Buffalo has struck gold with a sixth-round corner before — have they done it again?
The Buffalo Bills under head coach Sean McDermott have a history of developing quality defensive backs. Whether it’s been early round talents like Tre’Davious White, late-round finds like Christian Benford and Dane Jackson, or other teams’ players like Jordan Poyer, the Bills have found ways to maximize the abilities of those players in their defensive backfield.
Part of the reason that’s worked is because the Bills run a defensive system that, while complicated, calls for players with a very particular set of skills. Skills that make them a nightmare for opposing offenses. While running a zone-heavy scheme, the Bills have fashioned themselves as one of the league’s premier teams with a sound defense that consistently finishes in the league’s top half.
There is a caveat there, however, and it’s that, sometimes, you just need to be able to match up man-to-man and play, especially against the league’s elite. The Bills seem to recognize this issue, as they’ve added more players in the defensive backfield with plus-athleticism who can play better man coverage than some of the player types they’ve added in the past.
In today’s edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss a rookie corner who definitely fits the zone portion of the Bills’ scheme. He’s a sixth-round rookie hoping to show enough versatility to make the final roster come September.
Name: Dorian Strong
Number: 43
Position: CB
Height/Weight: 6’1”, 185 pounds
Age: 23 (24 on 3/14/2026)
Experience/Draft: R; selected by Buffalo in the sixth round (No. 177 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft
College: Virginia Tech
Acquired: Sixth-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Strong’s four-year rookie contract is worth $4,485,356 overall. For the 2025 season, he carries a cap hit of $911,339 if he makes the 53-man roster. If he’s released, Buffalo is on the hook for a dead-cap charge of $285,356, which is the total of the contract’s guaranteed money.
2024 Recap: Strong once again spent a full year starting at corner for the Hokies, and while he didn’t have as strong a season as he did in 2023, he was still plenty productive. He tallied 32 tackles, two interceptions, and six pass breakups. Both of his interceptions came in Virginia Tech’s game at Duke. He sat out the team’s bowl game, and just one year after being named Third-Team All-ACC, he was named Al-ACC Honorable Mention. After earning an invite to the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, he performed well, though not exceptionally so, in the drills where he participated. He ran a 4.5-second forty-yard dash, leapt 36” in the vertical jump and 9’8” in the broad jump, and did 15 reps of the bench press at 225 pounds.
Positional outlook: Strong joins a crowded defensive back room that looks like a group in transition. There are also plenty of players who may play different positions, or even multiple positions, once the season begins. Christian Benford, Daequan Hardy, Ja’Marcus Ingram, Maxwell Hairston, Dane Jackson, Taron Johnson, Tre’Davious White, and Brandon Codrington are the other players Buffalo lists at CB. Te’Cory Couch and Daryl Porter are listed at DB, but they are likely to play corner. Jordan Hancock is listed at DB, but he may move all around. Cam Lewis is listed at DB, but he has primarily played safety for the last few years. Wande Owens is listed at DB, but his build suggests that he’ll be a safety.
2025 Offseason: Strong was present for voluntary offseason workouts.
2025 Season outlook: It’s hard to say what Buffalo’s cornerback room will look like once September comes, but it would be foolish to write off Strong just because of his late-round draft status. He’s very similar to Christian Benford athletically, as they were each clocked in the 4.5-second range in the 40-yard dash, and each had similar bench press numbers (Benford did 17 reps at his pro day) and vertical leap numbers (Benford’s was 35” at his pro day).
That’s not to say that Strong is going to develop into a player as successful as Benford, who has become one of the NFL’s best corners in a short period of time, but it does point to what the Bills see in Strong’s potential. After a very good junior year, Strong likely could have been drafted much earlier had he left school and declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.
However, the Bills hope that his “down year” as a senior translates into good fortune for them. He’ll be in the mix for a roster spot, and if he’s released, the Bills will almost certainly look to keep him on their practice squad if he isn’t claimed by another club on waivers. I’d consider Benford, Hairston, White, and Johnson untouchable, with Strong likely fighting Dane Jackson for a fifth spot.