2026 NFL Draft Grades: Buffalo Bills

There were a lot of directions Buffalo could have gone at No. 26. But trading back not once, not twice, but three times was not on my Bingo card. The Bills went to No. 28, then No. 31 and finally to No. 35. That gave general manager Brandon Beane some maneuverability.

That was key. Entering the draft, Buffalo wasn't slated to pick again after No. 26 until No. 91, super late on Day 2. And after seven straight playoff appearances ended in heartbreak (and the firing of coach Sean McDermott), the pressure is on right now. Quarterback Josh Allen is turning 30 next month; the Bills need to get over the hump and find a way into the Super Bowl. As a result of the trades, Buffalo shuffled its fourth-rounders and moved up from No. 91 to the back end of Round 2 (No. 66).

Salary cap cuts opened some holes on defense this offseason, so Buffalo needed starters. The Bills turned their first two picks into T.J. Parker and Davison Igbinosun. I had higher-rated edges at No. 35 and higher-rated corners at No. 62. However, both players should play big roles for the Bills.

Parker's production dipped in 2025, with his sack total falling from 11 in 2024 to five in 2025. But he has outstanding speed-to-power and active hands, and he changes up quickly when his first pass-rush plan doesn't work. He'd join Bradley Chubb and Greg Rousseau and try to keep Buffalo among the league's better pressure-generating teams. Igbinosun was 103rd on my board, and I would have preferred someone like Malik Muhammad in that spot. He struggled with penalties in college. He gets a little grabby in coverage.

Matt Milano is still unsigned (and 31 years old now), so linebacker was my top need for this roster going into Round 1. Kaleb Elarms-Orr can help. He had 130 tackles last season. Jalon Kilgore is an effective player in the star position with 4.4 speed and explosive traits. And Zane Durant gives Buffalo a 3-technique with 17 tackles for loss and 36 pressures over the past two years.

One of my favorite Bills picks was Skyler Bell. He is a Khalil Shakir-type pass catcher with speed and after-the-catch ability. And he can line up either in the slot or out side.

For a team that's admittedly in Super Bowl or bust mode for the remainder of QB Josh Allen's tenure in Western New York, the Bills did a nice job of addressing needs — especially in Round 2 with CB Davison Igbinosun and OLB T.J. Parker, who could be a steal here as he goes to work opposite Bradley Chubb. And don't forget that that Buffalo invested the 60th pick last month to pry WR DJ Moore out of Chicago. New Highmark Stadium, which opens later this year, could be rocking right through the AFC championship game.

Best Pick: Fourth-round receiver Skyler Bell isn't a big receiver, but he can get separation and should push for time as a rookie. He did have some trouble with drops, but he's a good player.

Worst Pick: This is based on personal preference, but I would have taken R Mason Thomas over T.J. Parker, who the Bills took in the second. He fits better in my book.

The Skinny: The Bills traded down a few times -- out of the first even -- and added extra picks. I like the strategy. Taking Parker fills a pass-rushing need, and second-round corner Davison Igbinosun won't start right away, but he eventually will. Bell was also a good pick.

Entering the draft with no pick between Nos. 26 and 91, the Bills traded down twice, dropping out of the first round entirely and picking up extra selections to reshape the roster in new head coach Joe Brady's vision. The Bills still added a quality edge rusher in T.J. Parker, who I thought was going to come off the board on Day 1. He is already a well-rounded and productive player and is still just scratching the surface of his potential.

While Parker will understandably get most of the attention, I thought GM Brandon Beane found quality value and stylistic fits throughout the draft. Cornerback Davison Igbinosun and offensive tackle Jude Bowry were two of my favorite "second-tier" prospects at their respective positions. Wideout Skyler Bell and safeties Jalon Kilgore and Zane Durant also have the athleticism that suggests they could be future NFL starters.

Perhaps my favorite Day 3 pick for the Bills, however, was TCU linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr, a heat-seeking missile who might compete for a starting role immediately.

The Bills utilized trades to gain more volume in this class, even after sending a second round pick to the Bears for D.J. Moore.

T.J. Parker was an easy fit for Jim Leonhard's defense. He has a go-to long arm move, but I liked his overall down-by-down consistency. He might not be a double-digit sack player, but those aren't too easy to find outside the top twenty selections anyway.

Clearly, they wanted to land bigger, more physical coverage players. Igbinosun was a penalty machine in college, but he challenges receivers' routes as a disruptor. Jalon Kilgore played nickel for South Carolina and is built to match up with power slots at the NFL level. I do want to see his intensity go up a few notches against ball carriers, but this was a great range to get him.

The two standout selections from a savvy depth and pure value standpoint to me are Skyler Bell and Jude Bowry. Bell is athletic and productive with extremely high character. His ball skills are above average considering his size, and I think he'll be ready to step up if they suffer an injury at pass catcher. Bowry is a battle-tested tackle that generates explosive leg drive in the run game. His punch timing and placement in pass protection is still developing, but this is a great place for him to do exactly that.

Here's why: This was a solid haul and a clean process for the Bills in this draft class, trading out of the first round and using their first pick on rugged Clemson edge defender T.J. Parker to continue shoring up their front seven for new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. Davison Igbinosun felt like a bit of a reach at the bottom of the second round, but this team needed to continue adding depth and talent to its cornerback room and Igbinosun has some developable traits for the future. There might not be many stars coming from this class, but the Bills should have a handful of capable players for years to come.

Most interesting pick: Zane Durant, DL, Penn State

Durant is a great dice roll with the last pick in the fifth round. He's an undersized 3 technique, but he's dripping with athleticism (4.75 40-yard dash at the scouting combine) and has a decent enough floor right now where it feels like a realistic development project. His speed gives him a lane right away to get on the field in what has suddenly become a deep defensive line room.

The Bills were on-brand with the T.J. Parker pick early in the second round, grabbing a big, long-levered, and power-based rusher. Parker fits the profile of a handful of edge defenders the team has seemed to rely on in recent years, and should slide right into the rotation. In the second round, they grabbed an athletic, twitchy cover corner in Igbinosun, who plays with an edge and sometimes over-the-top physicality. Igbinosun needs to tamp down the grabbing and bear-hugging in the pros, but he could see the field early on. I liked the selection of receiver Skyler Bell, who brings a vertical element to the offense from the outside. Safety Jalon Kilgore brings top-notch upside as well, showing instincts in coverage and plenty of production. But he needs to turn the intensity up to 11 if he's going to stand out on this defense. All in all, Buffalo added some potential early contributors, but I'm not sure I see a star in this group.

Analysis: General manager Brandon Beane must think Buffalo's roster is set. The Bills traded back multiple times to get out of the first round, and then took a rotational edge rusher in Parker to play with Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb. Afterward, Beane selected depth in Igbinosun and Bowry, neither of whom project as starters in 2026. Perhaps the most intriguing pick is Bell, who caught 101 passes for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns last year with the Huskies.