We are very far away from any kind of serious NFL draft coverage, yet front office staffs in the NFL have to be on the lookout of the talent that could be entering the draft. The Buffalo Bills have done a solid job at drafting under Brandon Beane.
Just this past offseason, the Bills have extended four players that they drafted in 2022 (James Cook, Terrel Bernard, Khalil Shakir, and Christian Benford). They also extended edge rusher Greg Rousseau while also giving Josh Allen a new massive contract.
That’s always been their philosophy so they will always do their best to figure out which NFL prospects coming out of college are great fits for the long haul. Now granted, they have their misses like anyone else. But for the most part, they have done a fantastic job at drafting.
Latest 2026 mock draft has Bills taking the safe route in first round
Sayre Bedinger from NFL Spin Zone recently posted an early 2026 NFL mock draft and at No.30 overall, Bedinger has the Bills selecting Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson. Here’s a bit on what Bedinger said about Lawson:
"The next step after completely revamping that defensive front is to find more playmakers for the second level, and Deontae Lawson is one of a number of off-ball linebackers receiving 1st-round consideration right now who could feast behind that talented of a defensive line. "Sayre Bedinget, NFL Spin Zone
Since Beane did a lot of work this past offseason on the defense, you would think that maybe he doesn’t need to invest a whole lot again. However, that’s not true. Linebacker Matt Milano is set to enter his last season with the Bills and unless he has an All-Pro year, he will be out of Buffalo after this season.
The Bills will need to find his replacement to pair with Terrel Bernard and even though Dorian Williams is a great depth player, he is more of a run-stopper than a ballhawking linebacker.
Lawson is a sideline-to-sideline player who has averaged four pass breakups the last three seasons and has improved his tackling numbers every single season.
Even though this would be more of a safe option for the Bills, it’s the smartest pick by far. It takes care of a need for the defense and it continues the youth that the Bills have started this past offseason.