The past few drafts have been chaos for the Buffalo Bills.
Between trades back into the second round, and even a few trades up, one thing has remained a constant for the team in their front office: newly promoted President of Football Operations, Brandon Beane.
Beane’s promotion this offseason was met with some backlash. Fans blamed him for the roster construction, while others felt it was time to move on from Sean McDermott.
As the offseason continues and news comes slower, now feels like the perfect time to reflect on the Bills’ last five first-round picks. Drafting is only a portion of the job, but it can help determine whether Beane deserved his promotion.
2025 Draft: Maxwell Hairston — B+
With the 30th pick in the 2025 draft, the Bills selected cornerback Maxwell Hairston. While Hairston was limited to 11 games and had some growing pains, he showed flashes of being great.
Whether it was marking Xavier Worthy in man coverage or Hairston’s two interceptions in three starts, there’s a lot to be excited about.
The reason this grade isn’t higher yet is that the sample size is too small. Also, the argument can be made that the Bills passed on better players to select Hairston, but that isn’t a fair assessment. The team needed a cornerback and took the best one available.
As things currently stand, Hairston is in line to start alongside Christian Benford this season. He’ll see a big rise from his 35.44 snap percentage last season, which will make it easier to assess this next year.
The conclusion to draw from this pick at the moment is that it was good. Beane made the right decision drafting Hairston, and that will become evident in the 2026 season.
2023 Draft: Dalton Kincaid — B+
In the 2023 draft, the Bills traded up in front of the Cowboys to select tight end Dalton Kincaid. Kincaid has served as one of Josh Allen’s go-to targets ever since the team traded away Stefon Diggs.
The talent with Kincaid is undeniable. When he’s on the field, the Bills are objectively a better football team. The problem is that he’s had numerous knee injuries over his first three seasons. Out of 51 regular-season games, he’s only played in 41.
During the 2025 season, Kincaid played in 12 games. He put up 39 catches for 571 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. He helped the team to a 10-2 record in these games and earned a Pro Bowl selection to go with it.
Giving the Kincaid pick a B+, just like Maxwell Hairston — will raise some eyebrows, but both players were great value. If they can stay healthy this upcoming season, they’ll continue to prove themselves as cornerstone pieces for the Bills.
This is another pick that people need to give Beane his flowers for.
2022 Draft: Kaiir Elam — D+
During the 2022 draft, the Bills traded up to select cornerback Kaiir Elam. He brought a unique style of play at the position that the roster had been lacking at that point. Elam was 6-foot-1 and excelled in man coverage during his time at Florida.
At the time, it seemed like a great pick for the Bills. However, he would struggle to see the field in three years with the team. The project that was Elam ultimately ran its course when he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys before the 2025 season.
While both sides likely wished for a better outcome, Elam did have some fun moments in Buffalo. As a rookie, he was thrown into the Bills’ Wild Card game against the Dolphins, where he had an interception.
The next season, he came back and had another interception against the Steelers in the Wild Card round that shifted momentum back in the Bills’ favor.
There were some good moments, and some fans never lost hope. This offseason, Elam signed with the Chiefs, where he’ll compete for a roster spot. This will be his fourth team in the last two seasons.
2021 Draft: Gregory Rousseau — A-
The Bills selected Gregory Rousseau with the 30th pick of the 2021 draft. While he might not have the greatest numbers or accolades to go with it, it was still the right pick.
In five seasons, Rousseau has racked up 32 sacks and asserted himself as one of the best run defenders in the entire league. Standing at 6-foot-6 with an astounding 83-inch wingspan, he’s able to make some tackles that are unexplainable.
With the hiring of new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, Rousseau is going to move to an outside linebacker position. He’s still going to rush the passer, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable to see an increase in his sack numbers this year.
The reason this is the highest grade so far is that the value at which he was selected was incredible.
The chances of finding a franchise cornerstone at the edge rusher position at pick 30 are extremely unlikely. Edge rusher is a premium position, which is why the best prospects at the position often go much earlier.
Just like the Hairston and Kincaid picks, Beane deserves his flower for this one too.
2019 Draft: Ed Oliver — A-
With the 9th overall pick in the 2019 draft, the Bills selected defensive tackle Ed Oliver. Going into the college football season that year, Oliver was seen as a candidate to go first overall. So, being able to snag him at nine was great value for the Bills.
Much like Kincaid, Oliver has the same issues. When he’s on the field, the Bills are objectively a better football team. The only problem is that Oliver has struggled to stay on the field in recent years.
In seven years with the Bills, Oliver has missed 22 regular-season games. When he hasn’t missed games, he’s struggled at times because of playing through injuries.
What’s still intriguing about Oliver is that he gets to play in a 3-4 defense this year, which plays to his strengths. It wouldn’t be surprising if he returned to his 2023 form, when he put up 9.5 sacks.
With all the time he’s missed, he still has 30 sacks in seven seasons. Those are great numbers for a defensive tackle.
Again, this was another great first-round pick by Beane.
The Verdict
Brandon Beane gets a bad rap for his struggles in the first round, but after further research, he’s been good. If the 2018 draft was included, things start to look even better. Between Allen and Tremaine Edmunds, 2018 was another great year.
Out of the Bills’ last five first-round picks, two have received second contracts and two more have become key pieces to the team’s success.
It’s not easy to select at the end of the first round every year, but that’s what comes with sustained success. At the time of Beane’s promotion, it might not have seemed like the right move, but as more time passes, it will be.
Beane will certainly be on the hot seat if the team continues to fall short, but in the meantime, his promotion wasn’t the worst move ever.
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