Best 6 Buffalo Bills Draft Picks of All-Time

Buffalo Bills are one of the best football teams in the NFL, and have a very rich history. As a die-hard fan, I feel they have a history like the Lakers in the NBA. If you need tips for the NBA, you can check out liontips.com/tips/basketball 

Ok, maybe the Lakers were a little rich, being they have won 17 championships, the most recent being the 2020 Finals against Miami Heat, but the Bills are a pretty hot team right now. The Bills are actually favored to win the Super Bowl this year on many betting sites.

Since the Bills have a rich history, I figured I would talk about five players who I feel are the best draft picks in Bills history!

1. Jim Kelly

When you think about the glory days, you have to have Jim Kelly as the top guy. To think Kelly did not even want to be a Buffalo Bill is crazy. After telling the world he did not want to play with the Bills, Kelly decided he would meet with the team. While meeting with the team to negotiate his contract, a Bills secretary mistakenly let Bruce Allen, general manager of the rival United States Football League’s Chicago Blitz, reach Kelly on the telephone; Allen persuaded Kelly to leave the meeting.

Kelly later claimed that the USFL offered him his choice of teams because of the league’s interest in signing quarterbacks. He signed with the Houston Gamblers, who played in the climate-controlled Houston Astrodome, and said, “Would you rather be in Houston or Buffalo?”

Kelly would end up being the greatest Buffalo Bill after spending two years in the USFL. Kelly threw for 35,467 yards and 237 touchdowns. If Kelly could have just gotten one Super Bowl, it would have been amazing. Maybe Josh Allen can get it done…..

2. Bruce Smith

When you look at the best pass rushers in the NFL, there is no way you can leave out the NFL’s sack leader himself. Bruce Smith was drafted first overall in the 1985 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills and he would turn out to be a super star.

He like Kelly would play in four straight Super Bowls. Smith received 11 Pro Bowl selections and was named first team All Pro Honors 8 years. Smith was inducted into the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. Smith finished with 200 career sacks and 43 force fumbles.

3. O.J. Simpson

While O.J. Simpson is not known for his football skills anymore, he is easily one of the best draft picks in Bills history. The first overall pick of the 1969 NFL Draft would go on to win the MVP in 1973 and a 4x Rushing Title Champion.

Simpson attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1968, for the best football player in college.  He was the only player to rush for over 2,000 yards in the 14-game regular season NFL format.

His football career was overshadowed when he was arrested and charged with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. He would be acquitted of the murders, but charged at a later time for an armed robbery case where he spent several years of his life in prison. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

4. Josh Allen

I absolutely hated this pick when he was selected. I went bananas because I wanted Josh Rosen, but I can safely say I was nuts. The Firebaugh, California native has already become a great in Buffalo.

Allen was drafted 7th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, and he has immediately turned the Bills into a Super Bowl contender. After inconsistent play during his first two years, Allen had a breakout season in 2020 when he led the Bills to their first division title and playoff victory since 1995 en route to an AFC Championship Game appearance.

Allen also set the Bills franchise records for single-season passing yards and touchdowns, while earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors. Allen brought the Bills to a consecutive division title the following year, the franchise’s first since 1991, and became the first NFL quarterback to have a touchdown-scoring drive on every offensive possession of a game.

If he can get the Bills a Super Bowl, he will immediately jump to number 1!

5. Andre Reed

Probably one of the best late round picks ever in NFL history. The Buffalo Bills selected Reed out of Kutztown in the 1985 NFL Draft. The small school wide receiver was taken in the fourth round and would turn out to be one of the greatest pass catchers in NFL history.

Reed ranks near the top in nearly all NFL career statistical receiving categories. He went over 1,000 yards four times in a 16-year career, is 18th in NFL history in total career receptions with 951, 17th in NFL history in total career receiving yards with 13,198.

Reed is also 14th in NFL history in total career touchdown receptions with 87.

6. Thurman Thomas

The Buffalo Bills landed one of the greatest pass-catching running backs in the history of the NFL in the 2nd round of the 1988 NFL Draft.

The Oklahoma State running back who paired with Barry Sanders in college would go on to be a legend and the MVP of the NFL.

Thomas was a huge part of the “K Gun” Offense that was ran by Jim Kelly. He was a 5x Pro Bowler and like Kelly, Reed, and Bruce Smith, was a member of the four straight Super Bowl club.

Thomas was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007, and is still loved in Buffalo!