If any of the 2026 NFL Draft class is going to come through for the Buffalo Bills, it will be on defense. The team spent only 3 of their 10 draft picks on offense, leaving little room for excitement. Still, the other side of the ball has plenty of impact players; One in particular is set to succeed in his rookie season.
Impact rookies on Day 2 or 3
ESPN insider Field Yates went through the entire NFL Draft to find those impact rookies who will make a difference. His piece, which searches explicitly for those difference-makers outside of the first round, pegs former-TCU linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr as the top rookie for the Buffalo Bills.
"I thought Elarms-Orr had a chance to crack the top 100, but he fell to a good spot since Buffalo is shifting to more of a 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. Elarms-Orr is a speedy player who can quickly diagnose and get downhill against the run and as a blitzer, as evidenced by his four sacks last season." said Yates.
Impact as a rookie linebacker
It's a valid choice. Elarms-Orr enters one of very few available spots to start as a rookie on this roster. The Bills picked up a three defensive backs, a defensive tackle, and an edge defender, but none of them have the clearest path to get on the field.
Field Yates went on to state that Kaleb Elarms-Orr could have cracked the top 100 picks, and he's right. The rookie offers great recognition and reaction time to get involved in the run early. That makes him a natural fit for the Bills need at outside linebacker.
He's got the room to get on the field quickly, with the new 3-4 defensive scheme coming to the Bills' in 2026. They can expect to have great need for speedy blitzers like Elarms-Orr.
He was the only Bills player to make Yates' list, and for good reason. In a Buffalo draft class that offered far more depth than immediate starters, Elarms-Orr is the exception. His production at the college level was solid, and he projects as a great fit for the Bills.
With little competition for the starting spot, Elarms-Orr is a shoe-in. Matt Milano and Shaq Thompson were two of the Bills best linebackers last season and neither are currently rostered. To take the starting spot, he must only beat out Joe Andreessen and Dorian Williams. That may not be an easy task, but neither is a stud who projects to run away with the job. In the 3-4 defense, opportunities are everywhere for rookies like Elarms-Orr to thrive.
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