The Buffalo Bills successfully maneuvered their way completely out of the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night thanks to three separate trades to slowly inch their way back while increasing their overall Day 2/3 pick arsenal.

Now that the trades have been announced, the team is scheduled to select twice on Friday night at picks 35 and 66 overall (the latter a 25-pick jump from where they were originally set to pick before the NFL Draft began). The team is also in a position to move back into the third round as well thanks to acquiring the first pick in the fourth round thanks to their third and final trade of the night with the Tennessee Titans. Many good players at positions of need still remain on the board as we roll on with a brand new set of picks.

Let’s discuss the best available defensive players on the board heading into Day 2 with a focus on positions of need for the team.

T.J. Parker, EDGE (Clemson) — The 21-year old edge rusher out of Clemson had his eyes set for the top 10 based on preseason hype. But, much like many other Clemson defenders, that hype was stunted with a more lackluster 2025 campaign that has now seen him fall completely out of the first round. Parker is a solidly built prospect (6’3” 265-pounds) who possesses a solid set of tools. While he can convert speed to power as a rusher, he needs to fill out more to his arsenal with keeping his hands and body clean on his way to the quarterback. He’s a player that could firmly be in play at pick 35.

Zion Young, EDGE (Missouri) — Young represents more of a high floor option likely to go top of round 2. He’s got plenty of NFL size and length you look for of a grownup defensive end. Young plays with a ton of nasty in the run game and that’s where he lives as a pass rusher. His upside is more on the limited side because of some of the minute athleticism limitations. He does play with a ton of effort and power, but you have to understand the floor and ceiling aren’t far apart.

Cashius Howell, EDGE (Texas A&M) — Howell provides something a bit different to the table with speed, burst, twitch, and bend. The concerns with Howell come with overall length (31” arms) and size (6’2” 255-pounds). Those concerns are likely to be fixed with how he can be washed in the run game and taken advantage of due to those limitations. In the same breath, Howell has traits you can’t teach with burst and bend to threaten the edge. Howell has big-time sack upside, but the concern is that he might just be a pass rush specialist and limited to third downs. Howell is a competitive dude, but you can’t fix the size and length issues.

R Mason Thomas, EDGE (Oklahoma) — Thomas’ profile isn’t all that different from Howell — undersized speed rusher with a lack of length that will, at times, force him to become undone in the run game. Thomas does possess some speed to power ability despite being 6’2” 240-pounds. While Thomas may never be a fully fleshed out three down player, this is a fun player to add as a potential rush specialist to get after the quarterback.

R Mason Thomas speed-to-power 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/PQVbfmu549

Gabe Jacas, EDGE (Illinois) — A braulic edge with some vertical athleticism, Jacas offers an intriguing blend of traits. He’s a bit tightly wound, but Jacas has a high motor and developed hand usage for a player who hasn’t turned 22 years old yet. Despite having the size thresholds most teams covet, Jacas still has his struggles against the run. The hope is an NFL team gets a hold of him and assists in some of those deficiencies. Where he wins is with big man twitch and technical hands, but the marriage with run defense technical work is the next step.

Keyron Crawford, EDGE (Auburn) — Another player with excellent burst and athleticism. He plays a much different game than his first round counterpart Keldric Faulk. He didn’t test athletically during the process, but the tape shows a very good athlete. Crawford has versatility to play in multiple fronts with a 6’4” 250-pound frame. He’s not a player who wins with strength. He’s another high motor guy who blends his rush moves optimally. Similar to others on this list, Crawford struggles as a run defender because of his overall lack of strength.

Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE (Penn State) — Dennis-Sutton tested as a ridiculous athlete between numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine and his Pro Day. The athletic numbers show a fast, explosive, and agile player. But the tape says something a bit different. He’s a huge body at over 6’5” with over 33” arms. He’s got a good array of pass rush moves in his arsenal. Despite the athletic testing, he’s still available because his rush isn’t very deceptive or particularly difficult for offensive tackles to deal with from a twitch/athleticism standpoint. The tape doesn’t necessarily match the athletic testing which makes his landing spot/career arc a fascinating one.

