Grading the trades: Bills fleece 3 AFC rivals and pile up meaningful draft capital to build a long-term foundation of the roster
The Buffalo Bills traded with the Houston Texans, New England Patriots, and Tennessee Titans to move down in the 2026 NFL Draft. General manager Brandon Beane flexes his muscles on one of the biggest weekends in all of sports.
The Buffalo Bills have moved down in the 2026 NFL Draft three times. The final trade means that Buffalo won’t have any first-round selections.
Right when the fun was about to begin, general manager Brandon Beane worked his magic and fleeced the Houston Texans, New England Patriots, and Tennessee Titans with three huge trades.
Initially, the Buffalo Bills move just two spots back in the first round and move up significantly in the third round, all while adding a fifth-round pick to boot in their deal with the Texans.
Then, when it was Buffalo’s turn to pick again, they made another deal. This time with the New England Patriots. It was pick No. 28 in exchange for No. 31 and 125. Once again, Beane is loading up with his draft ammunition
Finally, the team traded with the Tennessee Titans to completely get out of the first round. The Bills traded the No. 31, 69, and 165 picks for No. 35, 66, and 101.
Buffalo Bills trade down in the first round with the Houston Texans, New England Patriots, and Tennessee Titans
It cannot be overstated how big a victory this is for Beane and company. Moving two spots and getting all of that is highway robbery to begin with.
Then, instead of getting desperate, the team evaluated all options before pulling off yet another trade.
Finally, when the board just wasn’t falling the way they liked, they loaded up once again with even more draft ammunition in the trade with the Tennessee Titans.
Grading the trade for Buffalo
With the trade for former Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore, Buffalo didn’t own a second-round selection. They took care of that by getting one in the trade with the Tennessee Titans. They now hold nine picks in the remaining six rounds.
Nevertheless, just giving up two spots while adding a top of the third round selection is exactly the type of trade that Bills Mafia should be thrilled about.
Then, they got even more with the trade for New England, adding even more draft ammunition for Beane and company.
While Bills Mafia was desperately waiting for a selection, the team traded out of the first round with a third and final trade with the Tennessee Titans that netted them a second-round pick.
While it’s annoying waiting all night for the selection, only for it to be traded three times, Buffalo won in more ways than one by trading away the selections, all while getting valuable ammunition for later rounds.
At the end of the day, this is exactly what smart, disciplined teams do on draft night. They maximize value without sacrificing the board. Beane didn’t get desperate, didn’t overthink it, and still walked away with more ammo.
If this is any indication of how the rest of the weekend will go, the Bills aren’t just drafting; they’re dictating the board. That’s a dangerous place for the rest of the league to be in. Still, we would have liked to see one player’s name called in the first round.
Grade: B+
