The
NFL draft, officially known as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting",[10][11][12] is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment.[13] The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings; the teams with the worst win–loss records receive the earliest picks. Teams that qualified for the
NFL playoffs select after non-qualifiers, and their order depends on how far they advanced, using their regular season record as a tie-breaker. The final two selections in the first round are reserved for the
Super Bowl runner-up and champion. Draft picks are
tradable and players or other picks can be acquired with them.[14]
Before the merger agreements in 1966, the AFL directly competed with the NFL and held a separate
draft. This led to a massive bidding war over top prospects between the two leagues, along with the subsequent drafting of the same player in each draft. As part of the merger agreement on June 8, 1966, the two leagues held a multiple round "
common draft". Once the AFL officially merged with the NFL in 1970, the "common draft" simply became the NFL draft.[15][16][17] The
first AFL draft was held prior to the start of the
1960 season. The first round of the 1960 AFL draft was territorial selections. Each team received a "territorial pick" which allowed them to select a single player within a pre-agreed upon designated region (the team's "territory"). Teams then agreed on the top eight players at each position, who were subsequently assigned to teams by random draw, with each of the eight teams receiving one of those players. This process was repeated until all 53 roster spots were filled.[18] Beginning in the
1961 draft, the AFL, using the same system as the NFL, began to assign picks based on the previous season's standings.[19]
The Bills did not draft a player in the first round on six occasions.[20] Five of the team's first-round picks—
Joe DeLamielleure,
Carl Eller,
Jim Kelly, O. J. Simpson, and Bruce Smith—have been elected to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame;[23][21] one of these, Carl Eller, chose not to play for the Bills and joined the NFL instead.[24] The Bills used an additional two first-round picks in the 1960s to select players—
Ernie Davis and
Mike Dennis—who also chose to sign with the NFL instead.[25][26]
^The first round of the 1960 AFL draft was territorial selections. Teams were allowed to select a single player from a designated region (their "territory").[18][21]
^Buffalo traded running back
O. J. Simpson to the
San Francisco 49ers in exchange for their 1978 second- and third-round selections (Nos. 38 and 65 overall), 1979 first- and fourth-round selections (Nos. 1 and 83 overall), and 1980 second-round selection (No. 29 overall).[38][39]
^Buffalo traded their 1980 first-round selection (No. 10 overall) to the
Seattle Seahawks in exchange for their 1980 first- and third-round selections (Nos. 16 and 71 overall).[40]
^Buffalo traded their 1981 first-round selection (No. 23 overall) to the
Los Angeles Raiders in exchange for their 1981 first- and third-round selections (Nos. 28 and 83 overall).[41]
^Buffalo traded their 1982 first- and fourth-round selections (Nos. 21 and 106 overall) to the
Denver Broncos in exchange for their 1982 first-round selection (No. 19 overall).[42][43]
^Buffalo traded linebacker
Tom Cousineau to the
Cleveland Browns in exchange for their 1983 first-round selection (No. 14 overall), 1984 third-round selection (No. 77 overall), and 1985 fifth-round selection (No. 119 overall).[44][45][46][47]
^Buffalo traded their 1984 first-round selection (No. 14 overall) to the
Miami Dolphins in exchange for their 1984 first- and two third-round selections (Nos. 26, 79, and 82 overall).[51][46]
^
abLinebacker
Chip Banks was included as part of a trade for the first overall pick in the 1985 supplemental draft.[M] Based on a provision of the trade agreement, the
Cleveland Browns were forced to give Buffalo their 1985 first-round selection (No. 7 overall) because Banks did not show up for his physical with Buffalo.[54][55]
^
abBuffalo traded their 1985
supplemental draft first-round pick (No. 1 overall) to the
