Bills go the obvious route in NFL mock draft after DJ Moore trade

The NFL Draft is set for next month and up until Thursday, the Buffalo Bills were destined to spend their first round pick on a wide receiver. That was until they traded for wide receiver DJ Moore from the Chicago Bears. Buffalo acquired Moore and a 2026 5th-round pick in exchange for the Bills’ 2nd-round pick this year.

With the acquisition of Moore, the Bills don’t have a massive need at wide receiver but there is still room for improvement. However, depending on what happens in free agency, the Bills may not need to use their first pick on a wide receiver.

While wide receiver was Buffalo’s biggest need on paper considering what has happened the last two seasons, they have a good amount of holes to fill on defense. With Jim Leonhard now running the defense for the Bills, Brandon Beane will have to bring in players that will fit Leonhard’s scheme.

Bills take obvious route in latest NFL mock draft after DJ Moore trade

With the Bills having a little bit of stability at wide receiver with Moore, Jordan Reid from ESPN has the Bills going with defense in the first round and selecting Georgia linebacker CJ Allen at No. 26 overall in a recent mock draft.

"With the switch to a 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, the Bills need to have an active presence up the middle of their defense. Because of that, I thought about going nose tackle (another massive need) at this spot, but instead I'm giving Buffalo an instinctive second-level defender. Allen has the potential to transform the Bills' defense with his physical, tone-setting play, as he is a seek-and-destroy linebacker with excellent range." said Reid.

Coming from Georgia, Allen would more than likely become an immediate starter for Buffalo’s defense and replace Matt Milano, who is set to hit free agency. Allen had an incredible career at Georgia with over 200 total tackles, 10 pass deflections, and 4.5 sacks. 

His game is similar to Milano’s where he can play sideline-to-sideline at a high level. He is quick and he has great pursuit towards the ball.

Adding him to the Bills’ defense would be a great start to the Jim Leonhard era for Buffalo’s defense. For nearly a decade, the Bills have had one type of defense that had its great moments, but it was a liability for the last couple of seasons. 

With Leonhard now running the show, that should change but there has to be talent for him to utilize. Adding someone like Allen would be a solid start.