Bills have glaring NFL Draft need that not enough experts are recognizing

There is one glaring position mock drafts have not discussed that the Bills need to address in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Despite the Buffalo Bills being ranked as a Top 5 team in the latest round of power rankings after free agency, they still have positions of need that should be addressed in the NFL Draft.

Most mock drafts have the Bills targeting a cornerback, a defensive tackle, or a wide receiver in the early rounds. Those positions make sense to go after in the early rounds in search of future starters.

In the late rounds, the Bills may want to take a running back, especially after the latest twist in the James Cook contract negotiations. There is another position, not being talked about, that Buffalo may want to address — punter.

Sam Martin had been the punter over the last three years, and it did not go as well as the Bills were hoping, as his net yards per punt dropped to under 40 yards per punt in 2023 and 2024. Last year, Martin ranked 27th in the NFL in net yards per punt at 39.8.

The struggles on special teams resulted in former special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley being replaced by Chris Tabor, and Martin hitting the free agency market. It opened the door for Buffalo to sign Jake Camarda to a futures contract in January and sign former Bengals punter Brad Robbins.

How much of an upgrade is Camarda and Robbins compared to Martin? Well Robbins had a 40.1 net yards per punt average in 2023, but suffered a quadriceps injury last year that put him on IR before Cincinnati released him, Camarda had a worse net yards per punt average than Martin did in 2024 with the Buccaneers as he had a 36.5 average which would have ranked him near the bottom of the NFL.

Cincinnati Bengals punter Brad Robbins (10). / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The positives with Robbins and Camarda are that they are either 25 or 26 years old, which keeps the position young. Camarda can handle kickoffs if needed.

Buffalo's problem is that the team has one of the worst special teams units in the NFL over the last two years and needs to make significant strides now to get there. They need a difference maker at punter now to help with field positioning, which is where the NFL Draft comes to help with plenty of solid prospects to select.

Top Punter Prospects in NFL Draft

James Burnip, Alabama

Dec 31, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide punter James Burnip (86). / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Burnip is considered by many to be the best overall punt in the NFL Draft. He's got the combination of having a strong leg and being able to pin offenses inside the 20-yard line. Last year with Alabama, Burnip averaged 45.4 yards per punt and has a career average of 43.9 yards per punt.

Jeremy Crawshaw, Florida

Nov 23, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators punter Jeremy Crawshaw (26). / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Crawshaw is another complete punter ranked in the top three in the NFL Draft among punters and considered a late-round selection. Last year, he led the SEC in punt yards with 2,699 and was the conference's leader in yards per punt in 2022 and 2023. Crawshaw never had a season in college where he was below 44 yards per punt, which is the kind of consistency Buffalo needs at the position.

Alex Mastromanno, Florida State

Dec 2, 2023; Charlotte, NC, USA; Florida State Seminoles punter Alex Mastromanno (29). / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Mastromanno was a Consensus All-American in college football last year. He broke an ACC record by averaging 49.3 yards per punt and had 30 punts from 50-plus yards. He has the most significant leg in the NFL Draft, but he will need more coaching in punting after playing soccer in Australia just two years ago, before coming to America to play for Florida State.

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