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Bills GM Brandon Beane and HC Joe Brady weigh in on the 2026 NFL Draft and voluntary minicamp

Joe Brady’s Head Coach Introduction, January 29, 2026 at Buffalo Bills Training Center.
Joe Brady’s Head Coach Introduction, January 29, 2026 at Buffalo Bills Training Center.

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Joe Brady momentarily broke away from draft prep and offseason training to speak to media on Monday just days before the 2026 NFL Draft.

The two discussed the upcoming, three-day event, including how they assess the draft process and the right prospect fits for the Bills. Brady also commented on how the team is building a foundation and chemistry through Phase 1 of offseason training and the start of voluntary veteran minicamp.

"They could go anywhere from 20 to 40" | Brandon Beane analyzes 2026 draft prospects

Each year is different, and for the 2026 NFL Draft, there are slim pickings when it comes to players who have true first round grades.

That one percent of prospects, as Beane discussed, are players the Bills can cross off their list. Those are the consensus guys, the ones who are nearly guaranteed high first-rounders barring any curveballs.

That list doesn't extend very far down, meaning Buffalo will have a lot of thinking to do when it comes to draft night.

"You probably don't get as many consensus names anywhere near getting to 26," Beane said. "There's players that feel like they're going in [Round] 1 but their agent or someone close to them also realizes they could go anywhere from 20 to 40. And there's always players like that. I would say there's probably maybe more in that category this year."

Go behind the scenes with Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Joe Brady during NFL Combine Week in Indianapolis. Beane & Brady met with the media, Sirius XM Radio, CBS Sports, Pro Football Talk and more!

The depth of this draft class isn't at the top, considering the lack of first round grades. That doesn't take away from the class overall because at certain positions, though, is where depth lies.

"There are areas in this draft where you can find players to help your team," Beane said. "… You don't have to hit homers; hit singles, doubles, triple, whatever it is. If a homer falls to you, great. But just continue to find ways to incrementally help our roster, whether it's depth, starter, special teams or whatever it may be."

As Beane crafts player grades and determines values, he analyzes the different traits each player brings to the table, and if those traits would make a great fit on Buffalo's roster.

Measurables, like size, arm length, and weight, are included in that as well as other factors. Beane said one prospect might be explosive or another might have strong instincts. All of those weigh into how valuable a player is for one specific team.

On the field, he assesses how players match up against one another. An example Beane provided was a wide receiver going up against a defensive back or an offensive tackle versus a pass rusher.

"Who [has] he played against in the last couple years that's playing in the NFL or is going to get drafted fairly high this year?" Beane said.

Every little thing matters when determining the value you place on each player -- that's why Beane and his scouting staff have worked on this class for nearly a year.

"You don't necessarily have to hit that in one" | Brandon Beane weighs in on Buffalo's goals for the 2026 NFL Draft

As Beane said, Buffalo won't hit a homer on every draft pick. That's not the expectation. However, whoever the Bills draft must meet certain criteria.

"Obviously, you got to be to a certain level talent-wise at your position. Beyond that, we're looking for smart dudes. They love ball," Beane said then continued, "Do they bring an edge to your team? What kind of teammate are they? I could sit here for a while, but those are some of the early things that you're looking for. Not only do they have a talent, but do they make your team better just by adding them in there?"

Everything is on the table for Beane, whether Buffalo stays at No. 26 in Round 1, trades up for a certain player or trades back to acquire more picks.

When creating mock drafts, he tries to cover every possible scenario. On Monday, he and his team went all the way to pick 91 and look to revisit that section of the draft on Tuesday as they continue going into later rounds.

Having specific players in mind doesn't mean that's who the Bills will draft. They head into Thursday night knowing what the team needs.

"We do have our needs, but you don't necessarily have to hit them," Beane said. "You don't necessarily have to hit that in one, if it's not available. And that's two: where if there's a guy on our board that's higher than everyone else, and we're like, 'Man, we got a lot of depth there. I'm not sure how much he could help us right now.' That's when you're like, let's see if somebody's fired up for this player and what can we get to go back a little bit as long as you feel like, you like three, four, however many you're going back to that you'd be able to select."

Walking away from the weekend, Beane said Buffalo's priorities will be addressed. The positions needed will be filled, but that doesn't always mean it gets situated in Round 1 – or even Round 2 or Round 3. If the depth at that position drops off going into later rounds, though, that's a whole other scenario.

One thing he doesn't have heading into the draft, though, is a second-round pick.

