2026 NFL Draft: What I would have done in Brandon Beane’s place

Beane took TJ Parker, the edge rusher, out of Clemson. I understand it completely. Parker has real upside as a three-down player and a potential full-time starter down the line — that’s a legitimate argument and a real strength of this pick.

I still would have taken Cashus Howell.

What I was looking for at 35 was a true pass-rushing specialist — the kind of player who makes quarterbacks miserable on obvious passing downs. Think Nik Bonitto in Denver. When I watched Parker’s tape, I saw a 4-3 defensive end profile. A good one, but not the profile I was hunting. Howell, to me, is that pass-rush specialist. The get-off, the repertoire, the way he attacks blockers in space — he fits the role I was targeting. He went to Cincinnati at 41. Six picks later. This was the moment.

Pick 62: The Pick I Keep Coming Back To

“IGB”, as they call him at One Bills Drive, the cornerback from Ohio State. Good prospect. That’s not the argument.

My problem is the business logic. We already have Christian Benford locked in on a big contract at CB1. We already used a first-round pick on Maxwell Hairston a year ago at CB2. Those are two massive investments — real money and real draft capital — at the same position. And now you’re trading up in the second round to add another cornerback whose only path to becoming a starter requires one of your two existing huge bets to bust?

I’m not saying corner depth doesn’t matter. It does. Benford has missed time three years in a row. Hairston dealt with injuries in year one. You need real players behind them. But there were other positions in this draft where a second-round pick would have given you a player with a clear path to starting in year one — no one ahead of him, no sunk costs blocking his path. Corner depth could have been addressed in the fourth round or later. And as you’ll see, it was.

I would have taken Chris Bell out of Louisville.

Yes, he’s coming off a torn ACL. That’s a real risk. But before that injury, he was a first-round conversation — legitimate lottery ticket at the back end of round two. If he comes back healthy, you’re looking at a borderline elite receiver who fell to you because of circumstance, not talent. That’s exactly the kind of bet this offense should be making. If he just becomes that for Miami…ugh.

Pick 101: Jackson Was Right There

Beane took Jude Bowry, the offensive lineman from Boston College. I’ll give him this — Bowry is talented, he’s versatile, and if the staff genuinely sees him pushing for the left guard job, that’s a real role on a real team. He can protect the quarterback, and he fits what Brady has used up front. It’s a defensible pick.

I still would have taken Darrell Jackson Jr.

Jackson is the kind of piece a three-man defensive front can weaponize. He moves. He’s disruptive at different alignment points, can kick inside and give you some non-traditional nose tackle (as the Bills love it seems) reps in a pinch. In a draft where I had already spent picks on an edge rusher and a receiver, getting a potential contributor — maybe even a starter — in the trenches at 101 was exactly the move. Three picks, three guys with a real path to impact. That was the plan. I’m not walking it back.

Picks 125 and 126: Two Moves That Made Sense Together

At 125, Beane took Skyler Bell. Love him there, but I had already taken Chris Bell in the second round, so going back to wide receiver made zero sense. I took Kyle Louis, the linebacker out of Pittsburgh.

I like Kaleb Elarms-Orr more and more as I watch him. He might actually be the better fit next to Terrel Bernard long-term — and I don’t see Bernard losing that job anytime soon unless he can’t stay healthy again. But I had Louis higher on my board. He can contribute alongside Bernard on clear passing downs and, if something goes wrong with Bernard’s availability again, he becomes the answer. That’s real depth at a position that’s been a quiet concern.

At 126, Beane took Elarms-Orr. I went with Kamari Ramsey, the safety out of USC.

He was falling for no good reason. A hybrid who can play in the box or split out, the kind of piece that disguises coverages and makes life difficult for quarterbacks trying to pre-snap decode a defense. What I want to add here: next to Cole Bishop, Ramsey isn’t just a depth piece. He has a path to the starting lineup, potentially sooner than people expect. Name recognition doesn’t equal current on-field value, and Ramsey was slipping past teams that should have known better.