Kayden McDonald, DT (Ohio State) — McDonald has an excellent first step for a pure nose tackle. He’s got ridiculous power in his hands that pairs extremely well with that first step explosiveness off the ball. His tackle production (65 total; 9 tackles for loss) is a ridiculous number for a nose tackle who worked in a rotation for the Buckeyes. The knock on McDonald is that he’s a nose tackle with potentially limited pass rush ceiling based on his lateral twitch and how raw/limited his pass rush move arsenal is as of right now. If you need a nose tackle and don’t have much worry about the pass rush ability, McDonald makes sense. He likely comes off the board early on night two.

Christen Miller, DT (Georgia) — Miller is another nose tackle projection — but he offers a bit of a different flair in that regard. He’s a more laterally quick player that may have more of a pass rushing upside than a typical nose because of that big man quickness. He’s got legitimate knockback power and strength against the run (hence the nose projection). Despite some of the upside within, he’s not been a productive player on the raw stat sheet in his time at Georgia. He only registered 11.5 tackles for loss in his entire career. So while he may look better on tape in what you see in a package for a nose, the finishing is a bit of a question mark for him.

Christen Miller is a top 30 player on my board thanks to his powerful hands, strength, and technique pic.twitter.com/2szc1vl4bO

Lee Hunter, DT (Texas Tech) — Another big man who projects as a nose tackle is Hunter. The UCF transfer is a mass of humanity in the middle with a huge upper body. He’s got a level of quickness that makes him interesting and tough to deal with as far as shear size and unexpected quickness goes. He’s got stone blocks for hands and discards with authority. Some of the knocks on Hunter are his testing came back relatively poor at the Combine (21 1/2” vertical-jump). He’s got upside to be even stronger as a run defender, but his top-heavy frame makes him an awkward build and he can be leveraged off his spot in some situations. You’d like to think there may be more in the tank for a pass rush based on his footwork, but the poor explosive athletic numbers raise some questions.

Domonique Orange, DT (Iowa State) — Nicknamed “Big Citrus”, Orange is yet again a nose tackle option on day two. There aren’t many more gap shooting defensive tackles to be had the rest of the draft and that actually bodes well for the Bills’ needs. Orange is a perfect nose tackle size with plus length (33 3/8” arms). He’s a player who affects the game in a lot of ways as a run defender with strong hands and anchor at the point of attack. Unlike others on this list, Orange is far less likely to make the play to end the sequence and he doesn’t have the upside to be more as a pass rusher and his backfield production is modest. He’s more likely to keep a play clean for his second level than be a true difference making force of nature. A player the film grinders will appreciate.

CJ Allen, LB (Georgia) — Allen was the heart of one of the. best defenses annually in college football the past couple of seasons at Georgia. He’s a good vertical and linear athlete that didn’t do much testing, but reportedly ran in the high 4.4s at a private workout just before the NFL Draft. That shows up on film. This is a very smart, disciplined football player who you can expect to fulfill his responsibilities to the highest extent. He’s a bit stiff as he drops into coverages and needs to develop more feel. Allen is among the more responsible, reliable players with immediate starting ability available to begin day two.

CJ Allen (3) processing + avoiding blockers + making the stop by getting under the QB & dumping him pic.twitter.com/c6Jg77rRFa

Jacob Rodriguez, LB (Texas Tech) — Rodriguez was a Heisman Trophy Finalist as a senior which tells you a lot of what you need to know about him as a playmaker for a high ranking Red Raiders defense. The production is a lot while testing as an elite athlete throughout the process. This is a very instinctual football player who can bring the fight in the gaps to finish plays. He does lack ideal length and overall size for the position which will limit him in some capacities, but you can’t ignore the athletic profile and production combination with him.

Anthony Hill Jr, LB (Texas) — Hill is a former elite high school football prospect who still feels like he’s putting the whole package together. He started as he stepped on campus at Texas and produced dividends immediately. Hill backed up his high profile with excellent athletic testing during the process. He’s a fast playing football player which can be a huge feather and his cap and also a deterrent when NFL offenses look to play with his eyes. He could also afford to be more of an impactful player in coverage for his athletic profile. Overall, Hill has teachable traits but he’s much more of a run-and-chase athlete than a player truly playing off of keys on a consistent basis.