Virginia Tech's DBU legacy grows with Buffalo Bills draft pick

Virginia Tech football's ability to find play-making defensive backs has been one of the staples of the program, especially in the good ol days. Chamarri Conner was the latest pick, going to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 NFL Draft, 119th overall. That selection has worked out well as he was part of their Super Bowl team two years ago and helped lead them back to the big game this past season.

This past season, there were comparisons to "DBU" with the talent that the Hokies had in the secondary, and one of those top players was cornerback Dorian Strong. He bypassed the NFL Draft last season in Detroit, instead opting to come back to Blacksburg for the 2024 season. While things didn't go the way the Hokies and their fans had hoped, it was good for Strong, who impressed in his final college season.

Leading into this weekend's draft in Green Bay, Strong was one of a handful of former Virginia Tech players who impressed and moved up some teams' draft boards. Of course, that doesn't mean much in the landscape of the NFL Draft as it took six rounds for Strong to be picked, but he is going to get a huge chance with a perennial Super Bowl contender.

Buffalo Bills get a steal with former Virginia Tech DB Dorian Strong in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft

By coming back for one more season at Virginia Tech, Strong was hoping to raise his draft stock, but he fell to the sixth round and was picked 177th by the Buffalo Bills, giving them secondary help to help quarterback Josh Allen. It's clear that Buffalo has made the defensive side of the ball a priority this draft, and selecting Strong proves that even more after he met with them a couple of weeks ago, leading into the draft.

The question is going to be, how will the Bills use Strong? He is someone whom teams did not attack much, as he was one of the top cover corners in the ACC. Like Conner, he's going to a Super Bowl contender that should drive him even more to be better at the next level.