Well, that was exciting wasn’t it?
Or . . . maybe not, depending on your view of things.
Anyway, after months of anticipation, opening night of the 2026 NFL Draft finally took place at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Thursday evening.
And, BOY was it a doozy.
After fans across the league saw several trades and a few shocking selections (looking at you L.A. Rams) shake up the order in the top-20, the final 12 picks of the night also brought several surprises for fans and media members alike in what has been one of the most difficult draft classes to pin down in recent memory.
With that said, after waiting nearly the entirety of the first round, members of the Bills Mafia were finally on the verge of being face-to-face with the reality of who would be joining the team as we look toward the start of the 2026 season in the coming days, weeks, and months leading up to September.
So, who was it?
Well, Buffalo Bills President of Football Operations and General Manager Brandon Beane decided to make fans wait a tad longer, but for good reason.
Instead of “sticking and picking,” Beane decided to make THREE trades — one with the Houston Texans, one with the New England Patriots, and one with the Tennessee Titans — before settling on staying at pick No. 35 in the SECOND round.
In exchange for Buffalo’s original first-round pick at No. 26 — where the Texans took Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge — as well as their third-round pick (No. 91), the Bills received picks No. 28, No. 69, and No. 167.
Pretty good, right?
Well, “Big Baller Beane” wasn’t done, apparently.
When the team was on the clock at pick No. 28, the Bills once again swapped selections, this time with the New England Patriots, who took University of Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu.
The Bills received pick No. 125 in addition to No. 31 from the Patriots.
However, when it appeared that Beane FINALLY was about to make a first-round selection . . . he made another trade!
This time?
He swapped picks No. 31 (NE), No. 69 (HOU), and No. 165 for picks No. 35, No. 66, and No. 101 from the Tennessee Titans, who selected Auburn University’s Keldric Faulk at the end of the first round before the Seattle Seahawks finished things off with Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price at No. 32.
A little confused? Me too.
But, to recap, the Bills ultimately gained two fourth-round picks and moved up 25 spots in the third round in exchange for sliding back just nine picks from No. 26 to No. 35, as well as two places in the fifth round from No. 165 to No. 167.
So, despite not getting to grab a new player on opening night, the Bills now wind up with the following picks below, which includes valuable added assets in the middle rounds.
Round 2
No. 35 (From Tennessee)
Round 3
No. 66 (From Tennessee)
Round 4
No. 101 (From Tennessee)
No. 125 (From New England)
No. 126 (Original)
Round 5
No. 167 (Houston)
No. 168 (Original)
Round 6
No. 182 (Original)
Round 7
No. 220 (Original)
Who might the Bills pick on Friday? Well, we’ll just have to wait and find out.
Round 2 and 3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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