The Buffalo Bills capped off their NFL Draft later in the 7th round and they came out of this draft with ten selections, despite entering the first round with just seven picks. They walked out of the draft with a ton of defensive help for Jim Leonhard, and they also added a dynamic wide receiver in Skyler Bell who should be able help Josh Allen on the outside.
Overall, the Bills addressed major needs and added some great insurance players who could be on the field sooner than later. Fans should be feeling a lot better about the roster now than they did a week ago. It surely was an interesting process through the draft as the Bills had multiple trade-downs, but it all worked out in the end.
When the draft ended, the undrafted free agent frenzy began and the Bills’ first UDFA signing was Wisconsin fullback Jackson Acker, per Aaron Wilson. Seeing a player from Wisconsin come to Buffalo shouldn't be a surprise since Leonhard was there from 2016-2022 and has a great idea of what kind of offense Wisconsin runs.
Jackson Acker has fantastic shot to make Bills' final 53-man roster for 2026
With the Bills signing Acker, he should eventually become the replacement for Reggie Gilliam, who left the Bills to sign with the New England Patriots in free agency. Gilliam was the one who was doing the dirty work in Buffalo’s rushing attack that was the best one last season. James Cook led the league in rushing and a big reason why was because of Gilliam opening up the running lanes.
Now that the Bills will go up against Gilliam twice a season, they needed to find his replacement because Buffalo should not be looking to back down from their run game. Acker has a great opportunity to step into this offense and become the next leading blocker for Cook.
On the surface, this may not look like an important setup but it is. The Bills have brought back the rushing attack that they lacked in the early Josh Allen years. Now that they have an established running back room coming back with Cook, Ty Johnson, and Ray Davis, they need to make sure they have someone who can be reliable and allow them to reach the second and third level.
I wouldn’t be against the Bills bringing in competition for Acker at that spot, or potentially even having Jackson Hawes get a couple of reps at fullback. However, Bills fans should be keeping an eye on Acker to be on the roster come Week 1 of the season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google