The NFL Draft is where contenders are built, and Super Bowls are won. Good teams become great teams when they draft well, but good teams stagnate (at best) or collapse (at worst) when they don't.
Looking at the Buffalo Bills depth chart as currently projected, it's clear that the team will enter the 2026 NFL Draft with many positional needs. A starting inside linebacker to partner with Terrel Bernard is the most glaring hole (assuming free agents Matt Milano and Shaq Thompson aren't returning to Buffalo), while versatile depth players are needed across the defensive line, throughout the secondary, and at wide receiver.
However, with the organization having recently traded their second round pick to the Chicago Bears in the DJ Moore trade, Bills general manager Brandon Beane must make the most out of his non-premium draft capital.
In this article, I will conduct a mock draft, offering a realistic scenario of what the Bills could do in the NFL Draft to improve the team's roster.
Eagles give Bills a trade package they can't refuse in 7-round mock draft
But first, a BIG mock trade:
Here's my rationale: Beane likes to trade down, and Eagles GM Howie Roseman is likely desperate for an instant impact starter at both wide receiver and edge rusher. The Bills have a wide variety of positional needs, and trading down for three Day 2 picks can help them address them with quality rookie talent. The Eagles, meanwhile, can address their two glaring positional needs with the 23rd and 26th overall selections.
After this hypothetical trade, the Bills full list of draft picks reads as follows:Â
- One 2nd round pick (54th overall)
- Two 3rd round picks (68th and 91st overall)
- Two 4th round picks (114th and 126th overall)
- Two 5th round picks (165th and 168th overall)
- One 6th round pick (182nd overall)
- One 7th round pick (220th overall)
Now, let's get started with the full mock draft:
Round 2, Pick 54: Anthony Hill Jr., ILB, Texas
As I mentioned earlier, the Bills desperately need a starting linebacker, and by my count, there are five linebackers I expect to see drafted in the second round.
I expect Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech) and C.J. Allen (Georgia) to be the first two off the board in this round, which leaves Anthony Hill Jr. (Texas), Kyle Golday (Cincinnati), and Kyle Louis (Pitt) available as potential selections for the Bills. In my opinion, Anthony Hill Jr. is the pick of the bunch and probably has the most potential of any inside linebacker in this draft class anyway.
An athletic marvel who closes gaps with ferocity and sound technique, Hill's decorated career as a Texas Longhorn was the culmination of his tireless motor combined with rapid growth in football IQ. He's quick to sniff out plays, gets from point A to point B quicker than anybody else on the field, and makes the play. He wore the "green dot" and served as a team captain in his junior (and final) season.
Hill's blitzing, tackling, run support, and physical traits are NFL-ready right now. A starting inside linebacker role in a Jim Leonhard defensive scheme that plays to these strengths could see Hill fulfill his immense potential as a Buffalo Bill.
Round 3, Pick 68: Bryce Lance, WR, North Dakota State
Beane has been tired of hearing chatter about the Bills needing to improve their wide receiver room, but even with the addition of D.J. Moore via trade, more talent is required to make Josh Allen's life easier under center. The Bills need an outside wide receiver who can separate downfield, stretching the defense with speed.
Bryce Lance is the smooth, long-levered brother of Los Angeles Chargers QB and fellow North Dakota State product Trey Lance. The wideout made a joke out of the FCS last season, posting an absurd 126 catches for 2,132 yards and 25 touchdowns over the past two seasons. A home run threat on every touch, Lance is equally comfortable behind the line of scrimmage (on screens and gadget plays) as he is taking on a cornerback one-on-one to create space downfield.
Yes, the step up from FCS competition to NFL Sundays is quite steep. But Bryce Lance has that rare combination of frame, speed, and scheme versatility that could make him an X-factor for whatever pro offense he joins. In this mock draft, the Bills snag Lance for Joe Brady and Josh Allen to unleash in 2026 and beyond.
Round 3, Pick 91: Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas
The Bills' depth at cornerback is paper-thin right now, even with the free agent addition of nickel back Dee Alford in the stead of the departing Taron Johnson (we'll miss you, Taron!).
In this mock draft, Beane addresses this by selecting Malik Muhammad, another freak athlete out of Texas who has logged plenty of snaps both at outside cornerback (his natural position) and nickel back.
The best compliment I can give Muhammad is that it only took a few games after he established himself as a regular starter at Texas for opposing quarterbacks to stop throwing the ball his way. Smooth footwork and fluid hips allow him to stick with his coverage assignments both in man and zone, but Muhammad's real calling card is his physicality at the catch point. He's also a nifty blitzer with plenty of juice as a tackler and sand in his pants to get off blocks against the run.
Muhammad is a very solid, well-rounded player who can provide the Bills with valuable depth at a position of need. What's not to like?
Round 4, Pick 114: Kaleb Proctor, DL, Southeastern Louisiana
I've already hung my hat on Kaleb Proctor as the player who will be looked back on years from now as the "biggest steal" of the 2026 NFL Draft, and I don't say this lightly.
