ORCHARD PARK – From the moment Buffalo Bills president/general manager Brandon Beane sent his 2026 second-round pick to the Chicago Bears as part of the DJ Moore trade in March, it seemed like his pre-draft mission was to somehow get it back.
Thursday night, he executed three trades in the span of about 30 minutes, and not only did he avoid picking a player with his original first-round slot at No. 26 where the value wasn’t going to be great, he acquired the third choice in the second round, No. 35 overall, where the value will be excellent, no matter who he picks.
Beane did not meet with reporters after the trading frenzy was complete, but on Monday he had a press conference and he was asked about whether he’d consider trading out of the first round.
“I’ll always listen, yeah,” he said. “Don’t have the two, so yeah, we’ll see. We’ll see what’s there.”
Turns out there was plenty there and not only did Beane get back into the second round, he’s early in the second round. He also leaped forward 25 spots from his original third-rounder at No. 91 to No. 66.
When the night began, the Bills had only three of the first 126 picks. Now they have six in the first 126. There’s simply no reason why Bills fans should be upset.
Now, assuming he finally decides to actually pick someone as oppose to moving assets around the chessboard when the second round begins Friday night, who would be the best candidates? Here are a few ideas:
Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M
There were six edge rushers taken in the first round, but Howell was not one of them. It seems pretty clear why. His arm measurement at the scouting combine was revealed to be 30 ¼ inches, and historically speaking, that’s not good for edge rushers because NFL offensive tackles are usually long-armed and can get their hands on short-armed players more easily.
However, Howell would add the type of speed the Bills’ edge rusher group lacks, and now that we’re into the second round, the 2025 SEC defensive player of the year would be a better value pick.
The Bills’ edge/OLB depth chart includes Greg Rousseau, Bradley Chubb and Michael Hoecht, a solid threesome for sure, but all of them lack Howell’s speed. His 10-yard split at the combine was 1.58 seconds, tied for fastest among all edge rushers who tested with Ohio State’s Arvell Reese who went No. 5 to the Giants.
Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
Many draft analysts don’t see the value in taking an off ball linebacker in the first round, and sure enough, the only one picked was Ohio State’s Sonny Styles at No. 7 to the Commanders. Styles was far and away the best off ball prospect, but Rodriguez may be next, and now he’s an excellent value if the Bills pick him at No. 35.
I really don’t understand the logic of not taking a linebacker early, especially in Buffalo’s case. Right now, the Bills have Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams as their starting inside linebackers. Bernard is undersized and injury prone, Williams is a liability in coverage and heading into the last year of his contract, and both have been inconsistent performers.
Besides Styles, Rodriguez is arguably the most complete linebacker in this class. He made plays all over the field for Texas Tech and was so good that he won three national defensive player awards, was Big 12 defensive player of the year, first-team All-America, and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Why is the first round too early for a player like that?
He needs to improve in coverage, but as Brady said recently, in today’s NFL you need linebackers who can do a little bit of everything, and that’s Rodriguez’s superpower.
Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State
Like linebackers, analysts also don’t think defensive tackles provide true first-round value. The two who were picked were Caleb Banks at No. 18 to Minnesota and Peter Woods at No. 29 to the Chiefs, but they are both more 3-tech players.
Buffalo needs a nose tackle type player because its run defense was terrible in 2025 and there were several reasons for that. Bad tackling was a big issue at every level, but up front, the Bills were not well equipped as Ed Oliver missed most of the season, DaQuan Jones began to show his age, and the depth was awful as there were far too many snaps taken by Jordan Phillips, Zion Logue, Phidarian Mathis and Larry Ogunjobi.
Fixing the run defense is one of new coach Joe Brady’s biggest goals because, as he said, “If we stop the run, we’ll give Josh Allen the ball a few more times.” McDonald is the guy to do that. He’s a run-stuffing, double-team absorbing 325-pounder who can play early downs, short yardage and goal line, and while he’s not a great pass rusher, he can certainly push the pocket and perhaps develop as time goes on.
CJ Allen, LB, Georgia
Some analysts had him as a late first-rounder, but most saw him going early in the second, so he should be in play at No. 35 because neither the 49ers or Cardinals are in need of an off ball linebacker.
Allen was a stud at Georgia where he played in many big-time games in the SEC, and Field Yates of ESPN thought he’d be a great pick for the Bills.
“Especially with a scheme shift where things might look a little bit different under a base 3-4, you might see size become more of a premium for the Bills at linebacker,” Yates said. “They’ve had some unbelievable success stories at linebacker, Matt Milano probably the most notable of a guy who you sacrifice size for speed, instincts and range. But going forward in a 3-4 scheme, a guy like CJ Allen from Georgia has excellent size, is a natural quarterback (for the defense).”
Anthony Hill, LB, Texas
It’s possible that picking him at No. 35 would be too early, but at No. 66 in the third round, there’s a chance he’d still be there, and he’d be a huge get in that range.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote of Hill, “An impressive size-speed prospect, Hill brings athletic versatility to the field with his range versus the run, speed as a blitzer and change of direction in coverage. Though he shows a feel for play development around him, he is more of a decisive ‘see-ball, get-ball’ player than a defender who relies on anticipation. His stack-and-shed efficiency must improve, but he plays with the toughness to evade blocks, carom off contact and continue his pursuit.”
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Best available players for Bills on Day 2 of NFL Draft
Reporting by Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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