Buffalo Bills: 15 best first-round draft picks of all-time
By John Buhler
Why do you think the Bills were so good in the early 1990s? They had the best offensive line in the AFC by a wide margin. A big part of the Bills’ success under head coach Marv Levy was the great play of the line, especially from left tackle Will Wolford.
Bills former general manager Bill Polian used Buffalo’s No. 20 overall pick in the 1986 NFL Draft to draft the left tackle prospect out of Vanderbilt. Wolford would play his first seven of 13 NFL seasons with the team that drafted him from 1986 through 1992.
Wolford was initially slotted in at right guard his rookie year in 1986, where he would start for the Bills. A year later in 1987, would make the switch to left tackle to be Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly’s blind side protector for the bulk of his time in Buffalo. Wolford would make 102 starts on the offensive line for the Bills. All but 16 came at left tackle.
Wolford would make his first two trips to the Pro Bowl as a member of the Bills in 1990 and 1992. He would play the 1993 to 1995 NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, where he would earn Pro Bowl honors in 1995. Wolford would play his last three NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers before retiring after the 1998 NFL season.