ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Brandon Beane winced at the mention of cornerback Kaiir Elam’s name.
Successful as the Bills general manager has been identifying talent in the NFL draft — quarterback Josh Allen, linebacker Terrel Bernard and receiver Khalil Shakir among them — over the past seven years, the misses remain a source of frustration. Elam, perhaps, stands out the most.
“That’s a tough one. It really is. I’m going to get emotional because I love Kaiir,” Beane said last month of having to give up on the 2022 first-round pick by trading him to Dallas. “Ultimately, it’s on me. I made the selection that didn’t work out, and I own that and you don’t want those to happen.”
Elam represents a cautionary tale for a Bills team Beane and coach Sean McDermott have transformed into one of the NFL’s elite. Buffalo has won five consecutive division titles and, last season, reached the conference championship game for the second time over that span — losing both times to the Chiefs.
The price of success, however, places a premium on Beane having to cycle game-ready young talent onto the roster to keep his salary cap manageable. And it comes with the additional challenge of having to constantly pick near the bottom of the order, which is no different this year.
With 10 selections overall, the Bills open the draft with the 30th pick, the sixth consecutive time they’ve not had a top-20 slot. Buffalo does have three selections among the top 62 picks with an additional second-round choice (56th) acquired in the trade that sent receiver Stefon Diggs to Houston.
Beane broke even in 2022 by landing starting cornerback Christian Benford in the sixth round. Elam’s failure to pan out, however, leaves a hole in the secondary, which Buffalo is anticipated to address with one of its top three selections.
“That’s what you got to hit on, is the draft and then developing the players,” McDermott said, discussing roster management with the Bills spending heavily on retaining their core to long-term extensions this offseason, highlighted by Allen’s new six-year, $330 million deal. “Free agency is what it is, regardless of your budget. But at the end of the day, the draft is the most important thing.”
Needs
Most of Buffalo’s needs are on defense. Aside from cornerback, the Bills lack depth along the line and linebacker, with eighth-year starter Matt Milano showing signs of wearing down and entering the final year of his contract.
Don’t Need
The offensive line group returns mostly intact. Running back shouldn’t be an issue, though starter James Cook’s status bears monitoring. Cook is entering the final season of his contract, and negotiations on a long-term extension have so far come up empty. Beane told reporters at the NFL owners meetings he’s turned his attention to the draft when asked about the status of Cook discussions.
Long-term deals
Cook was the lone exception in Beane securing long-term extensions with core players. Allen, Bernard, Benford, Shakir and edge rusher Greg Rousseau are all signed through at least 2028.
Free agency
The Bills made several notable additions in free agency by signing edge rusher Joey Bosa, receiver Josh Palmer and defensive linemen Larry Ogunjobi and Michael Hoecht. Ogunjobi and Hoecht, however, are expected to miss the first six games of the season serving NFL suspensions for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancers.