Bills Make Positive Gains in NFL Draft Value Thanks to Three Late Thursday Trades

The Buffalo Bills held seven selections entering Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. Now, on Friday morning, they have nine.

Once the sun set on Thursday, and the first-round picks began rolling in, Brandon Beane After Dark was activated. The Bills' general manager, who has a reputation for working the phones on draft night, made three trades in less than one hour.

The Bills moved down from No. 26 overall to No. 28 to No. 31, and then into Round 2. Buffalo will make its first selection three picks into Friday's second round at No. 35 overall. We explored the possibility of Beane trading out of the first round earlier this week, and subsequently addressed the topic again in our Draft Rumors Overview.

Although the Bills chose not to add a player on Day 1, Beane's maneuverings, which were not appreciated by On SI writer Randy Gurzi, netted two additional selections. Buffalo is slated to pick nine times over the final six rounds.

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While sacrificing their first-rounder, the Bills recouped the second-round presence that they traded away for wide receiver DJ Moore earlier this offseason, improved 25 slots in Round 3 (91 to 66) and added two fourth-rounders.

When it comes to the renowned Jimmy Johnson draft pick value chart, the Bills made two of the three best gains amongst all trades on Thursday night.

The Round 2 proceedings kick off 7 p.m. ET on Friday, April 24. The Bills are slated to make the third pick of the evening. With only five minutes allotted between selections, Buffalo's turn should be up relatively quickly. The Bills also own the second selection in Round 3 Friday night.

Let me get this right:

Bills started the draft process with picks 26, 60, 91

And those picks became 35, 66, 101, 125 + DJ Moore

(and they still have 126 + 168)
— Chris Trapasso (@ChrisTrapasso) April 24, 2026

Trade 1 (w/ Texans)

The Bills traded their first-round (No. 26) and third-round (No. 91) picks to the Houston Texans in exchange for No. 28 overall, a third-rounder (No. 69) and a fifth-rounder (No. 167). The Texans used the first-rounder on Georgia Tech offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge.

Picks on move — Bills get 28, 69 and 167. Texans get 26 and 91.

Bills' net gain — +94 (equivalent to late Round 3 pick)

Trade 2 (w/ Patriots)

Next, the Bills swapped first-round selections with the AFC East rival New England Patriots, moving down from No. 28 to No. 31 overall and picking up a fourth-rounder (No. 125) in the process. The Patriots used the No. 28 selection on Utah offensive lineman Caleb Lomu.

Picks on move — Bills get 31 and 125. Patriots get 28.

Bills' net gain — -57

Trade 3 (w/ Titans)

Buffalo ended the night by making a 3-for-3 pick swap that with the Tennessee Titans. The Bills sent the next-to-last selection in Round 1 to the Titans in exchange for the third pick in Round 2. In addition to improving its third-round pick by three spots, Buffalo turned a fifth-rounder (No. 165) into the first pick in Round 4 (No. 101). The Titans selected Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk at No. 31 overall.

Picks on move — Bills get 36, 66 and 101. Titans get 31, 69 and 165.

Bills' net gain — +36 (equivalent to early Round 5 pick)

2026 Bills' draft picks (updated)

Round 2 — No. 35 overall (from Titans)

Round 3 — No. 66 overall (from Titans)

Round 4 — No. 101 overall (from Titans)

Round 4 — No. 125 overall (from Patriots)

Round 4 — No. 126 overall

Round 5 — No. 167 overall (from Texans)

Round 5 — No. 168 overall

Round 6 — No. 182 (from Raiders)

Round 7 — No. 220 (from Jets)

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