Meet T.J. Parker, Bills' 1st pick in 2026 NFL Draft after 3 trades down originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Buffalo Bills traded down three separate times on Thursday night and never even made a first-round pick.
So the first pick of their 2026 NFL Draft came at No. 35 overall, early in the second round. They didn't trade this time. They picked T.J. Parker, an edge rusher out of Clemson.
It was a definite need for the Bills. They brought in Bradley Chubb this offseason, and they still have Greg Rousseau, but they had needs behind them.
Joey Bosa is still a free agent, and so is A.J. Epenesa. Parker can step in for those guys.
2026 NFL DRAFT HQ:Live tracker | Pick-by-pick grades | Best players still available
T.J. Parker, full name Tomarrion, is a 21-year old from Knoxville, Tennessee.
He was an Army kid, so he moved around a lot as a kid.
He played his high school football in Phenix City, Alabama, where his head coach was Patrick Nix, the father of Broncos QB Bo Nix.
Parker was a four-star high school recruit originally committed to Penn State before ending up at Clemson.
He played right away for the Tigers and really broke out as a sophomore.
In 2024, Parker had 57 tackles, including 19.5 for loss, and 11.0 sacks. He set a Clemson record that season with six forced fumbles.
Parker regressed in 2025 with 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks.
The Bills' hope will be that he can resemble 2024 Parker more than this recent season of Clemson all-around struggle.
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He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.68 seconds and had a 34-inch vertical jump and 10-foot broad jump.
Parker is a big-time athlete who will bring potential to the Bills' defense.
Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors might persist for a while
Steelers' 1st-round pick didn't play football until college
Eagles and Cowboys have made a trade like this before