There is One Major Problem With the Buffalo Bills' Lack of Urgency During 2026 NFL Draft

There’s no question that the Buffalo Bills came away with several quality players during the 2026 NFL Draft.

However, the major problem was when many of those quality selections fell throughout the weekend, during which the Bills made more than a handful of trades to travel up and down the board relentlessly.

Buffalo needed to land a number of immediate contributors during the draft to help fill out various key positions lacking depth. And after electing not to use their first-round pick at No. 26, instead waiting nine more selections to finally send a pick in at No. 35 overall, the Bills set the tone for what was to come over Days 2 and 3 in Pittsburgh: a lack of urgency.

Late-round merchant

As has been the case in many years since he became the Bills’ general manager, Brandon Beane used his mid- and late-round selections wisely, acquiring a number of players who fit Buffalo’s positional needs entering the draft. Wide receiver Skyler Bell was a good pick at No. 125 overall in the fourth round, while linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr was a great pick just one selection later. Then, to round out a trio of solid picks, Buffalo got a steal on safety Jalon Kilgore in the fifth round at No. 167 overall.

Beane has taken advantage of his Day 3 selections in the past, selecting future stars such as former nickel cornerback Taron Johnson in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, wide receiver Khalil Shakir in the fifth round of the 2022 draft, and cornerback Christian Benford in the sixth round of the ’22 draft.

With that said, when it came to their action near the start of this year’s selection process, the Bills left their fans far less inspired, as they have also done often under Beane. After using three trades to move out of Thursday’s first round, Beane and the Bills settled on Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker as their first of two second-round picks, with the other spent on Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun.

Parker is a good player who should fit into Buffalo’s defensive line rotation under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonard. However, his ceiling as a pass rusher is not at the level of some of the other players available at the time of his selection. Additionally, the Bills have players of a similar play style and skill set already in tow in Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb, and it’s reasonable to consider what a player like Cashius Howell may have added to a pass rush that struggled to get the quarterback on the ground a season ago.

As far as the Bills not only picking Igbinosun in the second round, but trading up to do so, this was one of the more mind-boggling decisions that resulted from Buffalo’s movement on Day 2. After the draft, Beane actually said he considered cornerback to be the team’s “biggest hole” on its roster entering the draft, which was a shocking revelation to say the least.

Could have done better early on

Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker (3) stretches during the first football practice at the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C. Friday, February 28, 2025. | Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With all of the craziness created by the team’s three Day 1 trades, the Bills could have done much better to address what they’re missing on the defensive side of the ball earlier in Rounds 1, 2 and 3, particularly drafting an explosive pass rusher or run-stuffing defensive tackle, both of which they failed to come away with after 10 total selections.

While their picks in Rounds 4 through 7 were strong and Beane has a history of landing Day 3 prospects who transform into starters, I am far less impressed with the Bills’ decisions on Days 1 and 2 of the ’26 draft, when teams are much more likely to find immediate contributors, particularly in this day and age of college football and NIL, which has diminished the late-round talent pool considerably over the past few years.

When you look back at the last time the Bills traded down, out of the first round and loaded up on Day 3 talent, it was a waste. In fact, over the previous three drafts, Buffalo had one player come out of Day 3 who can be viewed as a major difference-maker at this early stage of their career: defensive tackle Deone Walker. Perhaps All-Pro kick returner Ray Davis could join that list, but he primarily plays special teams, diminishing his value. If Dorian Strong didn’t get hurt, who knows where the team might be at cornerback? But his future remains unclear at this time.

The point remains that recent history shows the Bills have not been able to turn late-round picks into immediate starters regularly, and there shouldn’t be some surefire confidence that they will do so this year. So, while the picks toward the end of the draft saved this year’s slate from being a total disaster, I’m not so confident we will see the fruits of the Bills’ front office’s labor until a year or two from now.

I like Elarms-Orr and Bell’s potential to step in and become Day 1 impact players. But beyond that, I’m not so sure about the team’s other eight selections as far as their ability to propel the team’s Super Bowl quest as rookies. Parker is solid—doesn’t move the needle. The Bills drafted Maxwell Hairston in the FIRST ROUND a season ago to be their cornerback of the future, so where does Igbinosun fit in? As a backup?

It’s all very questionable to me and causes me to believe that this team will be looking for a new GM next offseason after Beane proves to have failed once again to significantly improve the Bills’ roster with low-cost first-year players in a season where Josh Allen’s prime as an MVP-level quarterback is continuing to slip away.

Buffalo needed to improve their roster NOW. Instead, they got a bunch of guys who might develop into starters down the road.

Someone cue the sad trombone.

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