No one can deny that Brandon Beane has done some amazing things for the Buffalo Bills. He was part of the turnaround for the franchise and has delivered some great free agent signings, as well as draft picks. In 2022 alone, the Bills drafted players like James Cook, Khalil Shakir, Terrel Bernard, and Christian Benford. All four of them are not just on the roster but they are starters.
Like another general manager though, Beane has missed on draft picks and free agency signings. For the last couple of seasons, Beane has faced heavy criticism with the construction of the roster (and rightfully so) which is why people were surprised that he stayed while Sean McDermott was fired after their playoff exit.
With the NFL Draft taking place here very soon, we take a look at some of the biggest misses that Beane has on his resume with the draft for the Bills, in no particular order.
6 draft picks that Brandon Beane missed greatly on for Bills
OL Cody Ford (2019)
In 2019, the Bills traded up in the second round for offensive lineman Cody Ford out of Oklahoma. The Bills needed to build up the offensive line for Josh Allen, who was coming off a rookie season where he had one of the worst protections in front of him in 2018.
The Bills drafted Ford while wide receivers like Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, and DK Metcalf were all still on the board. Ford only lasted in Buffalo for three seasons, dealing with injuries and inconsistent play. He was tried at guard and tackle, but he wasn’t producing what Buffalo had hoped for.
Before the 2022 season, the Bills traded Ford to the Arizona Cardinals for a 2023 5th-round pick. He ended up playing in Arizona for one season and has been with the Cincinnati Bengals since 2023.
RB Zack Moss (2020)
The Bills were lacking a true rushing attack in the early 2020s and Brandon Beane decided to draft Zack Moss in the 3rd round of Utah. As a member of the Bills, Moss never hit over 500 yards rushing in a season and had just 10 total touchdowns in two seasons. He only played in no more than 13 games in the regular season and was eventually traded to the Indianapolis Colts which helped the Bills land Nyheim Hines.
DE Boogie Basham (2021)
A former second-round pick in 2021, Basham was drafted a round after the Bills had already drafted another edge rusher in Greg Rousseau. Basham was nothing more than a rotational player who was being outplayed by his teammates, which only landed him two seasons with the Bills before being traded to the New York Giants in 2023.
Buffalo missed big time in the second round with him and that was one of the worst mistakes Beane has made in Buffalo.
CB Kaiir Elam (2022)
The Bills had a big need at cornerback going into the 2022 NFL Draft. Tre’Davious White had torn his ACL in the 2021 season and Buffalo’s championship window was more open than ever. However, they needed a cornerback in the first round. After watching the Kansas City Chiefs jump ahead of them to land Trent McDuffie, the Bills traded up with the Ravens to draft CB Kaiir Elam.
Elam showed tiny flashes in his rookie season, but he could not outbeat the competition around him. He was outshined by Christian Benford, who was drafted in the 6th round in the same draft class as Elam.
Whether it was because of schematic fit or not, Elam and the Bills found out quickly that they were not a great fit at all. In three seasons, Elam would play in just 29 regular season games before he was traded from Buffalo to Dallas.
WR Justin Shorter (2023)
The Bills drafted Justin Shorter in the 5th round of the 2023 NFL Draft and he did not play a single regular season for the Bills. He only lasted in Buffalo for one season before being released in 2024.Â
Now, you might think that a 5th round pick isn’t anything to mention…however, in that same round of that draft class, the Rams drafted wide receiver Puka Nacua.
CB Dane Jackson (2020)
Dane Jackson was drafted in the 7th round of the 2020 NFL Draft and because the Bills were down bad at times in the secondary with injuries, Jackson saw some meaningful action. However, Jackson was a liability more than an asset. He was with Buffalo from 2020-2023, then joined the Carolina Panthers for a season before coming back to the Bills in 2025 where he only appeared in three regular season games.
In Buffalo’s playoff loss to the Denver Broncos, Jackson came in for a play late in the 4th quarter while the Bills were up and he gave up a touchdown against Marvin Mims that put the Broncos ahead of the Bills late in the 4th quarter before the Bills forced overtime.
Jackson was released by the Bills this offseason along with other players as part of the roster revamp.