Pick 167: Corner Depth — On My Terms

Beane took Jalon Kilgore. I like the pick. But I took Hezekiah Masses, the cornerback.

Here’s the place this makes sense — not in round two. There’s a massive difference between spending second-round capital and a trade-up on a cornerback with a blocked path, and taking a corner in the fifth as quality depth. These are not the same decision. Benford misses time. Hairston went down last year. You need a real player at corner three — not a camp body, not a street free agent scramble in October.

And there are options available. Tre White remains a free agent. There were other good corner prospects available here up to round seven. Corner depth was never going to go unaddressed. I just wasn’t going to overpay to get there.

Pick 168: A Good Fit Differently Arrived At

Beane took Zane Durant, the defensive tackle from Penn State. I can see the vision — he’s an Ed Oliver-type, the plan B as Oliver eventually ages out, light and quick enough to create interior chaos in the pass rush. My hesitation with that profile is the same it’s always been: lighter defensive linemen playing inside are a liability against the run, and you better have a scheme built to compensate for that. Hopefully, Leonhard has the answers there.

I went with DJ Campbell, the guard out of Texas.

Big, strong, and durable — Campbell barely missed a snap in four years in Austin. His pass protection efficiency numbers were excellent. He’s a people mover, the kind of interior lineman who fits exactly what this offense wants to do — create displacement, open lanes, not just survive blocks. Great value at this point in the draft. If he develops the way I think he can, this is a pick that looks very smart down the road.

Pick 219: Beane Nailed This One

Toriano Pride Jr. out of Missouri. I said it during our live show, and I’ll say it here:

Pride ran a 4.32. He’s 22. He closes throwing windows as fast as anyone in this class, sets traps in zone coverage by inviting throws he has no intention of allowing to be completed, and in man coverage, he is stuck to receivers like a second jersey. He bounced from Clemson to Missouri and didn’t break out until his final season — some people called that a red flag. At 22, I see a late bloomer. There’s a real difference.

This is a seventh-round pick with mid-round talent. His physical tools and his production in his final college season both translate. I expect him to push Igbinosun for real snaps earlier than most people think. And honestly? Pride being available in the seventh is another reason why trading up in the second for a cornerback was unnecessary. The class had answers at this position. You just had to be patient enough to find them.

The Final Picks

I closed with Garrett Nussmeier and Red Murdock.

Nussmeier, the quarterback out of LSU, was going way earlier on my pre-draft board. I genuinely don’t know why he fell as far as he did. Getting him here is exceptional value. He gives the quarterback room something it desperately needs: real competition and some talent to work with. The Shane Buechele project remains unclear to me. Kyle Allen doesn’t exactly inspire confidence either. Nussmeier walks in and upgrades the potential behind Josh Allen in that room.

Murdock, I’m confident about as a special teamer from day one. I also think there’s more there — give him time next to Terrel Bernard and you might find a thumper who can hold his own. His talent to hit hard and generate fumbles, a modern-day Brandon Spikes that late in the draft? Awesome value.

On the punter: I like the plan for Tommy Doman Jr. entirely. The preparation was real — the new special teams coordinator did his homework, traveled, ran workouts, studied tape before making this call. Doman played two seasons in Michigan before Florida, so the cold-weather concern is basically a non-issue.

My one honest question: Mitch Wischnowsky has been dependably good. Consistent, reliable, everything you want from a punter. Can the rookie actually beat him out? This is a team that wants to win NOW. Will they trust the rookie over the vet? That battle will tell us a lot about how much they trust their scouting process.

Final Thoughts

I liked Beane’s draft. I might actually like it over mine when everything is said and done. The biggest divergence was that second-round corner — a decision that shifted my entire board and sent me down a different path. But when I lay both classes side by side, we addressed most of the same positions. We just got there differently.

That’s the whole point of this piece. We’re quick to criticize GMs from our couches. So what would we have actually done with the picks? Now you know what I would have done. Now you can hold it against me.

Check back in three years.

Feel free to share your plans in the comments section. I’m curious and always here for a good Bills discussion. Go Bills!

Catch up on all this and more with the latest edition of**Leading the Charge!**