Final Reaction to Buffalo Bills' Complete 2026 Draft Class, Including Pick-by-Pick Analysis

After seven trades and 10 selections, the Buffalo Bills’ 2026 draft is complete.

There were highs and lows, some chaos and many roster holes filled by Brandon Beane and company as the Bills matched the number of picks they used during the 2024 NFL Draft.

Over three days of the draft, Buffalo addressed the edge rusher position, cornerback, wide receiver, linebacker, defensive tackle, safety, the offensive line, heck, even a punter. While there is plenty of room to disagree with some of the trades made and players the team selected—more on that later—in terms of addressing needs, the Bills did an excellent job spreading things around appropriately on both sides of the ball.

Let’s go pick-by-pick as we dive deeper into the complete scope of the team’s lot of prospects acquired since Round 1 began on Thursday night.

T.J. Parker, Clemson EDGE: Pick No. 35, Round 2

Parker is a redundant player who was selected when there were better options on the board, particularly Texas A&M's Cashius Howell. The Bills trading down three times, out of the first round, also soured this pick, which was the team’s fifth spent on a defensive lineman over the past two drafts.

Instant grade: B-

Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State CB: Pick No. 62, Round 2

The move to pick Igbinosun was questionable to say the least. The Bills traded up, back into the second round, to take Igbinosun, who was selected when the team had much greater needs at other positions. After hearing Brandon Beane speak after the selection, the former Buckeye may have an opportunity to compete with 2025 first-round pick Maxwell Hairston for a starting job, which would make this selection a bit more palatable.

Instant grade: C

Jude Bowry, Boston College OT: Pick No. 102, Round 4

This was the Bills’ worst pick of the draft. An offensive lineman at a key spot in the team’s draft slate made absolutely no sense. The Bills had used six picks on offensive linemen over the past three drafts, and they could’ve spent this selection much more wisely than they did by selecting Bowry.

Instant grade: D-

Skyler Bell, UConn WR: Pick No. 125, Round 4

Thankfully, the Bills made up for their early draft mishaps with a couple of nice picks in the mid-to-late rounds, including bringing in Bell. This was a great value pick as the speedy wide receiver should bring a lot to the table for the Bills’ wide receiver corps that added DJ Moore via a trade with the Chicago Bears earlier this offseason.

Instant grade: B+

Kaleb Elarms-Orr, TCU LB: Pick No. 126, Round 4

Elarms-Orr was my favorite pick of the Bills’ 10 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft. The team was connected to him throughout the predraft process, and their research and diligence turned into a solid addition at a position that was in dire need of a boost. The TCU product will have a chance to compete for playing time immediately upon arriving in Buffalo.

Instant grade: A+

Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina DB: Pick No. 167, Round 5

Kilgore was the Bills’ steal of the draft. Some had the former Gamecocks defender projected to be drafted much earlier than he actually was, making this a low-risk, high-reward type of selection. Kilgore is a versatile player, but it appears the Bills will have him begin at safety and as a potential special teams contributor.

Instant grade: B

Zane Durant, Penn State DT: Pick No. 181, Round 5

Durant was another questionable decision from the Bills, as he is a highly athletic player, but not the run-stuffer many fans expected the team to target. That’s not to say the Bills should draft based on what fans think, but I believe their expectation that the Bills would bring in a big body on the inside was valid. Instead, Durant is 6-foot-1, 290 pounds and is not regarded for his strength in defending against the run.

Instant grade: C-

Toriano Pride Jr., Missouri CB: Pick No. 220, Round 7

Brandon Beane made a living in the seventh round this year, beginning with the selection of Pride Jr., who is a speed demon with high upside.

Instant grade: B-

Tommy Doman, Florida P: Pick No. 239, Round 7

The Bills also took a dart throw at a punter, as Doman’s selection creates an expected competition with returning starter Mitch Wishnowsky.

Instant grade: B+

Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M OL: Pick No. 241, Round 7

The seventh round was a more appropriate time to target an offensive lineman, rather than going after Bowry in Round 3.

Instant grade: B

Final grade: B

Brandon Beane, general manager of then Buffalo Bills, heads off the field at the end of practice at the Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on July 24, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

At the end of the day, the Bills addressed several needs during the draft, but their inability to knock their first three selections out of the park will wind up coming back to haunt them down the road. They made several quality selections throughout the course of the draft, but most came near the mid-to-late rounds, which has been Beane’s modus operandi since taking over as Buffalo’s general manager.

The Bills are a win-now team and can’t wait a year or two, or perhaps more, for this year’s draft class to make an impact. It has to happen immediately to begin the upcoming campaign, when Buffalo must receive meaningful contributions from a few rookies at key positions or they will be up a creek quickly.

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