As the 2026 NFL Draft continues to draw near, the Buffalo Bills know they’ll have to use some of their limited resources in the draft to address their new-look defense under defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
One of the more important needs is still on the edge, despite the free agent signing of veteran Bradley Chubb. Chubb, while still a high-level player heading into his age-30 season, has dealt with many significant injuries throughout his football career. On the other side of the defense, Gregory Rousseau hasn’t quite reached elite status, at least not as a pass rusher.
Finding young upside on the edge in the draft is on Bills Mafia’s wishlist in April. However, with both starting positions manned by the veterans, general manager Brandon Beane can afford to be patient and look for value on the edge. With that in mind, there may be a pass rusher flying under the radar in the 2026 class that the Bills will want to keep a pulse on.
Buffalo Bills could target Malachi Lawrence after potential trade-back scenario
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski recently highlighted eight potential diamond-in-the-rough prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft, and one name should stand out to Bills fans, that being UCF’s Malachi Lawrence.
“The first-team All-Big 12 performer is 6'4" and 253 pounds, with near 34-inch arms, 4.5-second 40-yard-dash speed and the flexibility to bend the edge,” Sobleski wrote on Tuesday. “He was more productive in college than Danielle Hunter and Odafe Oweh, while presenting very similar physical attributes.”
Sobleski pointed out that a recent B/R mock draft actually saw Lawrence taken in the first round despite not carrying a status as a top-75 prospect on their big board. Lawrence, who had 19.5 sacks over three years with the Knights, is the No. 44 overall prospect on NFL Mock Draft Database, which has seen his stock steadily rise throughout the process.
While Lawrence may well be in play at No. 26 overall, if the Bills feel at all confident that he can last until the second round, they may be able to take advantage with a trade out of the first round to land his services on Day 2 of the draft.
The knock on Lawrence’s scouting profile is his usefulness against the run. That area of his game still needs development, which means he isn’t a three-down player on Day 1, which could caution teams from spending a first-round pick on him, even if his pass-rushing skillset is so tantalizing.
The idea of the Bills trading out of the first round to recoup some picks to fill out the roster’s depth has been floated around even before the team parted with its second-round pick for D.J. Moore. That idea certainly seems more promising if the Bills can move back and still acquire a talent such as Lawrence to beef up the pass rush. Lawrence would be able to rotate in on passing downs or step in if one of the veterans goes down while rounding out his game on a rookie contract.
The Bills have many routes to finalizing a pass rush unit that brings more promise than recent years. But landing a prospect like Lawrence with great value while also easing the effort to fill out other areas of the team is the type of route that Bills Mafia would like to see Beane entertain this spring.