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The Buffalo Bills’ 2025 rookie class once again landed near the bottom of NFL.com’s final rankings.
Buffalo finished 31st out of 32 teams in the site’s final rookie report cards, one spot worse than last year’s No. 30 ranking.
Not everyone agreed.
The Bills were 15th in ESPN’s evaluation and 14th in CBS Sports’ hierarchy.
Buffalo had three picks in the top 75 — Maxwell Hairston, T.J. Sanders and Landon Jackson — and they combined to appear in 26 of a possible 51 games, totaling 34 tackles, two interceptions and one sack.
The Bills' most impactful rookies were fourth-round defensive tackle Deone Walker and fifth-round tight end Jackson Hawes.
Walker led Buffalo defensive tackles in snaps. Hawes played 185 more snaps than starting tight end Dalton Kincaid, serving as an immediate contributor in heavy personnel packages. Hawes was Pro Football Focus' second-highest graded rookie tight end in 2025.
Here's how Buffalo's 2025 draft class was graded.
The Bills ranked next to last in NFL.com's rookie report cards, citing limited impact from the top of the class. Hairston’s injury was central to the analysis.
“They didn’t get much from their selections in Rounds 1-3,” the evaluation said.
NFL.com acknowledged Hawes was an instant contributor.
Last year, NFL.com put the Bills' 2024 class at 30th, saying wide receiver Keon Coleman "struggled to find a connection with Josh Allen" and labeling the rest of the class "pretty unremarkable."
ESPN was more optimistic, slotting Buffalo 15th in its end-of-season ranking of the NFL’s rookie classes, which evaluated total contributions and future outlook.
Walker led the class in overall value in ESPN’s model. The fourth-round pick carved out a rotational role up front and was disruptive, finishing with 39 tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and four passes defended.
Cornerback Maxwell Hairston’s injury factored into the ranking. The first-round pick missed the first six games of the season with a knee injury.
ESPN noted that while Buffalo didn’t receive major contributions from its early selections, it found depth in tight end Hawes and cornerback Dorian Strong (sixth round).
CBS Sports landed closer to ESPN’s assessment.
The Bills were 14th and received a B grade, with CBS sharing the sentiment that Walker and Hawes were steals set to make bigger impacts in 2026.
CBS noted Buffalo's grade would've been higher had Hairston been healthy throughout the year.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills 2025 rookie class graded next to last in NFL
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Buffalo finished 31st out of 32 teams in the site’s final rookie report cards, one spot worse than last year’s No. 30 ranking.
Not everyone agreed.
The Bills were 15th in ESPN’s evaluation and 14th in CBS Sports’ hierarchy.
Buffalo had three picks in the top 75 — Maxwell Hairston, T.J. Sanders and Landon Jackson — and they combined to appear in 26 of a possible 51 games, totaling 34 tackles, two interceptions and one sack.
The Bills' most impactful rookies were fourth-round defensive tackle Deone Walker and fifth-round tight end Jackson Hawes.
Walker led Buffalo defensive tackles in snaps. Hawes played 185 more snaps than starting tight end Dalton Kincaid, serving as an immediate contributor in heavy personnel packages. Hawes was Pro Football Focus' second-highest graded rookie tight end in 2025.
Here's how Buffalo's 2025 draft class was graded.
NFL.com ranks Bills 31st
The Bills ranked next to last in NFL.com's rookie report cards, citing limited impact from the top of the class. Hairston’s injury was central to the analysis.
“They didn’t get much from their selections in Rounds 1-3,” the evaluation said.
NFL.com acknowledged Hawes was an instant contributor.
Last year, NFL.com put the Bills' 2024 class at 30th, saying wide receiver Keon Coleman "struggled to find a connection with Josh Allen" and labeling the rest of the class "pretty unremarkable."
ESPN ranks Bills No. 15 in rookie production
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ESPN was more optimistic, slotting Buffalo 15th in its end-of-season ranking of the NFL’s rookie classes, which evaluated total contributions and future outlook.
Walker led the class in overall value in ESPN’s model. The fourth-round pick carved out a rotational role up front and was disruptive, finishing with 39 tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and four passes defended.
Cornerback Maxwell Hairston’s injury factored into the ranking. The first-round pick missed the first six games of the season with a knee injury.
ESPN noted that while Buffalo didn’t receive major contributions from its early selections, it found depth in tight end Hawes and cornerback Dorian Strong (sixth round).
CBS Sports gives Bills a B
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CBS Sports landed closer to ESPN’s assessment.
The Bills were 14th and received a B grade, with CBS sharing the sentiment that Walker and Hawes were steals set to make bigger impacts in 2026.
CBS noted Buffalo's grade would've been higher had Hairston been healthy throughout the year.
Buffalo Bills 2025 rookie class stats
- Maxwell Hairston, CB, Round 1, No. 30 overall: 11 games; 3 starts; 18 tackles; 2 interceptions; 5 passes defended
- T.J. Sanders, DT, Round 2, No. 41 overall: 12 games; 2 starts; 16 tackles; 1 sack; 1 pass defended
- Landon Jackson, DE, Round 3, No. 72 overall: 3 games; 30 defensive snaps; 13 special team snaps
- Deone Walker, DT, Round 4, No. 109 overall: 17 games; 16 starts; 39 tackles; 1 sack; 1 fumble recovery; 4 passes defended
- Jordan Hancock, DB, Round 5, 170 overall: 13 games; 0 starts; 22 tackles
- Jackson Hawes, TE, Round 5, 173 overall: 17 games; 8 starts; 16 receptions; 187 receiving yards; 3 touchdowns
- Dorian Strong, CB, Round 6, 177 overall: 4 games; 1 start; 10 tackles
- Chase Lundt, OT, Round 6, 206 overall: 2 games; 0 starts
- Kaden Prather, WR, Round 7, 240 overall: 0 games; waived with injury designation
- Keleki Latu, TE, undrafted free agent: 5 games; 4 receptions; 35 receiving yards
- Keonta Jenkins, LB, undrafted free agent: 3 games; 0 starts; 9 tackles
- Jimmy Ciarlo, LB, undrafted free agent: 1 game; 0 starts
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills 2025 rookie class graded next to last in NFL
Continue reading...
