The Buffalo Bills may have had a slow start to their draft class, but they finished very strong on Day 3 when they addressed a ton of needs and got some under-the-radar steals as well. Overall, the Bills turned seven picks into ten with multiple trade-downs and they were able to bring in a ton of talent, especially on defense.
Obviously, the Bills still have some room for improvement and they should be looking to see who is still on the free agent market. Adding another wide receiver or even another cornerback wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. However, Bills fans can sit back and relax knowing that the Bills had themselves a great overall draft.
With that, we take a look at the winners and losers from the Bills’ draft class.
Winners and losers from Bills' 2026 draft selections
Winners:
GM Brandon Beane
Whether fans want to admit it or not, Brandon Beane redeemed himself on Day 3 when he delivered a bunch of talented players at positions of need. When it came to the second round, drafting T.J. Parker wasn’t a bad pick, it just wasn’t anything super spectacular. A lot of people would have drafted other players, but Parker will now line up off the edge.
It was the second pick in Davis Igbinosun that made fans confused and mad because a lot of people felt that corner wasn’t a big need in the second round. Then on Day 3, Beane was hitting home runs with his picks and he added more draft capital throughout the day, as well as for next year as he acquired a 2027 7th-round pick from the Las Vegas Raiders.
Beane has faced a ton of criticism the last few months, but with a strong draft class delivered, Beane is our first listed winner.
DC Jim Leonhard
Six of the ten Bills’ picks were on defense which gives Jim Leonhard more options to work with. He gained edge rush help with T.J. Parker, multiple cornerbacks, an aggressive linebacker, an extra safety in Jalon Kilgore, and a speedy defensive tackle. Leonhard’s defense got a lot stronger with talent and depth. He will now look to turn the narrative around about this unit in Year 1.
QB Josh Allen
Josh Allen was given a new wide receiver in Skyler Bell, who may end up being the best draft pick for the Bills. Not only did he get a new weapon on the outside, but he gets extra protection upfront with Jude Bowry and Ar'maj Reed-Adams. In addition to the immediate help he gets, he also saw the Bills bringing in more defensive help in hopes that they can get opposing offenses off the field.
DT Deone Walker
The Bills only took one defensive tackle in this draft with Zane Durant, and he is not a threat to take the 1-gap in Leonhard’s 3-4 defense. It looks like the Bills believe that Walker will be the man right in the middle of the trenches and that should give him confidence as Buffalo starts to move in a new direction on defense. While fans thought that Walker would have already been the 1-technique, the draft officially confirmed it.
Losers:
OL O'Cyrus Torrence/Alec Anderson
With the draft selections of Jude Bowry and Ar'Maj Reed-Adams, the Bills have set up competition for the guard positions. Right now, O'Cyrus Torrence and Alec Anderson should be penciled-in as the starting guards, but Anderson is on an extremely cheap one-year deal and Torrence is entering the final year of his rookie deal.
Even if the plan is to start both Torrence and Anderson at the guard spots, they will have some immediate competition and there could be a chance that one of them isn't brought back to Buffalo after 2026.
P Mitch Wishnowsky
The Bills re-signed Wishnowsky to a one-year deal in free agency, but they ultimately ended up drafting his replacement in Tommy Doman in the 7th round. More than likely, Doman should be able to beat out Wishnowsky for the starting job and become Buffalo's starting punter for years to come.
S Damar Hamlin
A lot of fans were surprised that Damar Hamlin re-signed with the Bills again to a one-year deal in free agency. Buffalo had already brought in C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Smith, plus they have Cole Bishop who is on the rise. In the 5th round of the draft, the Bills got themselves a big steal in Jalon Kilgore who could be the future with Bishop.
When it comes to Hamlin, I don’t see how he makes the final 53-man roster.
Add us as a preferred source on Google