Hayden Harris is carrying on a family legacy as one of the newest members of the Buffalo Bills.
Signed last week as a rookie undrafted free agent out of Montana, Harris is hoping to carve out a career as an NFL defensive end.
His inspiration in doing so is his late grandfather, David Mills, who died at the age of 61 in 2001. Harris was just a year old at the time, but he’s heard stories of how Mills was drafted into the NBA by the Syracuse Nationals in 1961.
Buffalo Bills Rookie Minicamp (copy)
Bills rookie edge rusher Hayden Harris played his final two college seasons for Montana. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
“He’s always been an inspiration for me,” Harris said Friday after his first practice with the Bills at rookie minicamp. “He’s a testament to chasing your dreams and going for the top. He instilled that in me.”
Harris played the first four seasons of his college career at UCLA before transferring to Montana. Played sparingly, that is.
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He redshirted in 2019, then did not see any action at all in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He appeared in just three games in 2022, and did not register any statistics. A former high school quarterback, he showed up to the Bruins weighing 210 pounds, but was converted into a 280-pound defensive tackle.
It was an experiment that did not end well.
“It was tough,” Harris said. “I was playing a position that I didn’t necessarily think fit my talents, playing inside. I didn’t think it was the right fit for me, but I committed to four years there and wanted to finish and graduate, so I stuck it out all four years.”
Harris earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA, taking pride in being loyal to the NIL contract he signed.
“That was big for me,” he said. “It worked out for me because I stuck with the process and trusted those around me. I always knew I had the potential in me to reach this level, and Montana was the school that gave me that opportunity.”
Harris considers Montana a second home after spending two seasons there, and not just because of its proximity to Canada, where he has dual citizenship thanks to his mom being from Saskatchewan (Harris was born in Seattle).
It’s also where he established himself as an NFL prospect. In 2024, he was named to the All-Big Sky second team, earned team defensive MVP, the Sims-Miller Award for outstanding defensive lineman and was an academic All-American. He recorded 9.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception and 52 total tackles in his final season collegiate season.
At his pro day, Harris measured 6-foot-5 and 257 pounds – he plans to play at 260 pounds – with 10⅛-inch hands, 32⅛-inch arms and a 78-inch wingspan. He put up 25 reps on the 225-pound bench press and ran a 4.81-second 40-yard dash. His short shuttle speed of 4.51 seconds would have finished in the top six among edge rusher prospects at the NFL scouting combine.
Harris was also invited to attend a Seahawks’ pro day in Seattle for local prospects, but after the draft, the Bills were the first team that called, and he jumped at the opportunity.
Again, loyalty.
Buffalo Bills Rookie Minicamp
Edge rusher Hayden Harris watches a drill during the Bills’ rookie minicamp on Friday. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
“It was just the best place for me,” he said. “They believed in me and gave me the first opportunity that I had, so I jumped on it. I’m very appreciative for the opportunity to be here.”
If things don’t work out in Buffalo, Harris will have another opportunity. He was the No. 11 overall pick of the B.C. Lions in the Canadian Football League draft, which was held just a couple of days after Harris went undrafted in the NFL and agreed to terms with the Bills.
“You were the No. 1 player on our board. We want to win up front, and this is an absolutely awesome thing,” B.C. Lions general manager Ryan Rigmaiden said after Harris was drafted. “We’re excited for you with the NFL, but if that falls through at some point we’re going to be here and we’re going to be happy about it.”
Harris is going to see his NFL dream through first before entertaining professional opportunities in Canada. He had a knack for making big plays at Montana, leading the Big Sky Conference in forced fumbles, and finishing third in the league in sacks and tackles for loss. He had 21.5 tackles for loss in just two seasons at Montana, which ranked No. 28 in program history.
The Bills added one edge rusher in the draft, Arkansas’ Landon Jackson, in the third round. With another fellow Canadian, Michael Hoecht, starting the season on the suspended list, the bottom of the depth chart at edge rusher is fairly wide open.
That means Harris has what any player in his position most craves – an opportunity.
“I couldn’t be more grateful,” he said.
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