Sports

The Buffalo Bills' 5 Worst Draft Picks in the Last 10 Years

By HC Green Lindys Sports

Updated May 20, 2026 9:23 AM

Drafting is an inexact science. Even the best of the best miss for any number of reasons-injuries, poor scheme fit, off-the-field issues, lack of development, and so on. With the 2026 NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror, things should be quiet on the personnel side until training camps open in July.

With that in mind, it seems like the perfect time to go back over the last 10 drafts to identify picks which didn't pan out for each of the 32 clubs. Before we begin, let's set the ground rules: We're starting with the 2016 draft, so no players from the 2026 draft are eligible.

Now that we've established the parameters, here are the Buffalo Bills' five worst draft picks of the past decade:

Dishonorable Mentions

DT Adolphus Washington (80th Overall, 2016)
QB Cardale Jones (139th Overall, 2016)
WR Keon Coleman (33rd Overall, 2024)
DL DeWayne Carter (95th Overall, 2024)

5) P Matt Araiza, 180th Overall (2022)

Dubbed the "Punt God," Araiza was the first pick of the sixth round. The Bills handed him the punting job, cutting veteran Matt Haack. Before playing a single snap in the regular season, however, Araiza was released after he was accused of sexual assault. The lawsuit was ultimately dropped, and he's played the last two seasons for Kansas City.

4) WR Zay Jones, 37th Overall (2017)

While Jones has managed to hang around the NFL for nine seasons, he was jettisoned by the Bills for a fifth-round pick just five games into Year 3. That's a poor ROI for a second-rounder. It's made even worse by the fact that among the next seven wideouts taken after Jones were Cooper Kupp, Chris Godwin, and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

3) DL Boogie Basham, 61st Overall (2021)

Coming off a brutal overtime loss to Kansas City in the Divisional Round, the Bills decided they needed help along the defensive front. After tabbing Gregory Rousseau in Round 1, GM Brandon Beane went with Basham in the second. He'd spend two unimpactful seasons with the club before being dealt to the G-Men to swap a seventh-round pick for a sixth.

arena photography — Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

2) LB Reggie Ragland, 41st Overall (2016)

Buffalo traded its own second-round pick and two fourths to move up eight spots to draft Ragland, who most viewed as the top inside linebacker in the draft. Like Araiza, he would never play a snap for the Bills. Ragland missed his entire rookie year with a torn ACL, and he was traded to the Chiefs for a 2019 fourth-round selection in 2017.

1) CB Kaiir Elam, 23rd Overall (2022)

Elam's physical tools made him a star at Florida, but he's failed to make his mark at the highest level, struggling with penalties amid a tendency to grab and hold. The Bills gave up on him after three seasons; Dallas, which traded for Elam before last season, cut him after 10 games. Like others on this list, he'll hope things fare better for him in Kansas City.

This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 9:00 AM.