With the 2026 NFL Draft just days away, there’s a noticeable lack of buzz around the Buffalo Bills and what they may do in the first round. It’s possible things are a bit more tight-lipped after a relatively rocky offseason, or maybe the success of the Buffalo Sabres has deservedly shifted the focus in Western New York to the NHL Playoffs. But I’ve discovered something with this year’s Bills’ pre-draft visits that might be a bit of a tell on how things could go later this week.
Let me start by saying
this: I’m not someone to go through years of data related to past drafts, pre-draft visits, Zoom meetings, etc. So when I present my theory, consider this more of a hunch and less of statistical analysis to back-up a certain philosophy. I should also add that it’s possible there are additional pre-draft visitors the public isn’t aware of, but we’ve done our best here at Buffalo Rumblings to compile a comprehensive list of known visitors. Now that I’ve hopefully lowered your expectations, hear me out when it comes to the pre-draft visitors to One Bills Drive.
In looking over the list, there’s only one (projected) first-round prospect who’s made a top 30 visit to Buffalo. That is of course KC Concepcion. The Texas A&M wide receiver is certainly a fan favorite of Bills Mafia (myself included), who would likely provide an instant upgrade to the Bills’ offense. Many of you are probably aware that Concepcion was born in Rochester, NY and his father is a Bills fan —- adding to any speculation that he could be a fit in Buffalo. But again, outside of Concepcion, the Bills have not met with any other prospects who are considered first rounders.
I should add that there are always a number of surprises that take place each year around the draft, with some players going higher or lower than the experts project. When you look at the list of prospects visiting Buffalo, it’s loaded with Day 2 prospects. There are a number of defensive tackles who visited (Christen Miller, Lee Hunter, Gracen Halton, Lee Hunter and Domonique Orange) that are all considered second- and third-round options. Other top-30 visitors who are also projected on Day 2 also include Chris Ball (WR, Louisville), Julian Neal (CB, Arkansas), Josiah Trotter (LB, Missouri), and A.J. Haulcy (S, LSU).
What you also may notice from the Bills list of pre-draft visitors is that there’s not one outside linebacker or edge defender listed. Many mock drafts have Buffalo focusing on a need at these two positions, but the list of pre-draft visitors would make you believe otherwise. It’s also worth noting that the Bills don’t appear to have hosted any offensive linemen this cycle.
So once I was done piecing all this information together, I settled on the following theory for the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night: The front office wants to draft KC Concepcion in Round 1, and if he’s unavailable they will trade pick 26 to move back into Round 2. Once moving back to the second round, the Bills would use one of their additional picks on Day 2 to select one of the defensive tackles that visited prior to the draft.
You might look at all of this and think I’m onto something, or that I’ve completely lost it and that none of this makes sense. Wherever you fall on this scale, be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section.
