Draft Coverage

Bills GM Brandon Beane on trading back, then drafting OLB T.J. Parker & CB Davison Igbinosun: 'He passed all the tests'

Apr 25, 2026 at 01:43 AM

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2026 NFL Draft Night 2, April 24, 2026 at the Kaleida Health Performance Center.

After trading out of the first round Thursday, the Bills got on the board in the 2026 NFL Draft with two defensive picks in the second round, both from major college programs.

Buffalo picked OLB T.J. Parker out of Clemson with the 35th overall pick, then drafted Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun with the 62nd overall pick.

Bills GM Brandon Beane spoke to the media and broke down how and why the moves were made.

Following the board led to multiple first round trade backs

Early into his press conference Friday night, Beane didn't shy away from reiterating that Buffalo's consensus board didn't have a "heavy number" of first round grades attached to this year's batch of prospects.

As players that the Bills had graded as a first-rounder started getting selected by other teams in Round 1, Beane decided it was time to explore moving back. Initially, Beane said they had an offer to go further back into the second round, but felt it was best served to go back incrementally.

"It was just really following our board. We had enough guys with a similar value on the board that we felt confident going to [pick] 35," the GM said.

In making trades with the Texans, Patriots and Titans, Buffalo also picked up additional value for Day 3. Coming into the draft, the Bills were scheduled to have just two picks in the top 125 overall. By Thursday's end, that total doubled — and a player high on their board was still available for their first selection.

"Yesterday was huge how it worked out for us," Beane said. "We knew when we left here last night, looking at the board, that we're going to be able to get a pass rusher."

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Three down skillset made T.J. Parker Buffalo's Day 2 priority

Beane commended this year's class of edge rushers, calling it "one of the strengths of this draft" due to the variety of skill sets. Eleven of the first 50 picks were edge rushers and the Bills came away with a highly versatile player in Parker.

Buffalo viewed Parker as a "three down player," and he was the No. 1 prospect on its board after the first round.

By drafting the Clemson product, the Bills started a run of five edge rushers selected from picks 35 to 45. That group had a wide variety of skill sets, ranging from players with smaller but quick frames, to larger and more sturdy frames.

At 6-foot-3, 263 pounds, Parker certainly falls into the latter category but he's no slouch when it comes to speed, either.

See you soon, @tomarrion. 😁 pic.twitter.com/QK8IEy8aVS
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) April 24, 2026

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah graded Parker as the 27th overall player in the draft class, citing "his quickness plays better when he rushes inside" and that he boasts a "powerful shake/bull move coming off the edge."

Beane's evaluation of some of the other edge rushers was that they were more DPR (designated pass rushers), meaning they mainly come onto the field in clear pass situations. In Parker, the Bills see his size as representative of someone who can play on any down with strengths against the run and pass.

"I just think that adds more value," Beane said.

Parker, whose full name is Tomarrion Jamar, recorded 21.5 sacks, 128 tackles and 41.5 tackles for a loss in three seasons at Clemson. He earned Second-Team All-ACC in 2024 and Honorable Mention All-ACC in 2025.

Bills see 'IGB' as a solution to corner depth

Prior to the selection of Igbinosun, a three-year starter out of Ohio State, the Bills sorely lacked depth on the perimeter in their secondary.

While Christian Benford and Maxwell Hairston are the team's starting outside CBs, the Bills felt they needed to fortify the depth behind them for several reasons.

In April it may be considered unconventional to select a player in the second round who — in an ideal world — is playing behind Benford and Hairston to open the year. But in December and January, you're only as strong as your weakest link.

"You want to make sure, as the season goes along, if injury strikes, that you've got enough guys, even if they're not starters," Beane said. "How many guys we went through last season that played in the playoffs for us, or helped us get to the playoffs. So you're going to need those guys."

Buffalo witnessed first-hand how difficult it can be to field a fully healthy secondary an entire season. In training camp, Hairston, the Bills' first round pick in 2025, suffered a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve. His replacement, Tre'Davious White, missed Week 1 with an injury of his own and is now a free agent at age 31.

