The Bills made a total of 10 draft picks this year, including eight on Day 3.
Bills insider and 'Voice of the Bills' Chris Brown breaks down five key observations from the team's 2026 draft class.
1 – Defense carries the day… again
The Bills 2026 draft class was again defined by a majority of defensive players, as Buffalo continues to bolster a side of the ball that came up short with their pass rush and run defense last season, in part due to a myriad of injuries.
In a 10-player draft class six defensive player were taken, matching the Beane era (2018-2026) draft class high of six defensive players taken last year in a nine-player class.
GM Brandon Beane was bound and determined to find quality depth that offered better answers for the defensive staff to turn to should injuries bite this team hard again in 2026.
"We felt we did need an infusion of youth, some speed, and size on defense," said Beane. "Sometimes a roster goes through transition because of age or other factors, and that's where we were."
Buffalo took a pair of cornerbacks, a position that Beane labeled their most pressing need heading into the draft, an edge rusher, linebacker, safety, and defensive tackle.
Over the last two drafts the Bills have now added 12 defensive players, using their first five picks last year on defense, and six of their first eight on defense this time year.
2 — Do NOT think Skyler Bell is just a slot
After the Bills made the pick of WR Skyler Bell in round four, NFL Network analysts pegged him as a slot receiver in the NFL. But in no way should he be thought of as only a slot now that he's in Buffalo.
"I would say I'm dynamic; I'm explosive, versatile," said Bell. "I could do a lot of different things, inside, outside, deep ball, contested catches, intermediate catches. So, I think I could do a lot of different things."
Even though Bell is just about six feet tall, he's well-proportioned at 192 pounds, and with a 41-inch vertical that ranked fifth among wide receivers at the Combine and an 11-1 broad jump, which was fourth among receivers in Indianapolis he was very successful lined up outside.
"We liked him a lot," said Beane. "He can play inside and outside. He wins on contested catches."
"He has versatility," said head coach Joe Brady. "They asked him to do a lot of different things at Connecticut."
NFL Network analyst Steve Smith called Skyler Bell his favorite receiver in the entire draft class on his Draft Breakdowns podcast.
3 – Day 1 trades flip draft board in Bills' favor
A good number of Bills fans were frustrated that for the second time in three years Buffalo did not make a first-round pick, ultimately trading out of the round on night of the draft. But what GM Brandon Beane did was not only fortify the club with picks in the highest value area of the draft (rounds 2-4), but he also flipped the draft board in Buffalo's favor.
As a perennial playoff team, the Bills have been drafting late in each round of the draft, with some exceptions due to trades. On night one of the draft, as Buffalo's pick closed in, Beane swung a series of trades in rapid succession.
He first moved down from Buffalo's original spot at 26 to pick 28 in a trade with Houston, giving up pick 91 overall in round three as well. In exchange, Houston gave the Bills pick 28, pick 69 in round three and pick 167 in round five.
Beane then moved back again, this time, three spots to pick 31 in a trade with division rival New England. For pick 28, the Patriots handed the Bills pick 31 and a fourth-round pick (No. 125).
The Bills personnel boss then made his final move of the night trading out of the round completely in a deal with Tennessee. Buffalo sent the Titans pick number 31, the third rounder they received from Houston (No. 69) and a fifth-round pick (No. 165) in exchange for pick number 35 in round two, pick number 66 in round three and pick number 101 in round four.
"We didn't have a heavy number of first-round grades and so once we saw the last player come off our board that we had a first-round grade on, we started being more aggressive with the calls," said Beane. "We had some different opportunities to go back further at one time, but we also wanted to see how things fell before we did it."
Buffalo could've moved down into round two with just one trade, but by taking three steps down the board they wound up with more draft capital in total.
"In the end with the multiple trades, we ended up with more than that in a very similar position," said Beane. "Some of that is good fortune. It was just really following our board. We had enough guys in a similar value on the board that we felt confident going to 35 we would be able to get a player like TJ."
The three trades suddenly gave the Bills the power to dictate how many of the day two and day three rounds would unfold. Instead of drafting near the bottom of the round, Buffalo now had the third overall pick in round two (No. 35), the second overall pick in round three (No. 66), the first overall pick in round four (No. 101), and still had the first pick in round six (No. 182), and fourth pick in round seven (No. 220).
Buffalo's final trade with New England was probably the most impressive in terms of acquired value. They jumped up three spots in round three (69 to 66) and a whopping 64 spots from the bottom third of round five to the very top of round four (165 to 101).
That extra capital put Beane in a position to move up the board four spots from the top of round three to the bottom of round two to select Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun, as he sacrificed pick 66, and their pick at the top of round six (No. 182).
"You're giving yourself a chance at better players that you have on your board, guys that you value the most," said Beane. "So anytime you're adding assets, it just gives you a chance to move up, move down. What we did allowed us to be more aggressive and take the sixth-round pick we had to go secure a corner."
Beane moved back one spot at the start of day three from 101 to 102 and added a seventh, and made a couple of more trades to end up with a 10-player draft class that included three seventh-round selections.
4 – Pass rush leaning toward Leonhard's past
With Buffalo's first pick, they addressed a defined positional need, edge rusher. But the pick of Clemson's TJ Parker gave indication as to the kind of way the Bills want to win on passing downs up front.
Parker is a pass rusher who relies on power to win rather than speed, much like Buffalo's other edge rushers on the roster. Bradley Chubb, Greg Rousseau, and Javon Solomon are all power rushers as is 2025 practice squad player Andre Jones, who appeared in a few games last season.
Heavy-handed players who win with strength and power are the kinds of edge players Jim Leonhard played with in Baltimore and New York with the Jets. Players like Terrell Suggs and Jarrett Johnson with the Ravens, and Bryan Thomas and Calvin Pace with the Jets. He seems interested in duplicating that kind of defensive front as defensive coordinator in Buffalo.
"TJ (Parker) is a three-down player," said Beane. "The flashes are really good of a player that will stick his face in there and play the run but is athletically explosive enough to help you in the pass rush."
Parker's head coach at Clemson, Dabo Swinney agreed.
"He can hold up in the run, and he can rush the passer," said Swinney in an interview on the Bills Draft Special. "He was a dominant player day one on campus. He can take that get-off speed and turn it into power. He can use those heavy hands he has and get under the leverage of the offensive tackle and move him off the spot."
Parker, who's body type is very similar to that of Bradley Chubb, is eager to learn some of Chubb's power pass rushing techniques to incorporate them into his game.
"I'm going to lean on those guys as heavily as possible," said Parker. "Just really get under their wing and just learn quickly, so I can help out this team. I've got a lot of questions for them, seeing just how they go about things, just so I can see if I can take little nuggets from them, implement it within my regimen, and make it work."
5 – Adding hitters mattered
It began in free agency adding DB CJ Gardner-Johnson, a veteran known for playing with an edge that put opposing offensive players heads on a swivel. Buffalo's defensive staff clearly wants to bring a strong physical element to their defense, and the Bills first two draft selections on defense of TJ Parker and Davison Igbinosun embody that.
"(I'm) a very physical player who loves to use his hands," said Parker. "(I don't) shy away from contact in the run or pass game. A guy who's going to play with attitude, run to the ball, get there as fast as possible and put the pain on somebody. We're playing fast, physical football in this league, and I'm trying to bring the nasty to the defense."
Buffalo's second pick on day two of the draft, CB Davison Igbinosun, plays a very physical style outside that is committed to separating the receiver from the football, if he allows such an opportunity in the first place.
"(I'm) the edgy player who sets the tone in the secondary, who's ultra-aggressive, and just a competitor who lives for the matchup outside," said Igbinosun. "I'm a spark plug. I feel like my teammates feed off me. I set the tone. I play with passion. I play with energy every day. I don't take anything for granted. When I'm on the football field, I turn it up. I'm not just out there to be out there."
While rookies like Parker and Igbinosun will have to grow into roles, players with that kind of edge to their game help to elevate the level of play of other players on the roster whether it's practice or games.
