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Round 5, Pick 170
Loading Up On Defense
Could Jordan Hancock be another Christian Benford? The Buffalo Bills are notorious for hitting on a fair number of day 3 picks during the Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott era. Current Bills starter Christian Benford was a 6th-round selection in 2022 and has played at a high level since. While it’s safe to assume most day 3 picks won’t pan out, it’s important to be optimistic and trust the process.
Jordan Hancock won’t see the field much in 2025, focusing on a potential special-teams role to make the 53-man roster. The Bills have seen much turnover in the last 2 off-seasons in their secondary. Christian Benford, Maxwell Hairston, and Taron Johnson are the safe bets to be the starting 3 CBs. They brought back Tre’Davious White, who will play a key role in providing mentorship and depth to the Bills’ young corners. They also brought in Dane Jackson, who has tremendous experience playing in Head Coach Sean McDermott’s defense from 2020-2023 before joining the Carolina Panthers on a one-year deal last offseason.
Hancock’s College Stats
Jordan Hancock played all 4 years with Ohio State and helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship in 2024. The Buckeye played a limited role in 2021 and 2022 before becoming a full-time starter by the end of 2023. Since 2023, Hancock has 3 INTs, 4 FFs, and 12 PBUs, absolutely outstanding work playing all over the field against incredible competition. The following statistics are available via Chad Reuter, NFL Draft Researcher/Analyst with NFL Media since 2011, as linked in Hancocks’ draft profile below.
- 2021: Played in 6 games as a reserve (4 tackles, PBU).
- 2022: Played in 6 games with 1 start (5 tackles). Missed the start of the year due to injury.
- 2023: Led team with 2 INTs (1 returned for a TD). Tied for the team lead with 2 FFs. Played in all 13 games with 7 starts (41 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 PBUs, 2 FFs).
- 2024: Played in all 16 games with 14 starts for the national champions (48 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, INT, 8 PBUs, 2 FFs).
NFL Combine
The Buffalo Bills remain consistent with how they’ve addressed the defense in this draft, selecting guys with sub-par production scores, but they were at the top when it comes to athleticism scores. Hancock ranks an impressive 6th with an athleticism score of 85. It’s worth noting these numbers are from his pro day, as Hancock did not participate in the NFL combine.
Hancock ran a 4.42 40-yard dash, had a broad jump of 10’6″, and 14 reps on the bench press. What’s most remarkable was his vertical jump, which took scouts by storm with a 41.5-inch jump. The Bills are making it known they want athletes that they can develop in-house, and who can blame them? They have a track record of turning day 3 defenders into gems.
Expectations
Hancock is a reliable corner who plays great in man coverage but even better in zone coverage, which is perfect for the Bills. It’s worth mentioning that Buffalo is working on potentially moving Hancock to Safety and filling a role similar to Cam Lewis, who’s in the last year of his contract. If it all works out, then Hancock will be behind Damar Hamlin, another potential free agent next offseason, after the Bills only brought him back on a one-year deal.
The path to playing this season is tough, but very, very plausible in 2026. My rookie season predictions for Hancock are low as they must be for day 3 picks, with that being said, I project him to have 0 INTs, 8 Tackles, 0.5 TFLs, and 2 PBUs. He has the potential to be CB4 or even a starting safety next year with his size and athleticism, but he will be challenged in training camp in a few weeks, where he will be buried down the depth chart.
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