The Biggest Winners, Losers and Impact from Bills’ NFL Draft Decisions Include Boost for Keon Coleman

The Bills have fully backed their former second-round pick despite adding two talented wide receivers this offseason.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) runs for a gain past New Orleans Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (4) during the first quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Days after the NFL Draft was completed, it’s clear which Buffalo Bills players and coaches benefited from the team’s draft lot and those who had their position compromised by the group of prospects the team brought in last week.

Of the Bills’ 10 selections, six came on the defensive side of the ball, while Buffalo also added three players offensively and a punter. After securing this year’s rookie group, five veterans particularly wound up as winners or losers.

Josh Allen, winner

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) drops to throw during the fourth quarter of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

One of the Bills’ best picks of the draft was UConn wide receiver Skyler Bell, who joins Buffalo’s growing pass-catching unit, which features offseason trade acquisition, DJ Moore.

Bell was awarded a Pro Football Focus receiving grade of 85.2 a season ago, which was 34th among 679 players graded at his position. He also ran a blistering 4.4 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he received an athleticism score of 85 via Next Gen Stats, which was sixth-best among wide receivers.

Moore was already going to help bolster Buffalo’s passing game, and now with Bell in tow to join Khalil Shakir, Allen has his best collection of offensive weapons since WR Stefon Diggs was traded before the 2024 season.

Keon Coleman, winner

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) scores a touchdown against Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) during the third quarter of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Speaking of the wide receiver position, the Bills have consistently propped Coleman up this offseason, and it appears they are set to move forward with their former second-round pick’s one last chance at realizing his potential and becoming a meaningful contributor within Buffalo’s aerial attack.

That’s a big win for the 22-year-old, who appeared to be on his way out the door when the offseason began. Instead, Coleman has received the full backing of the team’s new head coach and existing general manager heading into 2026.

Jim Leonhard, winner

Wisconsin interim head coach Jim Leonhard arrives before a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game against Iowa. | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Bills added an edge rusher, three defensive backs, a linebacker and an interior defensive lineman for their first-year defensive coordinator, who takes over a unit that ended the 2025 campaign with significant holes scattered throughout the depth chart.

While a few of the Bills’ selections were questionable to say the least, you have to give them kudos for addressing many of the needs with which they entered the draft. And that will only benefit Leonhard, who will have a number of new players, both first-year pros and veterans, who he can mold under his vision.

Max Hairston, loser

Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis (22) celebrates with cornerback Maxwell Hairston (31) after a game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Suddenly, Hairston’s spot as one of the Bills’ starting cornerbacks seems a bit tenuous. Buffalo traded up to take Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun in the second round, a move I wasn’t too fond of. However, regardless of how I feel about the pick, the Bills clearly see something in the former Buckeyes defender and using draft capital to move up and snag him in a premium round was intriguing.

Is there a real chance Igbinosun could overtake Hairston for the CB2 job? That will play out at training camp. However, it wasn’t too long ago that Bills' former sixth-round pick Christian Benford beat out first-rounder Kaiir Elam at the same position in 2022.

Joshua Palmer, loser

Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer pulls in a pass on a crossing route during the second day of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University Thursday, July 24, 2025 in Pittsford. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bell’s addition doesn’t appear to be good news for the Bills’ oft-injured 2025 free-agent acquisition. Palmer never proved to be the player Buffalo thought it brought in to help its passing game last season, appearing in just 12 games while recording only 22 receptions for 303 yards and going without a touchdown.

Palmer signed a three-year contract with the Bills in ‘25, but they may be able to get out of the deal before the start of the ‘27 season. For now, however, Buffalo appears stuck with a player who may be completely phased out of the offense this year. With Buffalo’s expressed support of Keon Coleman, if he performs well, there will be too many mouths to feed, and Palmer will surely be one of the players left starved of targets and opportunities.

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