Bills DE Bruce Smith rushes Miami quarterback Dan Marino on Oct. 9, 1994. Jamie Germano / USA TODAY NETWORK

Revisiting Buffalo Bills' best draft class ever exactly 40 years ago

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Ralph Ventre | Last updated Apr 15, 2025 9:43 AM ET

They hit on the No. 1 overall pick and proceeded to find another Hall-of-Famer in Round 4.

Throw in the fact that they also picked up a longtime backup quarterback who orchestrated the great comeback in NFL history, and it's understandable why Sports Illustrated ranked the Buffalo Bills' 1985 draft class as the best in franchise history.

With the 2025 NFL Draft a little more than one week away, SI's Gilberto Manzano identified "The Best Draft Class for Each NFL Team" and he took Bills Mafia back to the genesis of the four-year Super Bowl run.

Building the foundation that would go onto capture four consecutive AFC championships starting in 1990, Buffalo made Virginia Tech defensive end Bruce Smith the first overall selection in 1985. He retired, and remains, as the NFL's all-time sacks leader.

Selected at No. 86 overall, Kutztown's Andrew Reed would eventually team up with Jim Kelly to make one of the most-prolific QB-WR duos in league annals. Twenty-nine selections earlier, the Bills took Maryland quarterback Frank Reich who brought stability to the No. 2 QB spot, and with Kelly injured, led Buffalo to back-to-back playoff victories on the way to Super Bowl XXVII.

"Those who quickly thought of the 2018 class because of Josh Allen should go on YouTube and watch highlights of Bruce Smith, possibly the greatest pass rusher the NFL has ever seen. Smith, the 1985 No. 1 pick, is the league’s all-time career leader with 200 sacks. Eighty-five picks after Smith, Buffalo selected Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Andre Reed. Former Colts and Panthers coach Frank Reich was drafted by the Bills in the third round of that memorable class," said Manzano.

For the younger fans, we're not ready to declare any of the picks as future Hall-of-Famers, but the Bills' 2022 draft class looks pretty good right now, and that's despite missing on their Round 1 pick. With wide receiver Khalil Shakir, linebacker Terrel Bernard, cornerback Christian Benford and running back James Cook all becoming above average starters, 2022 could definitely be in the conversation down the road.

As for now, exactly 40 years later, the Bills head into the NFL Draft with 10 selections at their disposal. They have the franchise quarterback in place, but still need another piece or two to push them over the proverbial hump in the AFC.