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Buffalo Bills predicted to trade up, draft explosive EDGE rusher to learn from Joey Bosa

A recent mock draft has the Bills making a first round trade in order to bolster a patchwork pass rush.

Brian Letscher

Dec 15, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa (97) warms up prior to the game
Dec 15, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa (97) warms up prior to the game / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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Buffalo Bills' general manager Brandon Beane has gone to work on shoring up his team's pass rush, signing home-grown talent Greg Rousseau to a healthy extension and hoping to squeeze some sacks out of ex-Charger Pro Bowler Joey Bosa on a one-year free agent deal.

While Rousseau is a solid talent who may improve and Bosa, if healthy — a huge 'if' — can still make plays, neither one was in the NFL Top 20 in pass-rush-win-rate last season. If the Bills want to make it to the Super Bowl they must add a dynamic force who can pressure the likes of Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes on a consistent basis.

According to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic, that could come in the way of a first-round trade in the upcoming NFL Draft that will move the Bills from their current spot of the 30th pick up to the 26th spot, leapfrogging an NFC rival and allowing the Bills to snag one of the top EDGE rushers in the draft, Boston College product, Donovan Ezeiruaku.

Donovan Ezeiruaku
Nov 30, 2024; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Boston College Eagles defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku (6) reacts after a sack. / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

"The Lions at No. 28 were likely taking a hard look at an edge rusher, so the Bills sent out one of their many Day 3 selections to the Rams to move ahead and secure Ezeiruaku, a defensive end who suits them perfectly...", Buscaglia writes, "Drafting him takes advantage of an excellent edge rusher class by getting a good value in the late first [round],.."

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Ezeiruaku combines 6' 2 1/2", 248 pound size with a 34" reach and explosive test scores, ranking him as the #2 EDGE rusher, physically, in the NFL draft according to Next Gen Stats. Clearly Ezeiruaku put these traits to work, racking up 30 sacks in his career and 16.5 in 2024 alone, making him the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

In what is a deep draft at the EDGE/OLB, the Bills have to opportunity to move up and grab much-needed help at the position. Whether Bosa can produce a significant number of sacks himself remains to be seen but having him tutor a young, explosive pass-rusher like Ezeiruaku may be worth every cent Buffalo is paying him if it means pressure on Patrick Mahomes.

Donovan Ezeiruaku
Feb 27, 2025; Boston College defensive lineman Donovan Ezeiruaku (DL47) participates in drills during the 2025 NFL Combine. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Brian Letscher
BRIAN LETSCHER

A Michigan native, Brian graduated from the University of Michigan in another century, where he earned a degree in economics and a Rose Bowl Championship ring while playing football for the Wolverines under Head Coach Gary Moeller. Brian went on to coach Division 1A football for several years before becoming a full-time writer and actor while maintaining an unhealthy interest in sports. He is currently developing a scripted television series, THOSE WHO STAY, based on a series of historical fiction articles he wrote about Bo Schembechler's Michigan football program as they struggle to unite and win the championship - which requires beating #1 Ohio State - during the tumultuous civil rights and anti-war movements of 1969.

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