Bills scouts were 'sweating it' before landing 'undervalued' Ohio State draft pick

The Buffalo Bills were delighted to get a national champion CB at No. 170 overall in the NFL Draft, according to GM Brandon Beane.

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills' scouts were sweating it out as each prospect was taken off the draft board in Round 5, according to general manager Brandon Beane.

The Bills traded up to nab Kentucky defensive tackle Deone Walker near the beginning of Round 4, and the result was that they were forced to wait until the No. 170 overall selection to double dip at cornerback.

With Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston already signed, sealed and delivered as Buffalo first-round pick, Beane and Co. decided to use a late fifth-rounder on Ohio State's Jordan Hancock to the delight of the scouting department contingent present in the draft war room.

"He was one of those ones, we were sweating it, sweating it, sweating it. The pick is in before, we can now pick him," said Beane during an appearance on One Bills Live. "I turn around. Behind me in the draft room is all of our area/national scouts, so I turned around and I saw as much enthusiasm from that as any pick there was because there's a lot of guys in there that are fired up. Again, I can make some cases for some other players, but if you ask my college scouts, that's the guy they would say."

Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jordan Hancock (7) tackles Texas Longhorns wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. (0) after a catch in the second quarter of the Cotton Bowl Classic during the College Football Playoff semifinal game | Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 6-foot Hancock is said to provide good versatility and decent size across multiple spots in the defensive backfield. He did not miss a game in last two years, including playing all 16 for the 2024 CFP national champion Buckeyes.

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Although his coverage skills have been called into question, the Bills likely sees a moldable prospect that can be deployed in the slot, as a nickel or on the outside. There has to be a reason why Bills' scouts were apparently pounding the table for this guy.

"It's also a good chance for them [our scouts] to, at the finish line, give me these scenarios who they're really convicted on. The guy that came up the most [as an] undervalued mid-round pick ... he came up four times, which was more than any player," said Beane, giving a behind-the-scenes pick of the Bills' draft operations.

Although they had to sweat it out, the Bills got one of the most "undervalued" Day 3 picks with a Round 5 compensatory selection. If scouts' excitement proves to be justified, then the Bills got another fifth-round steal.

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