The Buffalo Bills entered the 2026 NFL Draft with a gaping hole on the defensive line, at the edge especially. They answered that need Friday night, selecting Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker with the 35th overall pick, the first selection of Day 2 after the Bills traded down multiple times on Thursday.
Parker spent three seasons with the Tigers and posted career totals of 126 tackles, 41.5 tackles for loss, 21.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and six pass deflections across 39 games, according to On3‘s Nick Kosko. His best statistical season came in 2024, when he recorded 57 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and a school-record six forced fumbles — earning second-team All-ACC honors.
His final college season was a bit of a dip. Parker recorded 37 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks. But NFL evaluators largely attributed the dip to scheme and matchup factors, not a decline in ability.
T.J. Parker’s Scouting Report and NFL Projection
Parker stands 6-foot-4 and 263 pounds with 33 1/8-inch arms and a 79-inch wingspan. Bleacher Report‘s Matt Holder graded Parker at 7.9, a “Key Contributor” grade consistent with a second-round selection. Holder’s pro comparison for Parker was Bradley Chubb, who will now become Parker’s teammate after signing a three-year, $43.5 million free agent deal in March. Holder ranked Parker 23rd overall and third among edge defenders in his pre-draft rankings.
NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein projected Parker as a second-round pick and praised his hand technique as above average in both run defense and pass rush. “He strikes early to set very firm edges, then sheds quickly to finish tackles,” Zierlein said, as quoted by On3.
Zierlein also cautioned that Parker’s average burst off the edge would limit his pure speed-rush ceiling until he develops additional counter moves.
Yahoo Sports‘ Charles McDonald ranked Parker as the third-best player available entering Round 2, writing that the Clemson product has the frame to function as a true defensive end in a four-man front or add mass to operate in more multiple defensive packages, according to Yahoo Sports.
Buffalo Bills’ Edge Rusher Void After Joey Bosa Exit
The Bills arrived at this draft with an identified weakness at edge rusher. Joey Bosa, who signed a one-year, $12.6 million deal with Buffalo in March 2025, recorded five sacks and an NFL-high five forced fumbles before his contract voided in February. The 30-year-old entered unrestricted free agency and remained unsigned as draft weekend got underway.
Bosa’s production was second on the Bills in sacks last season, but his performance faded down the stretch. The veteran recorded no sacks over the final five weeks of the regular season and playoffs, and a roughing-the-passer penalty in overtime contributed to Buffalo’s divisional-round loss to the Denver Broncos.
Greg Rousseau remains the anchor of Buffalo’s defensive front after signing a four-year extension. Parker now slots in opposite Rousseau as the Bills look to develop a younger edge rotation under new head coach Joe Brady and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
Parker was a four-star recruit out of Phenix City, Ala., ranked the No. 7 edge prospect in the 2023 class. His immediate-impact freshman season, with 32 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 5 1/2 sacks, established him as one of Clemson’s most productive young defenders in recent memory. The Bills are betting that his college production translates to a starting-caliber role at the next level.
Bills Replace Joey Bosa With First Pick T.J. Parker of Clemson