Instant Grade for Bills After Drafting Penn State Defensive Tackle Zane Durant in Round 5

Good things can’t last forever, and that belief was proven true after the Buffalo Bills’ final fifth-round pick, which the team used on Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant at selection No. 181.

After a string of what I felt were strong picks by the Bills on Day 3, the undersized Durant doesn’t exactly fit what the Bills needed in a space-eating defensive tackle, which the team has been lacking over the past many years. Buffalo drafted two defensive tackles over the first four rounds of the 2025 draft, with Durant’s projection similar to that of former second-round pick TJ Sanders.

Durant measures 6-foot-1, 290 pounds, even slighter than Sanders’ 6-foot-4, 295-pound frame. Buffalo is also equipped with ’25 fourth-round pick Deone Walker, who stands 6-foot-7, 331 pounds, but he also is not the run-stuffing talent the team appeared to desperately need entering the draft.

The former Nittany Lions defender is the fifth pick the Bills have used on the defensive side of the ball during the 2026 draft. In one sense, I understand what the Bills are trying to do, drafting Durant’s traits, which point to a supremely athletic profile. His athleticism score of 92 ranked second among all defensive tackles at the NFL Scouting Combine, according to Next Gen Stats.

However, Buffalo finished last season as the fifth-worst team in the NFL when defending against the run, and Durant’s addition doesn’t take a step toward solving the team’s woes in that area defensively.

Diving into the stats

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive tackle Zane Durant (28) against the Boise State Broncos during the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Durant was harshly graded by Pro Football Focus for his run defense a season ago, earning a 61 run-defense grade, which was ranked 675th of 887 players graded at his position. His pass rush grade [64] wasn’t exactly top-tier either, as he was near the middle of the pack.

The 21-year-old recorded modest sack production throughout his collegiate career, finishing with 10 sacks, including four in his final year at Penn State. His career high in tackles for loss came in 2024, when he recorded 11. In four years of college football, he never forced a single fumble.

Final grade: C-

At the end of the day, Durant was basically a sixth-round pick. Thus, I’m not going to get all bent out of shape. Still, this doesn’t appear to be a player who has even a sliver of a chance to help the Bills anytime soon.

The chances of finding an immediate contributor in the fifth round are low. However, I think Buffalo could have done much better than Durant, who doesn’t fit with what the team needed at the position for which he was drafted.

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