The Buffalo Bills did not make a first-round pick at the 2026 NFL Draft but prior to the event, the team held onto it.
Months prior, it was not clear the Bills would have kept it. One connection to Buffalo potentially trading it in particular surrounded Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
According to general manager Brandon Beane himself, the Bills expressed interest in Waddle as far back as the trade deadline last season. Beane stated Buffalo had the “strongest offer” for Waddle at the trade deadline and a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero backed that.
It was reported Buffalo could’ve been offering up as much as a first-round pick at the 2026 draft but the deal did not happen. Instead, Waddle ended up being traded to the Denver Broncos in March, a team that is not Miami’s AFC East rival.
With no trade happening for Waddle or any player involving the Bills’ Round 1 pick, what did that selection turn into?
Time will tell how it works out, but after Beane traded back multiple times and completely out of the first round during this year’s draft. The Bills turned that one pick into quite a haul.
As pointed out by BillsOnReal, here’s what the Bills acquired with all their picks connected to that first rounder in the end… instead of trading the pick:
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Instead of Jaylen Waddle trade, what did Bills get with first-round pick?
Reporting by Nick Wojton, USA TODAY / Bills Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
