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Bills predicted to sign AJ Epenesa despite drafting T.J. Parker.

The Buffalo Bills introduced 10 new players during the 2026 NFL Draft, and they are set to take the field for the first time this weekend at the rookie mini camp.

Bills New Draft Class Numbers

One of the key steps for the Bills’ draft class to hit the field is getting their numbers ready for practices and workouts. Buffalo has revealed the jersey numbers that its draft class will wear this offseason, with T.J. Parker sporting No. 99.

The numbers provided were from Alec White at BuffaloBills.com.

• OLB TJ Parker — No. 99
• CB Davison Igbinosun — No. 21
• T/G Jude Bowry — No. 74
• WR Skyler Bell — No. 13
• LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr — No. 52
• S Jalen Kilgore — No. 29
• DT Zane Durant — No. 92
• CB Toriano Pride Jr. — No. 32
• P Tommy Doman Jr. — No. 39
• G Ar’maj Reed-Adams — No. 60

The Bills selected Parker with the 35th overall pick, which was the third choice in the second round. Buffalo entered the 2026 NFL Draft holding the 26th overall pick but ended up making three trades in the first round. Ultimately, it chose Parker with their first pick in the draft.

It was no surprise that the Bills decided to draft a pass rusher with their first selection, considering they needed to strengthen every area of their defense. Yet, it was unexpected that the Bills didn’t choose in the first round when it seemed like Buffalo needed to add a key impact player.

Parker could certainly be a key player from Day 1, but typically, first-round picks have a better chance of stepping into that role right away. If the Bills overlooked players who could contribute immediately in the draft to take Parker, who may not be ready to impact the team this season, it could end up costing them.

Brandon Beane on Drafting Parker

The Bills’ decision to select Parker over several other players on the board faced some criticism from draft experts. However, general manager Brandon Beane explained their enthusiasm for the former Clemson pass rusher during a one-on-one interview with Tyler Dunne from Go Long.

“He’s a three-down player. We think he has shown plenty of rush,” Beane said on April. 30. “His sack production was down this year, but that can be for a lot of reasons. You don’t want to overreact to that. We did a two-year study on a number of these rushers and D-Lineman in this draft — outside ‘backers now in our new system. And when you look at that, you saw a guy that can play three downs, can play the run, can help you get there.”

Parker played three seasons at Clemson, where he totaled 126 combined tackles, 41 tackles for loss and 21.5 sacks across 39 games. Yet, last season he didn’t make a significant impact, recording only 9.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in 12 games. In 2024, he had an impressive season, racking up 19.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, showing that the Bills could still tap into Parker’s potential.

The Bills are just beginning their offseason program, and it will be interesting to see how the rookies perform this summer as they head into training camp and preseason games.