ORCHARD PARK – The Buffalo Bills closed out the fifth round of the NFL Draft by selecting Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant.
The 6-foot-1, 290-pounder isn’t the big, hulking run stuffer that many believed the Bills needed in the middle of the new 3-4 defense, but he is a superb athlete who was a three-year starter for the Nittany Lions.
He was mainly a three-technique which would have made a seemingly better fit in Buffalo’s old defense, so we’ll have to see how Jim Leonhard wants to use him. Right now, he has several players he can use at five-tech/4i such as Ed Oliver, TJ Sanders, Deone Walker and Landon Jackson, so will Durant join that mix, or can the Bills use him in the A-gap as a nose tackle type, which is the position they need to figure out?
His arm measurement of 31 ⅞ inches isn’t great, but his speed and athleticism usually kept him out of trouble in college as he was able to get away from offensive linemen, something that will be more difficult at the NFL level.
However, if he didn’t beat his man with an initial move, his lack of length showed up and he struggled to hold the point of attack in the middle of the line. As for his pass rush, he certainly showed flashes, but he didn’t have much of a repertoire of moves despite his athletic skill set.
He saw action in 54 games, starting 40, and he was credited with 89 tackles including a whopping 22 for lost yardage including 10 sacks.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills continue focus on defense, draft DT Zane Durant in sixth round
Reporting by Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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