Cleveland Browns in exchange for linebacker
Chip Banks,[L] a 1985 third-round selection (No. 63 overall), and their 1986 first- and sixth-round selections (Nos. 16 and 154 overall).[52][47][53]
^Buffalo traded a 1985 first-round selection (No. 7 overall, received from
Cleveland Browns)[L] to the
Green Bay Packers in exchange for their 1985 first- and second-round selections (Nos. 14 and 42 overall).[56][47]
^Buffalo traded their 1986 second- and third-round selections (Nos. 29 and 56 overall) to the
San Francisco 49ers in exchange for their 1986 first-round selection (No. 20 overall) and 1987 tenth-round selection (No. 273 overall).[53][57]
^Buffalo traded their 1987 first-round selection (No. 3 overall) to the
Houston Oilers in exchange for their 1987 first- and second-round selections (Nos. 8 and 36 overall).[58][59]
^
abBuffalo, in a 3-way trade involving the
Indianapolis Colts and
Los Angeles Rams, traded their 1988 first-round selection (No. 14 overall) and their 1989 first- and second-round selections (Nos. 26 and 53 overall) in exchange for the rights to linebacker
Cornelius Bennett.[60]
^Buffalo traded their 1998 first- and fourth-round selections (Nos. 9 and 101 overall) to the
Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for quarterback
Rob Johnson.[61]
^Buffalo traded their 2001 first-round selection (No. 14 overall) to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for their 2001 first and second-round selections (Nos. 21 and 51 overall).[62]
^Buffalo traded wide receiver
Peerless Price to the
Atlanta Falcons in exchange for their 2003 first-round selection (No. 23 overall).[63]
^
abBuffalo traded their 2004 second- and fifth-round selections (Nos. 43 and 144 overall) and their 2005 first-round selection (No. 20 overall) to the
Dallas Cowboys in exchange for their 2004 first-round selection (No. 22 overall).[64]
^Buffalo traded their 2006 second- and third-round selections (Nos. 42 and 73 overall) to the
Chicago Bears in exchange for their 2006 first-round selection (No. 26 overall).[65]
^Buffalo traded their 2013 first- and third-round selections (Nos. 8 and 71 overall) to the
St. Louis Rams in exchange for their 2013 first-, second-, third- and seventh-round selections (Nos. 16, 46, 67, and 222 overall).[66]
^
abBuffalo traded their 2014 first-round selection (No. 9 overall) and their 2015 first- and fifth-round selections (Nos. 19 and 115 overall) to the
Cleveland Browns in exchange for their 2014 first-round selection (No. 4 overall).[67]
^
abBuffalo traded their 2017 first-round selection (No. 10 overall) to the
Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for their 2017 first- and third-round selections (Nos. 27 and 91 overall) and their 2018 first-round selection (No. 22 overall).[68]
^Buffalo traded tackle
Cordy Glenn, as well as a 2018 first- and fifth-round selection (Nos. 21 and 158 overall) to the
Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for their 2018 first-round selection (No. 12 overall).[69]
^Buffalo traded a 2018 first- (received from the
Cincinnati Bengals)[AA] and two second-round selections (Nos. 12, 53, and 56 overall) to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for their 2018 first- and seventh-round selections (Nos. 7 and 255 overall).[70][1]
^Buffalo traded a 2018 first- (received from the
Kansas City Chiefs)[Z] and third-round selection (Nos. 22 and 65 overall) to the
Baltimore Ravens in exchange for their 2018 first- and fifth-round selections (Nos. 16 and 154 overall).[70]
^Buffalo traded their 2020 first-, fifth-, and sixth-round selections (Nos. 22, 155, and 201 overall), as well as a 2021 fourth-round selection (No. 134 overall) to the
Minnesota Vikings in exchange for wide receiver
Stefon Diggs and a 2020 seventh-round selection (No. 239 overall).[71]
^Buffalo traded their 2022 first- and fourth-round selections (Nos. 25 and 130 overall) to the
Baltimore Ravens in exchange for their 2022 first-round selection (No. 23 overall).[72]
^Buffalo traded their 2023 first- and fourth-round selections (Nos. 27 and 130 overall) to the
Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for their 2023 first-round selection (No. 25 overall).[73]