Linebacker is a curious position for the Buffalo Bills heading into the 2026 NFL Draft. Terrel Bernard is set to man one of the inside positions in Jim Leonhard’s 3-4 scheme, but who his running mate in the middle will be is still a question general manager Brandon Beane needs to answer.
Dorian Williams and Joe Andreessen are the only other off-ball linebackers currently on the roster. Beane could opt to re-sign Matt Milano or Shaq Thompson, as both 32-year-old backers are still free agents. But until he does so, Bills Mafia has reason to expect the Bills to spend a draft pick at the position.
Luckily, despite the overall underwhelming nature of the 2026 NFL Draft class, the linebacker position has some depth to it. The Bills have been mocked routinely in the early rounds to target a player such as Georgia’s CJ Allen, or in the middle rounds with Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez.
However, there are always options beyond the most obvious candidates. Being that linebacker isn’t a premium value position, the Bills could roll the dice on a Day 2 linebacker that hasn’t been discussed quite as much while banking on his athletic profile to make a return on the investment.
Buffalo Bills’ linebacker search includes intriguing Day 2 athletic upside
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski recently looked at eight under-the-radar draft gems fans should familiarize themselves with, and linebacker Jake Golday out of Cincinnati has one emphatic reason to consider him as a Day 2 steal: his athletic profile practically mirrors that of Hall of Famer linebacker Brian Urlacher, as Sobleski pointed out.
“The comparison isn't made to presume the incoming prospect will be a Hall of Fame defender or that his skill set is exactly the same as a former high first-round selection,” Sobleski wrote. “It simply shows the physical profile Golday brings to the table and why NFL evaluators may be more interested in him than the general perception.”
Unlike Urlacher, who got his start at New Mexico as a safety, Golday began his college career as an edge defender. Comparatively, Golday is a bit slower, a touch more explosive, and a leaner linebacker overall. As Sobleski said, he’s not Urlacher, but his athletic profile should have teams intrigued enough to pull the trigger earlier in the draft than previously expected.
Of course, the Bills don’t have a second-round pick. Just like with UCF pass rusher Malachi Lawrence, Golday might be a candidate for the Bills to target in the second round if they choose to trade back from their No. 26 overall pick.
That said, the Bills have to be interested in a linebacker who pairs well next to Bernard. Golday appears to fit the bill, showing competency in filling gaps in the run game, playing sideline-to-sideline to cover the boundaries, and he hasn’t proven himself to be a liability in coverage. While that would give Buffalo two rangy off-ball backers in the starting lineup, that’s where the depth of Williams and Andreeson, two thumping-style backers, can fill in for short-yardage situations.
Linebacker is usually a tough position to find proper value in the draft. Plenty of solid linebackers go in each round every year, but too many are drafted on Day 1 who fail to make a first-round caliber impact on the field. No matter how big the need, fans understandably have a hard time justifying spending such high capital at the position. That’s why finding Day 2 value in a player like Golday can be more palatable, because the value of the selection has a chance of exceeding expectations rather than having to live up to lofty standards.
And for a player like Golday to have Urlacher-like athletic qualities in a modern frame, snagging him in the second round with some extra picks stashed in a trade back sounds enticing against an off-ball backer pick at No. 26.