2026 NFL Draft: What pick Zane Durant wants to bring to Bills defense

"I'm a three-tech at heart, but I played all around in college," Durant said. "I'm ready for whatever."

Durant does have short arms (31 ⅞ inches), which he overcame in college with quickness and strong hands, though linemen can move him out of the way in short-yardage and goal-line situations. For his part, he believes that his explosiveness will fit in the rotation alongside Oliver and Walker.

"I'm fast off the ball, and I'm explosive, I'm strong at the point of attack," Durant explained. "So, (I'm) trying to get that down with how they play ball up there and learn as much as I can."

At Lake Nona High School, he moved from linebacker to defensive end in his freshman year, and even played on the offensive side as well in his senior season, scoring five touchdowns. While in high school, he set records for sacks (24.5) and tackles for loss (57). He also brings leadership as a team captain for Penn State in 2025.

"(I) lead by example. I don't ask nobody to do nothing that I don't do myself."

His new head coach has a vision for Durant and his fit on the line as well.

“When you look at our defensive line right now, there has been a lot of investment in draft capital in the last couple of years,” Buffalo HC Joe Brady said. “Then you get here this year, we were able to get Zane. There is a lot of youth in there, and you can never have enough D-linemen. You look at the waves that teams are going against, speaking from a guy calling plays, it’s always good when you see the second line coming in. I think the best teams you go against, there is not a huge dropoff when the second line is coming in. So I think that’s important that we’re always continuing to have the competition, but also making sure that we’re deep in those rooms.”

This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: What pick Zane Durant wants to bring to Bills defense