How Have Bills' NFL Draft Visits Impacted their 1st-Round Selections?

Buffalo has selected several top-30 visit players dating back to 2015

Apr. 11, 2026 at 9:24pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting fragmented football players and draft prospects, representing the complex and multifaceted nature of the NFL Draft process.The Bills' draft strategy of leveraging top-30 visits has yielded mixed results, with both hits and misses among their first-round selections.Buffalo Today

Top-30 visits have become commonplace for NFL teams like the Buffalo Bills before the NFL Draft. According to former KFAN1003 host Kent Weyrauch, Buffalo is middle of the pack across the NFL in terms of converting top-30 visits into first-round selections, with the Bills reportedly selecting 44 percent of its first-rounders after top-30 visits. However, the real number is actually five, including players like Josh Allen, Ed Oliver, and Tremaine Edmunds.

Why it matters

While top-30 visits can have an impact on draft selections, the Bills have not put all of their eggs into that basket. The success rate of players selected after top-30 visits is mixed, with some hits like Allen and Oliver, and some misses like Kaiir Elam.

The details

The Bills have selected five players in the first round after top-30 visits since 2015: Maxwell Hairston (2025), Kaiir Elam (2022), Ed Oliver (2019), Josh Allen (2018), and Tremaine Edmunds (2018). The Bills have also used top-30 visits for their Day two and three picks, with some hits like James Cook, Dawson Knox, and O'Cyrus Torrence, and some misses like Vosean Joseph, Jack Anderson, and Nathan Peterman.

  • Since 2015, the Bills have selected five first-round picks after top-30 visits.

The players

Josh Allen

A record-setting QB who has claimed the NFL MVP award.

Ed Oliver

A moderate success for the Bills on the defensive line.

Tremaine Edmunds

A moderate success for the Bills at linebacker.

Kaiir Elam

A clear miss for the Bills in the first round.

Maxwell Hairston

A promising player, but his rookie year was hampered due to injury.

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What they’re saying

“Top-30 visits have become commonplace for NFL teams like the Buffalo Bills before the NFL Draft.”

— Kent Weyrauch, Former KFAN1003 host

The takeaway

While top-30 visits can have an impact on draft selections, the Bills have not put all of their eggs into that basket. The success rate of players selected after top-30 visits is mixed, with some hits and some misses, so the Bills have to carefully evaluate the value of these visits in their overall draft strategy.