When it was confirmed that the Buffalo Bills were hiring Jim Leonhard as their new defensive coordinator, it was the start of a brand new scheme and hope that Leonhard could fix the mess that was on defense under Sean McDermott.
For as much as fans and analysts talked about the wide receiver position being a problem (understandably), the defense was the main reason why the Bills kept getting eliminated from the playoffs.
With Leonhard coming to Buffalo under Joe Brady, the defense will switch to a 3-4 defense which signals a true reset, which is exactly what the Bills need. Leonhard played a key role in Denver’s defensive scheme last season and now he gets his shot at controlling the defense in Buffalo for 2026.
One thing that Buffalo has to address to give Leonhard a shot to get the best out of his defense is bringing in more linebacker help. Right now, the two penciled-in inside starters are Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams. As for the outside, that’s where it will get interesting to see where guys like Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb line up.
Either way, the Bills have to bring in depth and a potential starter who could make an impact in the next year or two. With that, we broke down the four linebackers that the Bills must strongly consider drafting during the NFL Draft.
Bills must strongly look at these 4 linebacker prospects in NFL Draft
CJ Allen, Alabama
If the Bills wanted to with linebacker in the first round, CJ Allen would be the perfect fit to kick off their draft. He’s tough, he can pick up great speed when chasing down the ball carrier, and he is someone who can blitz well which is what Leonhard should want to have.
In his three-year career at Georgia, Allen finished with 205 total tackles and 10 pass deflections. If the Bills can get him late in the first round, it would be a solid start for their draft class.
Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
Now, if Allen wasn’t available or if the Bills were to believe in Jacob Rodriguez more even with Allen on the board, it would not be a bad selection at all. NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Rodriguez to Browns’ linebacker Carson Schwesinger, who just won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Coming out of Texas Tech, Rodriguez is coming off of back-to-back 100+ total tackle seasons along with 7 forced fumbles last season. He has been a name that has been rising in draft boards and he could sneak into the first round for sure. At No. 26, the Bills may find themselves a hidden star in Rodriguez.
Jake Golday, Cincinnati
With the way that Golday plays, the Bills could utilize him as a linebacker that is near the line of scrimmage a lot. Standing at 6-foot-4 and 239lbs, he’s a massive linebacker who can set the tone without any problem. Buffalo already has a linebacker in Dorian Williams who is a solid run-stopper and can deliver hard hits. Adding Golday to the mix would give them another option to enforce physicality.
Josiah Trotter, Missouri
Josiah Trotter comes from a true football family, where both his father played and his brother currently plays in the league. Trotter has the ability to bring a heavy blitz in the middle of the defense and has solid speed to chase down the ball carrier. With solid size and the ability to lay a huge hit, the Bills would be getting yet another opportunity to draft someone who can set the tone on defense.