Bills Predicted to Draft Another Promising CB Prospect Despite Troubled Pro Day

The Buffalo Bills have a few holes to fill on defense following the first month of NFL free agency.

While Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane added a versatile slot cornerback and two veteran safeties to the defensive backfield, he has yet to directly address the third cornerback slot that Tre'Davious White occupied in 2025.

An astute observer, FOX Sports' Nick Wright suggested the Bills need help at the position, even to the point of double-dipping with cornerbacks in the first round in back-to-back years at the NFL Draft. Wright has Clemson CB Avieon Terrell heading to Buffalo at No. 26 overall.

"The Bills have been trying to get corner correct in the draft for a couple of years," said Wright. "I know they just drafted Maxwell Hairston. They take another shot at it with Terrell out of Clemson."

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Clemson Tigers cornerback Avieon Terrell (8) celebrates after stopping a fake punt attempt by Troy Trojans Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025 during the NCAA football game at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

We wrote about Terrell previously while also noting depth still is a concern for Buffalo after free agency.

"Whether it's being the extra defensive back in a dime formation, or serving as the understudy to Benford and Hairston, the Bills need to identify a reliable second-string cornerback over the next couple of months."

Would Bills draft first-round CB two years in a row?

In 2021, Beane used his Round 1 and 2 picks to select defensive ends Greg Rousseau and Boogie Basham, but it's been over 30 years since Buffalo dedicated first-rounders to the same position in consecutive drafts.

The last time the Bills drafted the same position in back-to-back years was in 1993-94, when, incidentally, they drafted two cornerbacks — North Carolina's Thomas Smith first, then Notre Dame's Jeff Burris. Neither player had especially notable careers, but maybe they needed a more aggressive defensive coordinator, like Jim Leonhard.

The first-year Bills' defensive coordinator certainly could use some help, even as Hairston develops (he missed a good chunk of time last season with injuries), but Leonhard ran a lot of nickel packages while at the University of Wisconsin, and having three capable cornerbacks is a prerequisite in today's pass-happy NFL (we noted CB Christian Benford as a benefactor of Leonhard's hiring in February).

Wisconsin head coach Jim Leonhard, center, is shown during the first quarter of their game Saturday, November 26, 2022 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. | Mark Hoffman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Terrell's Pro Day cause for pause?

While projected as a first-round talent, the Bills could opt to shy away from Terrell following his below average Pro Day numbers, which include a 4.64-second 40 time.

Terrell's subpar Relative Athletic Score (RAS) will likely hurt his draft stock as "he scored a 4.94 RAS out of a possible 10.00." That mark ranks 1554 out of 3069 cornerback prospects tracked from 1987 to 2026."