt to address the team's pass rush, Buffalo's other looming issue, next spring. Greg Rousseau is a talented player, but relying on Von Miller after this season isn't a given.

“And Scourton posted 10 sacks at Purdue in 2023 and has the strength at 6-4 and 280 pounds to take over the SEC now that he's at A&M. Turn on his tape against Michigan from last year, when he tallied two sacks, and you can see the impact he brings to a defense.”

Purdue defensive end/edge transfer Nic Scourton (#5) with the sack here. That's 280 pounds moving like that. 10 sacks this year for the Boilermakers pic.twitter.com/KbhdvEEHOJ
— Clint Brewster (@clintbrew247) December 26, 2023

Defensive end is an oft-visited position in Buffalo-centric mock drafts given general manager Brandon Beane’s penchant for investing premium selections into the defensive line; since taking over as the team’s head executive in the 2017 offseason, he’s used six high-value (day one and two) draft picks on defensive linemen. Edge is also a position in which Buffalo doesn’t currently have a ton of long-term stability; both Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa are currently set to see their deals expire after the 2025 season, while veteran Von Miller’s future in Buffalo, as the analyst notes, is cloudy after an offseason contract restructure. It’s possible that Rousseau and Epenesa will ultimately have their deals extended, and 2024 fifth-round pick Javon Solomon could develop into a long-term piece; that said, Buffalo could benefit from added talent and youth at defensive end.

Scourton certainly checks both of those boxes. He put his oft-lauded spin move to good use last season as he notched 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss at Purdue, registering a team-high 42 total quarterback pressures (per PFF) as he earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. He transferred to Texas A&M in the 2024 offseason, giving him a larger platform on which to cement his draft stock entering next year’s frenzy.

The 6-foot-4 pass rusher will be just 20 years of age when the 2025 NFL Draft commences, something that adds a bit of credence to his projection (Beane generally utilizes first-round picks on young, trait-sy players with high ceilings, with three of out of the last four players he’s taken with his first draft pick being 21 or younger at the time of their selection). He’ll have to take another discernible step in his development in order to establish himself as a can’t-miss first-round prospect, but if he’s able to, he’d be a sound pick for Buffalo at the tail-end of next year’s first round.

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