Bills GM Brandon Beane's 5 biggest draft busts of last 6 years

Brandon Beane has received a great deal of criticism during his tenure for failed high-draft picks.

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Brandon Beane is coming up on his eighth draft as Buffalo Bills' general manager.

Hired as the Bills GM shortly after the 2017 NFL Draft, Beane landed reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen with his first-ever pick and added star nickel corner Taron Johnson later. Since that 2018 draft, however, Bills fans' have been very critical of Beane's early-round draft picks.

Beane has had his share of misses, and we'll get to that later, but he's had some tremendous scores in the first two days. A list that includes running back James Cook, linebacker Dorian Williams, offensive guard O'Cyrus Torrence, and linebacker Terrel Bernard. We aren't, however, here to discuss the good ones, so let's get into the worst of Beane's early-round draft busts.

5. A.J. Epenesa - Edge

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A.J. Epenesa was drafted in the second round, 54th overall, of the 2020 draft. He's recorded 21.5 sacks and 44 quarterback hits. He's managed at least six sacks in each of the last three seasons. The issue with Epenesa is his plays tend to come in bunches and disappears at times. His lack of consistency from week to week, and being a second-round selection, is why he lands on this list.

4. Zack Moss- Running back

Zack Moss was a third-round pick of Beane's in the 2020 draft. Moss never became the type of powerback the Bills envisioned when making him the 86th overall selection. In just under two and a half seasons in Buffalo, Moss ran for 917 yards and eight touchdowns. He was traded to the Colts during the 2022 season. Moss has been in the league for seven seasons and played for three teams. He is currently with the Bengals.

3. Boogie Basham - Edge

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Boogie Basham was the 61st overall pick in the 2021 draft. He stayed with the Bills for only two seasons, before the Bills traded him to the Giants. In two years with the Bills, he managed only 4.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits. He's been even less productive with the Giants with no sacks through two seasons.

2. Cody Ford - Offensive guard

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Cody Ford was selected by the Bills in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was the 38th overall pick in the second round. The Bills rotated him often between guard and tackle, but he never caught on at either position. He stayed in Buffalo for three seasons, after which he was traded to the Cardinals. After one season with the Cardinals, he signed a free-agent deal with the Bengals.

1. Kaiir Elam - Cornerback

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This probably won't surprise anyone to see Kaiir Elam at the top of this list. He was selected in the first round of the 2022 draft (23rd overall). Elam has never been able to take advantage of any opportunities to stay on the field. As a rookie, Elam was beaten out by a sixth-round draft choice from the same draft for the starting job, Christian Benford. Elam has played three seasons with the Bills and has only two interceptions.

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