A zero-star recruit from Oak Grove, Louisiana, Proctor transitioned from linebacker to defensive end to defensive tackle, and was both dominant and productive at each step along his journey.
His two-sack, three-TFL (tackles for loss) performance in Death Valley against No. 3 LSU put him on the map, and his name has been swirling around NFL front offices ever since.
Even with an underweight frame that will be expected to beef up in the pros, Proctor's genuinely surreal athleticism makes him a threat to disrupt the backfield from every spot along the defensive line. His otherworldly athleticism is combined with a tremendous nose for the football; one of the most impressive parts of his tape is his uncanny ability to keep himself square to the ball carrier, regardless of where he's lining up.
Some front offices may view Proctor as a project, if not an outright pass-rushing specialist. But with proper development in a scheme that can maximize his strengths, I'm confident that he will thrive. In this mock draft, it's Brandon Beane who bets on Proctor's enormous upside.
Round 4, Pick 126: Michael Taaffe, S, Texas
Out of all of the players I've included in this mock draft, I'd bet on Michael Taaffe as the most likely player who actually ends up being drafted by the Buffalo Bills in a couple of weeks. And for anyone wondering, no, I am not a Texas fan-- the football program is just doing a great job of producing quality NFL prospects right now.
The other Longhorns defensive captain (besides the aforementioned Anthony Hill Jr.), former walk-on Michael Taaffe, is a pass coverage savant. He expertly patrols "center field" as the last line of defense against deep throws over the top of the defense. Taaffe routinely disguises his movement to bait opposing QBs into making turnover-worthy throws, and even the best college QBs Texas faced knew better than to test Taaffe downfield. Taaffe's personal character has been lauded far and wide, and he was honored with the 2025 Wuerffel Trophy as the college football player "who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement".
Taaffe wouldn't start at safety alongside Cole Bishop right away, but he would instantly slot in as the immediate backup both to Bishop and recently signed veteran C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Round 5, Pick 165: Febechi Nwaiwu, OL, Oklahoma
The triumphant return of crucial center Connor McGovern took some of the sting out of the Bills losing starting left guard David Edwards and versatile lineman Ryan van Demark in free agency. Even with Alec Anderson expected to step into the starting left guard spot, offensive line depth is still a need for Buffalo.
Febechi Nwaiwu ticks all of the boxes in this regard for the Bills. You want positional versatility? Nwaiwu lined up at guard, tackle, and center throughout his college career. You want strength? He's got tree trunk arms and legs, a beer keg chest, and his game tape is more full of pancakes than an IHOP. You want character? Nwaiwu was lauded for his "first in, last out" work ethic after walking on at Oklahoma following two seasons at North Texas, and an anonymous NFL scout referred to him as an "elite human" and the "leader of the O-line room".
Round 5, Pick 168: Max Llewellyn, EDGE, Iowa
The Buffalo Bills have had trouble consistently and effectively rushing the passer over the last few years. It's therefore no surprise that Brandon Beane is widely expected to draft an edge rusher, and in a very deep draft class at that position, I think he can afford to wait a while to take one.
Max Llewellyn made mincemeat out of the fearsome corn-fed offensive lines of the Big 10 Conference. He has a wide array of pass rush moves, and in particular, the spin move has become Llewellyn's trademark method to get loose into the opposing backfield.
A prototypically built physical specimen with bear paws to wrap up ballcarriers, Llewellyn never gives up on a play and always plays through the whistle. These skills as a pass-rush specialist will make Llewellyn a real difference maker on third-and-long situations when it's obvious a pass play is coming. The Bills would benefit a great deal from Llewellyn's presence as a rotational piece on the roster.
Round 6, Pick 182: Tim Keenan, IDL, Alabama
Tim Keenan III is not an athlete. He's a football player, pure and simple. Keenan is a hefty, round mass that bull rushes, sees ball, gets ball. He's not going to get overdrafted for sexy traits or an eye-popping performance at the NFL Combine or Pro Day. Instead, I foresee Keenan sliding to Day 3 of the NFL Draft, but quickly establishing himself as a reliable depth piece who can seamlessly rotate into an NFL defensive line from Week 1 onwards.
At Alabama, Keenan was a tone-setting run-stuffer who made opponents think twice before calling any run plays up the middle when he was on the field (mostly on first and second downs). Keenan was a senior defensive captain for the Crimson Tide, and was also nominated for the AFCA Good Works Team, the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year, and the Wuerffel Trophy.
In this mock draft, the Buffalo Bills select Keenan to beef up in the defensive trenches.
Round 7, Pick 220: Dominic Zvada, K, Michigan
Yes, really, the Bills should draft a kicker.
Nothing against Tyler Bass, but the Bills shouldn't feel comfortable letting Bass step back into the role as the team's kicker, at least not without testing him with worthy competition. Of course, I say this because Bass missed the entirety of last season with a left hip/groin issue, which required surgery.
Dominic Zvada has a cannon for a right leg, delivered in clutch moments time and time again during his career as a Wolverine, and routinely played in the cold weather and heavy winds of Ann Arbor, Michigan. I don't think he'd have too much trouble acclimating to kicking in Buffalo.
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