Legendary Bills Player Featured on Epic SI Cover Will Announce Buffalo's Draft Pick

A former Defensive Rookie of the Year will be at the draft in Pittsburgh to represent the Bills.

Los Angeles Raiders quarterback Jay Schroeder (13) has his face mask pulled by Buffalo Bills linebacker Darryl Talley (56) and Carlton Bailey (54) at the Coliseum. | RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Each year, former players, fans and celebrities take the stage during the NFL Draft to announce teams’ various selections.

This year, the Bills will have a former first-round pick doing the honors, as the team’s top selection of the 1987 draft, Shane Conlan, will be in Pittsburgh ready to reveal one of Buffalo’s picks. It’s unclear which of the team’s seven selections will be unveiled by the former NFL linebacker, but the Western New York Native will get his time in the spotlight three decades after his career concluded.

Big star

Shane Conlan and his teammates nearly rip the head off Oakland Raiders quarterback Jay Schroeder in a classic Sports Illustrated cover photo. | Sports Illustrated

If Conlan’s name doesn’t ring a bell for younger Bills fans, it should. He was a three-time Pro Bowler for the Bills in the late 1980s/early 1990s and also earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors from the Associated Press after recording 114 tackles during his first professional season. 

He was a member of the Bills’ 1991 and 1992 Super Bowl teams and was featured on a past Sports Illustrated cover, where he and a couple of his teammates delivered a brutal hit to Oakland Raiders quarterback Jay Schroeder.

Conlan will join a list of big names to have previously announced Bills draft picks, including Hall of Famers Bruce Smith and Andre Reed, along with fan favorite Fred Jackson.

Potential targets

UCF defensive end Malachi Lawrence (51) tackles ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) as he scrambles during a game at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Nov. 9, 2024. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While it's unclear which pick Conlan will reveal, it won’t be the Bills’ first-rounder, as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces all first-round picks.

Buffalo’s draft slate kicks off at No. 26 in Round 1, and while they don’t have a second-round selection after trading for wide receiver DJ Moore, the Bills have six remaining selections in Rounds 3 through 7, where they have been linked to several different prospects across different positions.

The team has various roster holes to fill, with the most glaring being linebacker, cornerback, edge rusher and wide receiver.

If they go after a linebacker, a good fit for the Bills would be Cincinnati’s Jake Golday on Day 2. Golday is a strong run defender who would immediately bolster one of Buffalo’s weaknesses defensively.

Cincinnati Bearcats linebacker Jake Golday (11) attempts to tackle UCF Knights quarterback Cam Fancher (14) in the second half at Nippert Stadium. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

At the cornerback position, Texas’ Malik Muhammad could be the name announced by Conlan in Rounds 2 or 3. Muhammad previously met with the Bills during the predraft process.

UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence may have his name called by the Bills’ representative. Lawrence would be a nice name to add to a growing group of Buffalo pass rushers.

The Bills could add an exciting talent at wide receiver in Oregon’s Malik Benson in the later rounds. Benson could bring much-needed speed to Buffalo’s passing game.

Whichever player Conlan is on the stage to announce, the Bills better make the pick count, as this is the most critical draft of Brandon Beane’s career as Buffalo’s general manager. The Bills have to hit and hit big in the draft this year if they hope to remain a championship contender.

Let’s hope Conlan brings some of his Super Bowl mojo with him to Pittsburgh next weekend. 

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