"This was an asset that we used for this known commodity in the NFL," Beane said of wide receiver DJ Moore. "We'll just have to, again, be patient after Round 1 and see what's there. Obviously, when you don't have a two, if you pick at 26 that's going to be a long wait. And once we get to 91, though we do have – we got pick [in the] fourth, we got a couple of fifths. We got the first one in the sixth. So, I like those. I think we'll be able to find some players that serve some variety of roles for us."

He shared that a reason why the Moore trade was beneficial was because the Bills did not feel like there was a player to Moore's caliber that was going to be available in the second round.

Whether he had one pick or three picks in Round 2, though, Beane emphasized that no player, position or potential trade option is off the table for the Bills.

"Never say never," Beane said.

Beane provides injury updates on eight players

Beane spent a chunk of his media availability giving a lengthy injury update as voluntary veteran minicamp started on Monday. Some players recovering from injuries participated in Monday's minicamp and some are still focused solely on rehabbing.

Here are the players Beane gave updates on:

OLB Michael Hoecht

As a first-year Bill in 2025, Hoecht tore is Achilles during Week 9's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Now more than five months into the rehab process, Beane said Hoecht is doing some things but is not a full participant yet.

"He's here. He's still rehabbing," Beane said. "He falls into that bucket, he's allowed to do certain things, but he's not, full go yet."

CB Dorian Strong

Strong suffered a neck injury during his rookie season and was placed on Injured Reserve in October. He announced on Instagram in February that he would have a procedure done on his neck. Strong wrote, "I'm excited to have this procedure and get back and be better than ever!"

Beane said during NFL owners meetings that Strong was in a "healing phase" and was waiting to see how it heals. On Monday, Beane's update was very similar.

"No new update for Dorian, other than what I gave maybe at the owners meetings," Beane said. "It's in a wait and see mode."

K Tyler Bass

Bass missed the entire 2025 season due to what Beane said was a sports hernia. The kicker missed part of last offseason and worked on returning at some point during the 2025 season but ultimately was ruled out after receiving surgery in late November.

Beane said Bass is really close to being fully health.

"If he's not 100 (percent), he's right at it," Beane shared.

WR Tyrell Shavers

Shavers suffered a heart-breaking ACL tear during Buffalo's Wild Card game against the Jaguars. The WR defeated the odds and played through the torn ACL during the second half of the game, showcasing his team-first attitude and incredible toughness.

Since the injury happened only about three months ago, Shavers is still in the rehab process.

"He is rehabbing. Dude is here every day," Beane said. "[I] get out of the sauna at six something in the morning, that dude's already in there doing his plan. He's just a true pro. He's really working hard. But he did that ACL in January, so it's going to take a little time."

Scroll to see the best photos of the Buffalo Bills as they begin phase one of their voluntary offseason training activities in the weight room and on the field.

DE Landon Jackson

Jackson suffered a knee injury during Buffalo's Week 10 game against Miami. The defensive end was placed on Injured Reserve the week after and did not see the field the rest of his rookie season.

Beane said Jackson is cleared to do some things but not everything.

"Landon's doing well, he's closer than Hoecht," Beane said. "But I don't know like a percentage wise, but he's in that mode of doing a lot of things but not fully cleared."

WR Khalil Shakir

Shakir didn't miss a game in 2025 due to injury and posted the team's most receiving yards. Heading into the offseason the fifth-year wide receiver had a procedure done on his ankle.

Beane didn't seem worried about how it would impact the rest of Shakir's offseason.

"He had an ankle type procedure," Beane said. "But he was out there doing some things. I don't know that he's 100 percent, but he's okay."

DT DeWayne Carter

Carter missed the entire 2025 season with an Achilles injury. The DT has been hard at work rehabbing and is moving in the right direction.

"He's closer than Mike (Hoecht), same injury, but not 100 percent yet," Beane said. "I'm not sure when that will be, but he's doing well."

DB Jordan Hancock

Hancock played in the final 14 games of the 2025 season, including playoffs, to cap off his rookie season. While he finished the season, the DB is working through a shoulder injury and is focused on rehabbing right now.

"Doing well, not cleared," Beane said of his status. "But I think that would be probably closer to minicamp, or maybe even sometime in minicamp to training camp."

"What makes them tick" | Joe Brady has another criteria for prospects to check off

In addition to talent, measurables and team needs, Brady values a player's personality. When prospects came in for their 30 visits, the head coach made sure he spent time getting to know the player off the field just as well as he knows them on the field from studying.

"The football element to me, you can see on tape, but I'm always so much more interested in what makes them tick, their personality, what do they remember about the game, when are they thinking about the game," Brady said.

"Your game speaks for itself, but I like to hear a lot more about the guys. Is it their agent speaking? Is it rehearsed? How can I try to get them off subject? How can I maybe tick them off a little bit and try to see how they respond? Just learn their personalities."

