Believe it or not — Buffalo Bills rookies will report to training camp St. John Fisher University tomorrow. We aren’t quite back to football yet. But it’s getting close. Very close.
With the rookies front-of-mind, I compiled a ranking of the first-year Bills based on how much I believe they will contribute in 2026.
10. OT/OG Jude Bowry
The Bills selected Bowry in Round 4, and that’s the round-grade I had on him. As a draft analyst, when that alignment occurs, it’s nirvana.
However, these rankings aren’t strictly based on my pre-draft evaluations of each player. The Bills are apparently going to give Bowry a run at tackle to start his career, and there are three — if not four — players ahead of him on the roster, Dion Dawkins, Spencer Brown, Tylan Grable and 2025 draftee Chase Lundt.
It would not surprise me if Bowry eventually passes Lundt on the depth chart to position himself as the backup swing tackle, but the former Boston College star does need to get noticeably stronger — a statement I can make for just about every rookie blocker each season.
Because of that need to add power, I view Bowry as more of a player to be stored and developed for the 2027 season than an instant impact rookie, which is why he’s at No. 10 on this list.
9. OG Ar’Maj Reed-Adams
I really liked Reed-Adams as a prospect. I had a third-round grade on him, therefore the Bills selecting him in Round 7 represented one of the larger steals in the entire draft based on my pre-draft evaluations compared to actual draft results.
Why I elected to put Buffalo’s last 2026 draft pick at the second-to-last spot here instead of No. 10 — what Reed-Adams may lack in lateral quickness and pure explosion he compensates with close to NFL-caliber power, and some of that is due to his age.
Reed-Adams will be 25 in November and spent the last two years blocking in the SEC after a stellar career at Kansas. At nearly 6’6” and 314 pounds with offensive-tackle length — 88th percentile arm length and 98th percentile wingspan — he’s a specimen, and on film at A&M he deployed his arms as real weapons at the point of attack.
The Bills lost David Edwards in free agency, and even though the likes of Alec Anderson and Austin Corbett project as the two candidates for the vacant starting left guard job, I expect Reed-Adams to surprise in training camp and the preseason before serving as an emergency — but capable — backup on the interior of Buffalo’s offensive line.
8. DT Zane Durant
We aren’t exactly sure what Jim Leonhard’s defense will look like — beyond drawing conclusions from his time at Wisconsin and in Denver — so everything regarding the players on said defense is drastically more of a guess that it was during the Sean McDermott era.
I didn’t adore Durant on film as a prospect, yet his athletic and analytics profiles were outstanding, a combination that always leads to hesitancy regarding a prospect’s round grade.
Ultimately, my pre-draft grading formula spit out a Round 5 grade on Durant, and the Bills picked him with the final selection in that round.
With Durant, there are some physical and skill-set similarities to John Franklin-Myers, and being a draft pick of the new defensive regime will undoubtedly work in his favor during his rookie season. I don’t think Durant has the pass-rush move arsenal to regularly win one-on-ones in his first year as a professional. Explosiveness only takes interior defensive linemen so far in the NFL.
How threatening his first step proves to be will determine if Durant plays like 10-20% of the snaps as a rotational piece throughout the season or if he’s a practice-squad mainstay in Year 1.
7. Tommy Doman Jr.
I don’t typically scout special teamers before the draft — simply because I have so many other prospects to get to — so I can’t provide anything pre-draft about Doman, so I’ll keep this short.
I think Doman has his work cut out for him to beat Mitch Wishnowsky for the starting punter gig. Then again, teams typically don’t draft kickers/punters and cut them four months later. Also, if he does win the punter job, he’ll of course contribute in 2026 yet not as sizably as other rookies.
6. CB Davison Igbinosun
IGB is quite polarizing — I had a third-round grade on him, and the Bills made him their second selection in the 2026 draft in the second round.
Because of their reasonably high investment in him, Buffalo’s defensive staff will likely give Igbinosun every opportunity to win considerable playing time as a rookie. I, personally, don’t necessarily believe he can beat out Maxwell Hairston for the starting outside cornerback gig opposite Christian Benford.
But we do know how Buffalo’s cornerback depth has been tested during the Josh Allen era (which doesn’t automatically mean it’ll happen again). And Igbinosun does have more size than Hairston, so there’s a chance he’s utilized in specific matchups throughout the season.
Igbinosun’s an aggressive albeit unspectacular tackler, and I’m concerned he’ll get hit with the grabby label by referees early in his career. If he’s on the field, his play will be very important to Buffalo’s collective defensive effort.
