The Buffalo Bills made a savvy move in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, selecting cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. out of Missouri with the 220th overall pick. And if you ask Pride, it was a moment he'll never forget.

"This is the best day of my life," Pride said. "It's every kid's dream. I've been dreaming about this since I was six."

Pride's journey to the NFL is a story of speed and determination. At the NFL Combine, he blazed a 4.32-second 40-yard dash, making him the second-fastest defensive player in this year's draft class. His athleticism also shone in high school at East St. Louis (Ill.), where he posted times of 7.12 in the 60-meter and 23.68 in the 200-meter as a track standout.

"My whole position is just off instinct," Pride explained. "Running with deep balls and reacting to receivers that are just as fast as me or faster—I just try to translate that speed to the football field. It's all cuts and angles. That's how the game is played now."

Pride's college career began at Clemson, where he overlapped with new Bills second-round pick TJ Parker in 2023. He then transferred to Missouri to compete in the SEC, facing some of the nation's best receivers. Over 26 games and 18 starts in two seasons, he recorded four interceptions and 12 passes defended. For his entire collegiate career—spanning 52 games—he finished with five interceptions, 16 pass breakups, a touchdown, and 82 total tackles.

"It's always good to go somewhere where you have somebody you know or have been with before," Pride said about reuniting with Parker. "It's great. I'm ready to work with him and get back to our connection we had."

Pride joins a Bills secondary that has been actively retooling this offseason. With his elite speed and instinctive play, he could carve out a role in the rotation sooner rather than later. For a seventh-round pick, his tape and athletic profile suggest he might have been a steal—and he's ready to prove it.