Buffalo Bills in the fifth round if the NFL draft (144th pick) of the 1995 draft. Holecek was drafted by Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy. Holecek also played for NFL coach Wade Phillips. Holecek had hoped to be drafted by his hometown Chicago Bears, and had discussions with the new head coach Dave Wannstedt. The Bears instead drafted Sean Harris from Arizona, who had a brief NFL tenure. Holecek reported to the perennial Super Bowl bound Bills rookie camp in April 1995. He played six seasons with the Bills, averaging over 14 starts his last three seasons. Holecek flourished as an inside linebacker in Phillips' defensive 3-4 system. He also briefly played middle linebacker in a 4-3 alignment when injuries caused Coach Phillips to switch defenses mid-season. John emerged as a defensive stalwart and on-field coach for the Bills, notching an incredible 414 tackles from 1998 to 2000 and became known for his technique and football acumen. Holecek started eight games over the course of his first three seasons with the Bills (1995-1998). After playing in only one game his rookie season due to injury, Holecek was ready to be a regular contributor to the team in 1996 before another knee injury suffered in the first preseason game forced him to spend the entire year on injured reserve. Holecek also pursued completion of his MBA degree these seasons. In 1997 Holecek provided the first glimpse of his promising future as he recorded 86 combined tackles in eight starts (14 appearances). Head coach Marv Levy stated decades later that Holecek was one of his favorite NFL players to coach. In 1998 Holecek led the Bills with 133 tackles in his first season as a full-time starter and was named the team's recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award. Holecek was credited with a career game high of 21 tackles during game film review of the Miami Dolphins Wild Card playoff game. That season the Bills improved to the fifth-rated run defense in the NFL—up from 15th the year before. In 1999 Holecek tallied 116 combined tackles, including 63 unassisted, to go along with one sack, one interception, six passes defensed and two forced fumbles. Holecek's remarkable season also included a career-best 22-tackle outing in a Wild Card Playoff game played at Tennessee. His finest campaign came in 2000 when he started all 16 games and had a career-high