Bills' Draft Haul Features AFC's Third Likeliest Bust, But Don't Tell Brandon Beane

The Buffalo Bills traded up from Round 3 to Round 2 in order to beat the Day 2 run on cornerbacks at the 2026 NFL Draft.

Jumping up to No. 62 overall, the Bills selected Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun to mixed reviews, including one from Sports Illustrated national writer Matthew Verderame.

Identifying "The Five Most Likely 2026 NFL Draft Busts in the AFC," Verderame placed the Igbinosun pick at No. 3 on the list behind Miami Dolphins' first-round offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor and Cleveland Browns' first-round wide receiver KC Concepcion.

The football scribe suggested that the Bills "might have overdrafted here" — an assessment that's in line with that C grade that On SI's Alex Brasky gave the pick.

Dec 6, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) runs against Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Davison Igbinosun (1) in the first quarter during the 2025 Big Ten championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Position of need

Part of Verderame's reasoning for accusing Beane of making "somewhat of an odd pick" is that cornerback didn't appear to be a major position of need for the Bills who are "set at boundary corner with Christian Benford and last year’s first-round pick, Maxwell Hairston."

Bills' general manager Brandon Beane, however, viewed it differently.

"I honestly, as we started this draft, thought that was the biggest hole in our roster, was corner," said Beane.

After Benford and Hairston, the Bills had little proven experience returning. From CB3 to emergency depth, Buffalo had multiple needs in the secondary, and it addressed one of them by drafting Igbinosun, who made 53 career starts in college.

"You saw the depth of our corners tested last year through injury. You want to make sure as the season goes along, if injury strikes, that you got enough guys, even if they're not starters. This [Igbinosun] is a depth player that will come in and compete," said Beane.

Earlier this week, we explored the possibility of Igbinosun unseating Hairston as CB2 at some point.

Penalty problem?

Due to an aggressive approach, Igbinosun was flagged more frequently than the average player in college.

"The knock on the former Buckeye is his inability to avoid penalties, as he was flagged 30 times throughout his college career," said Verderame.

The Bills, who will undoubtedly help further refine the rookie's technique, were encouraged by the progress shown from 2024 to 2025.

“I would look at it that the guy took it serious, and he was intentional about improving his game. He cut it, I don't know, is it 15 to 4? Is that the number?" said Beane. "If it went from 4 to 15, the other way, we'd probably be a little more concerned."

Add us as a preferred source on Google