The 2026 NFL season hasn’t even happened yet, but it’s still never too early to put out early projections for the 2027 NFL Draft because we all know that the NFL season flies by way too fast. Week 1 of the preseason is already over but before you know it, playoffs will be here, and then the Super Bowl will be played.
The Buffalo Bills are entering this season with a new identity as compared to their last nine years under Sean McDermott. The team is still in the elite tier, but it is a new look under new head coach Joe Brady, and it all started back in January when he was hired. Brady looked solid in the Bills' first preseason win over the Carolina Panthers, but he still has much more work to do.
While Brady and his coaching staff are focused on this season, general manager Brandon Beane and his staff should be looking ahead to the future NFL talent at the college level. It's their job to see which NFL prospects that could be coming out of college could be on their radar.
Bills must figure out potential roster holes for 2027 sooner than later
It was no secret that the Bills went in a different direction this offseason, both for the long and short-term. Whether it was coaching changes or roster additions, the team is going to look different this season (and hopefully it’s for the better). With that being said, the players that are currently on the roster now may not be in Orchard Park this time next year.
That’s where Beane and his staff are going to need to see who could be playing in Buffalo for just this season. Or, at the very least, get an idea of what directions they will need to go for next year’s free agency and NFL Draft.
One position that could be a topic of conversation next offseason for the Bills is their safety position. They brought in guys like C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone in free agency, re-signed Damar Hamlin to a one-year deal, and then drafted Jalon Kilgore in the 5th round of the draft. They also have Cole Bishop and Jordan Hancock as well.
For now, the Bills find themselves where they could be losing three safeties who are only on the team contractually for one year. If that's the case, they will need to bring in more help there and they could very well do it in the 2027 NFL Draft, just like Sayre Bedinger from NFL Spin Zone is predicting.
Bills make confusing (but potentially smart) pick in 2027 mock draft
In Bedinger’s 2027 mock draft, the Bills selected Notre Dame safety Tae Johnson, who would be a great steal for the Bills late in the first round. Even though the Bills may not be thinking about it now, the safety position could become a position of need if they don’t re-sign anyone and if Kilgore doesn’t show signs of promise to become a starter in his second year.
"In his breakout year last year at Notre Dame, Johnson had 48 total tackles and four interceptions, showing off his ball skills. For a team like the Bills, you're looking for those last pieces of a championship squad that can make a difference in January. Having a guy who can take the ball a way like Johnson is exactly what they'll be looking for." said Bedinger.
Johnson is a dynamic player who could play well again in 2026 to where he may not fall to the end of the first round, which is where fans expect the Bills to be. In a Jim Leonhard defense (assuming that he is the defensive coordinator still in 2027), having the safety position solidified is important. So much can happen from now until next offseason, but fans may not want to forget about the possibility of the safety spot being a position of need.
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