Throughout his journey as Buffalo's new head coach, Brady continues learning about the Bills from a holistic point of view. He was aware of valuing what's best for the team while he was offensive coordinator, mentioning waiting until the fifth round in the 2025 NFL Draft to select the first offensive player in tight end Jackson Hawes.

"It was the best thing for a football team. I had the same thought as the offensive coordinator: anytime that we stop an opposing offense and get the ball back to [quarterback Josh Allen], it helps the offense," Brady said. "That vision and that mindset really hasn't changed."

The wider perspective of the team applies mostly as Brady sits in on the scouting staff doing mock draft exercises. Before, he saw this process from a more refined lens, focusing on one side of the ball. This time around, he's involved with all elements of the Bills' draft board. On Monday, Brady sat back and observed the mock draft process, taking everything in.

"It's interesting how the process is because we understand how our board is, but the reality is we don't know how everybody else kind of sees theirs … It gets people's brains thinking," Brady said. " I thought it was a unique process. But it was fun to kind of see how it all kind of comes together. I'd be interested to see if anything kind of works and plays out like that."

"The guys love being around one another" | Bills show up for early offseason workouts

Due to the head coach change, Buffalo was allowed to begin their offseason workouts two weeks earlier. Players reported to One Bills Drive early the morning of Tuesday, April 7.

"It's been a good two weeks. I'm glad that we were able to start early, and excited we were able to get on the field [on Monday]," Brady said.

Since the workouts are voluntary, no one is required to attend. The Bills, however, still view it as an opportunity to connect with each other, grow their relationships and adapt to this new era under Brady even if they're familiar with him already.

Everyone is embodying Brady's message in this new era: "put the ball down."

"It's kind of more of a mindset, a competitive stamina that we're building right now. We really don't care what just happened, you completed a pass. Let's put the ball down again and let's go do the next one. Or it's more of a mindset of resetting, responding and just embracing an opportunity to go again."

Brady is also proud of how his team has shown up for offseason workouts thus far.

"I've been extremely pleased with our attendance," Brady said. "… It's unique. I've been here, so a lot of the guys do know me and so I've had a lot of communication leading up to it. It's strictly voluntary. But I do think the relationships that I have has helped. The guys love being around one another."

As the team takes advantage of its voluntary workouts, Brady is taking the time to step back and make conscious decisions as head coach.

For instance, previously, Brady and Allen spent a lot of time together. Now in his new role, he's making an active effort to let his coaching staff do its job and be present in each position room, not just on offense. That adjustment isn't something new to Brady and Allen as their relationship shifted when Brady transitioned from Allen's quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. This time, it's a different kind of adjustment as Brady manages the team as a whole.

"I don't want to micromanage. I'm trying to do a good job of letting them coach … remove myself a little bit," Brady said. "… Right now I want to make sure that that [Carmichael] and [Hardegree] have a voice … And it's good for probably for [Allen] to not have to hear from me 24/7, because I know that time will come."

Brady added that Allen already has a good connection with his new quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, making it easier for Brady to spend time in other position rooms and with the defense.

Brady was especially pleased by Allen's presence at voluntary workouts, given the changes in his life. He said Allen is well-aware of the balance he must manage, and isn't going to push football to the side when he has an opportunity to be around his teammates.

View the best photos of the Buffalo Bills as they progress through phase one of their voluntary offseason training activities in the weight room and on the field.

"I am fortunate for the relationship that we have. It means a lot. It's voluntary. He's got a lot going on in his life. It's hard for me to tell other people, `Hey, man, I'd love for you to be here,'" Brady said. "It was a great tone-setter because everybody understands how important the organization, the Bills, everything that we do is for him and to him."

Brady is also focused on experimentation and creativity during this time. The wide receiver room is one area Buffalo is experimenting with.

He said that the players in that room, notably Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir and DJ Moore, are versatile in where they play – either outside or inside – in the Bills' offense.

"Keon gives us the versatility to be able to play inside and outside, and he has a unique skill set," Brady explained. "And Khalil has been manning on the inside a lot, but I do think there's some possibilities to be able to get matchups and move Khalil on the outside, move Keon on the inside, doing the same thing with DJ Moore. It's a unique group and I have to do a better job than I did last year of moving those guys around."

The offseason workouts are a good time for Brady to assess what his team needs, see where his players fit best in all three phases of the game and focus on building a foundation the Buffalo Bills can win on.

Check out the best photos as Bills players arrive at the Kaleida Health Performance Center for the start of voluntary offseason workouts on April 7, 2026.

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