"Come up here and be you."@DaveIgbinosun gets the call. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/K5wYNXIuwM
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) April 25, 2026

Also, Dorian Strong, Buffalo's sixth-round selection in 2025, underwent neck surgery in the offseason and his football playing future is up in the air.

Simply, Buffalo filled a gaping hole in its current roster construction, even if it's not a starting role.

"Corners are premium positions," Beane said. "Those guys are all going to play, they're going to play. It's a long season. And when you have corners that are not capable, they get bull's eyes on them real fast, and especially when you're playing the prime time quarterbacks, the prime time offenses in this league."

Known as 'IGB', Igbinosun started his career at Ole Miss in 2022, then transferred to Ohio State where he amassed 43 starts in three years with the Buckeyes.

"He started a lot of games in major college football, he is wired the right way," Beane said.

A Clemson connection

The Bills had a leg up on many teams who did homework on Parker thanks to one key connection.

Keith Jennings, a scout for the Bills since 2018, played collegiately at Clemson (1985-1989) and went back to his alma mater in 2017, serving as an undergraduate tight ends coach under Dabo Swinney. Jennings' ties to the Tigers football family still run deep as he helped scout Parker's traits on and off the field.

"Good insight into [Parker's] daily routine, daily work habits. And really felt like we knew this young man," Beane said.

Still only 21, Parker got married in October and comes from a military background — his father, Sergeant Tommy Parker, was an 11-year U.S. Army veteran.

"A guy that feels like he is fairly mature for his age, and we'll work together to continue to help him mature and welcome him and his wife up here in Western New York," Beane said.

In addition to Parker's play-style and mature background, the Bills were thrilled with the Phenix City, Ala. native's 2024 production at Clemson. Parker tied for second in the FBS with a school-record six forced fumbles, ranked fifth with 19.5 tackles for a loss and ninth with 11 sacks while starting all 14 games.

"His '24 film was very impressive," Beane said.

Parker experienced a slight drop off in production in 2025 but flashed with a three-sack game in the regular season finale against a rival school.

"You saw [his flashes] come up again at the end of the year against their rival, South Carolina. You saw it at the Senior Bowl, so it's in there. We just got to all those are part of maturity and being a steady pro every day," Beane said.

However, Parker wasn't the only top prospect on the Tigers' defense that had a drop in production. First round pick DL Peter Woods, selected No. 29 overall by the Chiefs, had five fewer TFLs and one fewer sack in 2025 compared to the previous season.

For the new Buffalo Bill, Beane is betting on the upside Parker has shown.

"The flashes are really good of a three down player that will stick his face in there and play the run and is athletically explosive enough to help you in the pass rush," the GM added.

Why 'IGB' has the tools to succeed and "passed all the tests"

The addition of Igbinosun also gives the Bills a unique flavor of defensive back they've searched for: a tall, fast and physical corner.

At 6-foot-2, 191 pounds, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler described 'IGB' as a player with "speed and competitive edge that NFL coaches covet in press-man schemes." He ran a 4.45 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and has a 78 ⅝ wing span.

"The best thing he does is press," Beane said.

The Bills did extensive work on Igbinosun and loved what they learned, giving them the confidence to trade up into the late second round to take him.

Beane went to Ohio State's Pro Day in late March to scout several prospects, 'IGB' being one of them. A natural press-man technician, Beane wanted to see how the Second-Team All-Big Ten Conference player handled snaps when not in press coverage.

"He checked the box," Beane stated. "The multitude of people that I talked to there just raved about his football character, his competitiveness, his love of ball. Great teammate."

Buffalo also brought Igbinosun in on a visit during the pre-draft process where he reunited with former Buckeye teammate Jordan Hancock.

"[Hancock] is close with him and raved about him," Beane shared.

Igbinosun also improved on one of the major concerns on his scouting report from 2024 to 2025. He went from 16 penalties in 2024 to 2025.

"Very aware, football smart, young man, football savvy," the Bills GM said. "He passed all the tests for us."