Even before the Seattle Seahawks thoroughly dominated the New England Patriots en route to the franchise’s second Super Bowl title, the work had already begun for the Buffalo Bills and their approach to the 2026 NFL season.
There are no shortage of talking points, especially when it comes to free agent options. With needs to address at receiver, edge rusher, and safety standing out most. That isn’t even mentioning the in-house free agents that need to be addressed.
Brandon Beane will have his hands full this offseason. For that reason (and quite a few more) it is imperative that he knock the 2026 NFL Draft out of the park for the Bills.
Bills GM Beane generally does well with his first pick
Twice, Beane has not had a first-round pick because of trades. Since 2020, he hasn’t had a first-round pick higher than 23rd overall to work with. He has shown generally good success with the Bills’ first pick throughout the years.
Josh Allen was a grand slam in every way in 2018. Tremaine Edmunds was a solid starter but ultimately left for a big free agent deal. Ed Oliver, at ninth overall in 2019, was also a very good pick. Gregory Rousseau (30th in 2021) and Dalton Kincaid (25th in 2023) were clear hits.
A.J. Epenesa (54th in 2020) was solid, and the future appears to be bright for Maxwell Hairston (30th in 2025). Keon Coleman (33rd in 2024) and Kaiir Elam (23rd in 2022) have been complete misses. For a contending team like the Bills, it is imperative that the first pick be someone who can step into a starting capacity immediately, and that hasn’t always been the case.
He has found some gems…
Beane has also shown a penchant for finding gems sprinkled throughout the draft. Taron Johnson (121st in 2018) has more than 100 games and a second-team All-Pro to his name. Dawson Knox (96th in 2019) has become a complete tight end, if a bit overpaid. Spencer Brown (93rd in 2021) has become one of the best right tackles in the game and a vital part of keeping Allen upright. Christian Benford (185th in 2022) has morphed into a high-end corner.
Beane has largely been quite good with his second-round picks. Coleman was a miss, but Beane found starting safety Cole Bishop 27 picks later. O’Cyrus Torrence (59th in 2023) has been a solid starter. James Cook (63rd in 2022) has morphed into one of the best runners in the league and is coming off a rushing title.
That isn’t even taking into account solid contributors like Deon Walker (109th in 2025), Ray Davis (128th in 2024), Terrel Bernard and Khalil Shakir (89th and 148th, respectively, in 2022), Damar Hamlin (212th in 2021), and Dane Jackson (239th in 2020).
…but is inconsistent
Missing on Elam in 2022 was not a good look, but Cook, Bernard, Shakir, and Benford more than made up for that. Missing on Coleman is far less counteracted by Bishop, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, and Ray Davis.
The simple fact is that Beane seems to largely find big hits and a lot less else. When a team has several holes, completely missing on four or five of seven picks is damning. And guess what? The 2026 Bills have a lot of holes that need addressing.
Beane has to hit a home run in Bills 2026 NFL Draft
It is highly unlikely that Beane and the Bills swing for the fences to acquire someone like Maxx Crosby. With that said, Beane is under more pressure to find four potential starters or more in this class.
He cannot miss on his first-round pick again. While Hairston showed potential, he missed much of the season with injury, so the jury is still out on him. Having a class like 2022 would go a long way toward getting the doubters off his back. It would also go a long way toward keeping the Bills in contention for a Super Bowl.