Beane flips picks, adds 10 rookies
- Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane turned seven original draft picks into 10 selections, trading down repeatedly before closing the 2026 class Saturday night. - Buffalo doubled its top-125 picks from two to four, then opened with Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker at No. 35. - The class leaned defense again after Buffalo cited injuries, pass rush and run defense as needs. (buffalobills.com)
Brandon Beane spent Buffalo’s draft weekend moving back, not up, and the Bills came out of it with 10 rookies instead of seven picks. (buffalobills.com) (si.com) The biggest swing came Thursday night, when Buffalo traded out of the first round and kept sliding until its first selection landed at No. 35. Beane said the club did not see a “heavy number” of first-round grades on its board. (buffalobills.com) Buffalo entered the draft with only two picks in the top 125 and finished Thursday with four. The first two became Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker at No. 35 and Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun at No. 62. (buffalobills.com 1) (buffalobills.com 2) Day 3 was the same idea in smaller moves. Buffalo dealt the first pick of Round 4, dropped from No. 101 to No. 102 with Las Vegas, added a 2027 seventh-rounder, and still made three fourth-round picks. (si.com) Those Round 4 picks were Boston College lineman Jude Bowry at No. 102, Connecticut wide receiver Skyler Bell at No. 125, and Texas Christian linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr at No. 126. Buffalo later added South Carolina safety Jalon Kilgore, Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant, Missouri cornerback Toriano Pride Jr., Florida punter Tommy Doman, and Texas A&M guard Ar’maj Reed-Adams. (buffalobills.com) (si.com) The shape of the class was familiar. Six of Buffalo’s 10 picks were defenders, and team media tied that approach to last season’s injuries, pass-rush issues and run-defense problems. (buffalobills.com) Beane said the roster needed “an infusion of youth, some speed, and size on defense,” and the Bills used picks on two cornerbacks, an edge rusher, a linebacker, a safety and a defensive tackle. Over the last two drafts, Buffalo has added 12 defensive players. (buffalobills.com) The reviews were split once the draft ended. The Democrat and Chronicle said NFL.com gave Buffalo an A while ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. handed the Bills the lowest grade in the AFC East. (democratandchronicle.com) That leaves Buffalo with a class that was built less around one headline pick than around volume and field position on the board. Beane kept flipping slots into extra swings, then used them to restock a roster he said was entering transition. (buffalobills.com 1) (buffalobills.com 2)