5. CB Toriano Pride Jr.
Going bold here — but not just for dramatic effect.
The combination Pride Jr.’s specific athletic/skill profile, and the opportunity within the Bills defense make the seventh-round pick much higher in these rankings than his draft slot would indicate. I had a fourth-round grade on him.
About equally as sized as Hairston — with close to the same measured athleticism — Pride Jr. is the exact type of late-round cornerback who can surprise as he develops in the NFL.
He’s going to miss some open-field tackles like he did at Missouri, yet his ball production and suddenness should translate to the professional game. Pride Jr. is precisely built to handle high-caliber separators in today’s NFL, particularly from the slot. However, because he’s 5’10” and 185 pounds with experience on the boundary, there’s versatility to his game too. I expect a strong camp and preseason filled with impact plays.
4. DB Jalon Kilgore
I thought highly of Kilgore as a prospect — he carried a third-round grade in my system — and his safety-slot defender-dime linebacker versatility is appealing.
He could absolutely serve as Buffalo’s primary “big nickel” option when the much smaller Dee Alford is forced off the field by a big slot receiver or a tight-end heavy opponent.
However, Kilgore will have to compete with the likes of the similarly sized/athletic Jordan Hancock and potentially the pure safety options on the roster like Geno Stone and Damar Hamlin, and even Wande Owens for that niche role.
Then again, I can’t confidently write that any of those other options enter the season with a firm grasp on the full-time big nickel role.
Kilgore is a highly explosive, former SEC Swiss Army knife, and if the Bills are now to prioritize dynamic athleticism and pure speed to the football, Kilgore will be a prime candidate to see the field more than most fifth-round rookies in the Bills new defense. I’m excited about him.
3. EDGE T.J. Parker
No-brainer here — Buffalo’s first selection in the 2026 draft makes the Top 3 in these rankings.
To summarize my thoughts on Parker — he’s an upgraded version of A.J. Epenesa with considerably more upside than Epenesa brought to the NFL in 2020. I had a second-round grade on him.
And for as much as I felt the Bills needed what Brandon Beane often refers to as a “designated pass rusher,” I do understand why Buffalo decided to go with Parker, a clear high-floor option at the EDGE position. He’ll be able to generate positive plays against the run right away, and has enough of a burst + pass-rush move combo to threaten some lower-level tackles in his rookie season a rotational piece on pass plays.
Do I expect him to play 60% of the snaps?
No.
I envision a gradual uptick in his playtime as the soon-to-be 22-year old gets his legs under him setting the edge and pinning his ears back in obvious passing situations. Don’t sleep on Parker’s speed-to-power conversion either.
1b. LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr
I initially wanted to rank Elarms-Orr at No. 1 here, as he was my favorite selection the Bills made in the 2026 draft. Instead I went with 1A and 1B distinctions for he and his fourth-round counterpart listed below.
I had a first-round grade on Elarms-Orr — I have no idea how he was available in the middle of the fourth round.
He’s a upper-echelon athlete for the off-ball linebacker position, became a proven coverage defender at TCU, starred as a blitzer, and didn’t have a tackling reliability issue in college. Plus, Elarms-Orr brings the correct, hair-on-fire demeanor to the field to make a stellar first impression in camp and the preseason to potentially earn a contributing — or even starting — job on this Bills defense.
The presence of Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams at inside linebacker represent the only reason Elarms-Orr wasn’t the runaway No. 1 player in these rankings.
1a. WR Skyler Bell
Bell is a speedy separator, the exact type of receiver many were clamoring for leading up to the 2026 Draft for the Bills to pick — most just expected that choice to be made earlier than the fourth round.
I had a late Round 2 / early Round 3 grade on Bell after watching his tremendous UConn film and factoring in everything he did at the 2026 combine, which included a 4.40 time in the 40-yard dash and a 98th percentile vertical.
Bell gets the slight nod over Elarms-Orr simply because I see a more available path to playing time — as the No. 3 receiver gig is wide open.
I wouldn’t be shocked if it takes time for Bell to hone some of the outstanding route-running potential he displayed in college, yet he didn’t become a draft prospect simply due to his route-running ability. He proved to be a reliable contested-catch winner, was regularly solid after the catch, and demonstrated reliable hands throughout his time at Wisconsin and UConn. Like Elarms-Orr, I believe Bell’s feisty demeanor will be integral to the youthful receiver making an serious impact on this Bills team in 2026.