Bills GM Brandon Beane's honest reason for prioritizing corners in the draft

Following the Buffalo Bills' selection of Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun with the 62nd overall pick on Friday night, general manager Brandon Beane engaged with reporters and provided an answer that was largely unrelated to that specific choice.

"I would say that will impact our team. If you look at it, corners are premium positions. If you just look at who makes top dollars in the league...and if you look at our season last year, it’s happened before, John... those guys are all going to play. They’re going to play. It’s a long season, and when you have corners that are not capable, they get bullseyes on them real fast. And especially when you’re playing the primetime quarterbacks, the primetime offenses in this league. I can tell you this: if there is another good corner tomorrow, we’ll take him." Beane said.

He continued:

"Like, think of how many guys we went through last season that played in the playoffs for us or helped us get to the playoffs, so you’re gonna need those guys... and again, you’re suiting up guys not only to fill in as a backup but also to help you on fourth down too," he stated.

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He referred to the past season, when the Bills cycled through various cornerbacks merely to reach the playoffs, with some of them taking on important roles they never anticipated.

His mindset explains well enough why Igbinosun's selection is understandable.

The 6-foot-2, 189-pound corner from Ohio State was part of a Buckeyes defense that led the country in nearly every statistical category in 2025. Igbinosun finished last season with 52 tackles and eight pass breakups while allowing zero touchdowns in coverage across the year. 

Buffalo requires additional support. However, Beane has observed enough high-stakes corners getting exposed on national platforms that he determined this discussion should take place initially, not afterward in the process.

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