Buffalo Bills fans waiting to hear their team’s top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft had to wait much longer than expected after the organization traded down three times during Thursday’s first round.
The Bills twice slid down the draft order while remaining in the first round, but they ultimately bowed out of the first round entirely with a third deal.
MORE: Track every Bills draft pick
Not picking in the first round is nothing new for Buffalo, as the Bills moved out of the round with two trades in 2024 before ultimately taking WR Keon Coleman with the top pick in the second round. After three deals, GM Brandon Beane now has plenty of additional ammo he can use to keep moving around in the draft.
Here’s a look at what the Bills gained from their three trades down and which players were taken with the picks they traded.
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Bills draft trade details The Bills technically traded three first-round picks and acquired two first-round picks on Thursday night, but that overcomplicates the ultimate result for Buffalo, which was a nine-pick slide down the board for some extra compensation.
Here are the complete details of each deal involving the Bills:
BUF trades 26, 69, 167 to HOU for 28, 91 BUF trades 28 to NE for 31, 125 BUF trades 31, 69, 165 to TEN for 35, 66, 101 After all of that wheeling and dealing, this was the final result of what was gained and lost.
Bills acquired:
No. 35 No. 66 No. 101 No. 125 No. 167 Bills traded:
No. 26 No. 91 No. 165 Buffalo entered the draft with seven picks and walked away from the first round with nine. The Bills slid down nine picks from No. 26 to No. 35, also dealing a late third-round pick and a fifth-round pick. In return, they acquired a high third-round pick, the top pick of the fourth round, an additional fourth-round pick and an additional fifth-round pick.
Along the way, the Bills dealt three picks they didn’t own before the start of the night: No. 28 and No. 31, plus the No. 69 pick acquired from the Texans and rerouted to the Titans.
MORE: Tracking every NFL Draft trade in 2026
Which players were drafted with picks Bills traded? The Bills traded out of picks No. 26, No. 28 and No. 31 on Thursday night. Here’s who was selected with those picks:
Pick Player Position Team 26 Keylan Rutledge OG Texans 28 Caleb Lomu OT Patriots 31 Keldric Faulk EDGE Titans The Texans surprised by taking Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge, who was projected to be a second-round pick, while the Patriots beefed up their own offensive line by using the No. 28 pick on Utah tackle Caleb Lomu.
After trading back into the first-round with the Bills’ help, the Titans made Auburn pass-rusher Keldric Faulk their second pick of the night.