In his lone interaction with reporters since being hired as the Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator, Jim Leonhard made it clear what he feels is the key to a strong defense.
“The No. 1 way to control the tempo of a game is stopping the run,” Leonhard said. “To force them into situations where you’re in an advantageous position as a defense, so I’m a firm believer in stopping the run to make teams predictable, make them be more one dimensional and that allows you to really force them to react to you. That’s where it’s always going to start.”
With that in mind, assuming he’s available at No. 26 in the first round, should the Bills pick the man who many consider the best run-stopping defensive tackle in the upcoming NFL Draft, Ohio State behemoth Kayden McDonald?
In his latest mock draft released last week, NFL.com analyst Chad Reuter had the Bills landing on wide receiver KC Concepcion, but he told me at the NFL scouting combine, “I love Kayden McDonald, I do, so if they picked him, I’d be like 100% on value.”
Peter Schrager, who now works for ESPN and who annually puts together one of the most accurate mocks, matched the Bills with McDonald, saying, “This might be the highest you’ll see McDonald going in a mock draft at the moment, but I’m hearing significant first-round buzz on him. A massive run defender, McDonald would be a good fit in Buffalo.”
Leonhard must have been shaking his head reviewing the tape of Buffalo’s 2025 defense, one that ranked 28th against the run with an average yield of 136.2 yards per game, and was also 30th in yards per rush (5.1), 31st in runs of 10 yards or more (65), and dead last in rushing yards per play allowed after first contact (3.93).
The Bills have to make notable improvement against the run, but as they switch to an odd-man front they do so without a true nose tackle-type player currently on the roster, but even more telling without a defensive tackle who can be considered a run-stuffing, block-eating component.
Regulars in last year’s rotation like DaQuan Jones, Larry Ogunjobi and Jordan Phillips are in the wind seeking a new opportunity in free agency, while holdovers like Ed Oliver, TJ Sanders, and Deone Walker don’t really fill the run-plugging role. DeWayne Carter, Phidarian Mathis and Zion Logue will compete, but none of them feel like answers, at least not in the way McDonald could be.
The 6-foot-2, 326-pounder played nose for the Buckeyes, learning under respected defensive coordinator Matt Patricia who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots. Ohio State linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles may both be picked inside the top 10, perhaps even the top 5, and part of the reason for their success had to do with McDonald devouring the middle of the line to free them up to make plays.
“I’m that type of guy – I welcome double teams,” McDonald said at the combine. “I command double teams and I’m going to free up the linebackers and whatever team decides to get me, that’s what you’re going to get. I would think there is a high need for a nose tackle. On early downs I can stop the run, on third downs I can push the pocket. I’m a complete player.”
Well, not so fast because there is some debate on his pass rush skills. He did not show great production in that area in his lone season as a starter in 2025 with just three sacks and 10 pressures on 180 pass rush snaps according to Pro Football Focus charting.
Of course, he didn’t get much of a chance, which is another thing to consider. McDonald played only 342 snaps in 14 games last year and for his limited three-year career he played just 564 so he will enter the NFL as an extremely raw 21-year-old.
In making his case for the Bills taking a receiver in the first round, Reuter made the point that they could address defensive tackle later and if they don’t make a move on the board and wait until No. 91 in the third round, players like Iowa State’s Domonique Orange, Texas A&M’s Tyler Onyedim and Texas Tech’s Lee Hunter could be available.
“You can find a guy in round three to hold the line of scrimmage,” Reuter said, specifically mentioning 327-pound Tim Keenan as someone he likes, a three-year starter at Alabama who is projected to be a fourth- or fifth-round pick.
McDonald has a tie to the Bills. Defensive back Jordan Hancock, Buffalo’s fifth-round pick in 2025, was his teammate at Ohio State and they won the 2024 national championship together, but the two go back much farther as they grew up together in Georgia.
“When we were in like middle school, we won an AAU basketball tournament with each other,” McDonald said. “He lived a block away from me so he could walk to my house. His family, I love his family. We just got a really tight bond. I got a lot of respect for him and his family.”
Before the combine McDonald said, “I’ve talked to Jordan. Been knowing him since we were kids. He just told me to put my best foot forward, try to control what I can control and that’s for the Bills to decide if they want me to play with Jordan.”
What analysts are saying about Kayden McDonald
Dane Brugler, The Athletic: “McDonald will require time to develop a pass rush identity, but his dominant run game qualities will make him immediately useful from different interior alignments. He projects as an early-down rookie, with a role that should continue to expand.”
Danny Kelly, The Ringer: “Massive defender who functions like a black hole on the defensive line; there’s no escape for light, radiation, or running backs once they get close enough. McDonald is more of a run-stuffing specialist right now, and his lack of pass rush production could cause him to drop a bit. There are times when he gets stuck on blocks, fails to disengage, and doesn’t react quickly enough to make a stop. He occasionally pops up too upright, loses his leverage, and gets pushed back.”
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: Could the Bills draft a run-stuffing anchor in the first round?
Reporting by Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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