Instant Grade After Bills Draft Clemson Pass Rusher T.J. Parker in Second Round

For the second straight season, the Buffalo Bills drafted a T.J. in Round 2 of the NFL Draft, selecting Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker at No. 35 overall, a year after they picked defensive tackle TJ Sanders.

Parker is the fourth defensive lineman the Bills have taken over the past two drafts, as Buffalo has once again brought in a player expected to help boost the Bills’ pass rush, which finished with just 36 sacks last season, tied for 20th in the NFL. He is coming off a productive collegiate career in which he finished with 21.5 sacks to go with 41.5 tackles for loss.

The 21-year-old earned a Pro Football Focus pass rush grade of 74.5 last season, which was 180th among 852 graded defenders. His 41 total pressures were the 56th most in the country, according to PFF.

Parker is a big, strong, physical edge defender, whom the Bills selected after trading out of the first round on Day 1 of the draft, making it the second time in three seasons the Bills had done so. As a result of their move back on the draft board, the 6-foot-3, 265-pound EDGE is now headed to Buffalo as the team’s first selection of their 2026 draft slate.

Before moving on to their next move, let’s consider a grade for the Bills’ selection of Parker at the start of the second round.

Fills a hole

Clemson Tigers defensive end T.J. Parker (3) reacts after a play during the second quarter against the Southern Methodist Mustangs in the 2024 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Entering the draft, one of the Bills’ most glaring roster holes was the edge rusher position. Although the team brought in prized free agent Bradley Chubb, there was a need for a further boost to help set the team up far into the future. Parker will have a chance to develop into just that for the Bills, as they get set to take the field under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard this season.

In that sense, giving Leonhard a prospect with impressive traits to mold under his vision in his first year as the team’s new DC was a wise direction for Buffalo to take. It was also a pick made at one of the game’s most impactful positions. As we’ve often seen, pass rushers can change a game in the drop of a hat, and some draft evaluators believe Parker will develop into a high-level disruptor as a pro.

However, there were other options available that offered higher upside than what the former Tigers’ defender brings to the table as he makes the leap to the professional level.

Comparing other players

My top target for the Bills before the start of the draft was Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell, who the Cincinnati Bengals selected with the 41st overall pick in the second round. Howell recorded 11.5 sacks in 2025 and a total of 33.5 sacks over his last three collegiate seasons. He has been a pass-rushing machine, who I thought was a great option for the Bills before a few players fell further than expected in the first round.

Having him available and the Bills going for Parker instead sours this pick in my mind. Howell is a quicker defender with more burst, proving as much by running a 4.59-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, which was faster than Parker’s time of 4.68 seconds.

Parker falls much more in line with the prototypical edge defender that the Bills have acquired for years under general manager/president of football operations Brandon Beane: a bigger, more stout player whose strength lies more in setting the edge rather than rushing the passer. Similar to Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa, both of whom are former Beane draft picks.

The Bills needed to improve their run defense this offseason after allowing the fifth-most yards rushing [2,351] in the NFL last season. And Parker will help in that area.

However, when it comes down to its quest to get over the hump and make it to a Super Bowl, it’s much more important that this team build an effective pass rush capable of bringing some of the league’s top quarterbacks to the ground during the postseason. And in my opinion, Howell would have been a better option to provide that type of impact.

Final grade: B-

While I don’t absolutely hate the selection and believe Parker will be able to step in immediately and perform adequately while playing meaningful snaps for the Bills in 2026, I’m just not certain his selection is one we will look back on as a game-changing pick.

Parker is a nice player. But is he a future star? I don’t think so. Whereas, I feel Howell could have been just that.

And where the Bills are in their build, having Josh Allen, a former MVP at quarterback, they needed to take a big swing on big-time talent in this year’s draft. And Parker just doesn’t move the needle for me.

Nevertheless, Buffalo remains with eight more selections, including a third-rounder at pick No. 66, three fourth-round picks [101, 125, 126], two fifth-rounders [167, 168] and a seventh-round pick at No. 220 overall.

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