If you follow the NFL Draft process enough, you learn a few things in digesting the annual data. Specifically to Buffalo Rumblings, it’s nearly impossible to gauge who the Buffalo Bills covet and how they’ll prioritize their draft board entering the main event.
Admittedly, I’m far from an expert on college football and that extends to prospects entering the draft process. That said, I don’t lack for opinions on how the Bills may decide to play it during draft weekend. I believe there are a few prospects One
Bills Drive loves, at least as I see it based on the often-inexact science of extracting pre-draft visits.
We’ll tackle the content seen in the front-page photo at the conclusion of this article.
Bills-centric prospects to watch during Round 1
Among those prospects are wide receiver KC Concepcion, defensive tackle Christen Miller, defensive tackle Gracen Halton, cornerback Andre Fuller, and defensive end George Gumbs Jr. They stand out to me due to the quality/variety of meetings and instances they’ve met with Buffalo. Among them, only Concepcion and Miller stand out to me as realistic picks in Round 1 — and Miller is viewed with a Round 2 projection. Halton has a late Day 2 projection, while Fuller and Gumbs have late-Day 3 projections.
Buffalo’s decision makers are also going to bring in a punter (they’ve had multiple interactions with two such prospects this cycle), but I don’t see it happening via a draft pick with so many defensive positions to account for in a switch to a base 3-4.
As much as I still believe the offense needs real additional help at wide receiver, I suspect the defense will again take priority in the draft. However, the meetings with Concepcion should not be overlooked.
Still, defense is likely to come out on top. To that end, I paired the Bills with linebacker C.J. Allen at pick 28 (after a trade down, also picking up pick 141 in the process) in the 2026 SB Nation Mock Draft. We only have information on two linebacker prospects paying top-30 visits to One Bills Drive. Neither of them are Allen, but rather Josiah Trotter and Jimmy Rolder. Trotter is projected to hear his name called early in Round 2, but that shouldn’t take him off your radar, nor will it do so for the Bills.
Is a trade back further than 28 possible? Certainly, and that’s where Trotter (or Allen) could come into play. Buffalo could see fit to solve a need at linebacker very late in the first round, or perhaps early in Round 2 if a trade back nets them the opportunity to be active then.
Bills’ need at IDL rife with frustration
The Bills’ need at nose tackle lands with a bit of frustration for me, though the need is real and unavoidable given the defensive shift. The franchise has invested a ton of resources (and cap dollars) into the interior defensive line, yet none of the current options project as a bona fide 3-4 nose.
With so many needs, and NT among their biggest, selecting a stalwart centerpiece to the defensive line seems like a priority. Is Buffalo’s need such that they’ll consider taking someone like Christen Miller or Gracen Halton earlier than most predict them to be drafted? Can the Bills bypass other needs where standout talent might be ripe for selecting?
Contrary to opinions, no one could have realistically predicted that co-owner Terry Pegula would fire Sean McDermott as he did. Equally so, no one saw Jim Leonhard coming in as a first-time defensive coordinator set to re-mold the defense into a 3-4 system until it was essentially time for pen to meet paper on the idea.
The urgent need at NT is a byproduct of organizational restructuring, and it also reveals the team’s inability to land a scheme-versatile defensive tackle during McDermott and Beane’s tenure. You can be certain that Beane will do his best to rectify the situation this weekend, or as a top priority once the draft concludes.
There could be additional fallout along the defensive line, where in the past Ed Oliver has voiced a displeasure playing on the outside in an odd front. Meanwhile, Deone Walker appears to have lost a massive amount of weight, which is both awesome and concerning. Will he be fit to reprise his role as a nasty trench disruptor in 2026?
Here’s what I’d do in Round 1 for the Buffalo Bills
It’s an argument nearly a decade in the making: What’s really behind the Bills’ early postseason exits? You’ll find half of any room say it’s defense, while the other half claims it’s offense. We know that most of the time, it’s not due to Josh Allen. No one’s perfect, but Allen’s done a lot to mask offensive trouble in the playoffs.
What Allen can’t always do is negate defensive ineptitude. Whether that’s been due to scheme, play selection, or talent overall, Buffalo’s offense has too-often found itself incapable of outplaying its own defense.
The simple solution then is to stockpile defensive talent, right? Not so fast. That’s part of the equation, sure, but that elephant in the room is real — the Bills need more top-end talent catching passes from one of the greatest quarterbacks the NFL has ever known. There is a lot to repair on defense, meanwhile, adding just one player to the wide receivers room may do the trick to take the offense to the next level.
It’s not DJ Moore, who I see as a valuable addition, and someone with production against NFL defenses on his resume. His addition helps repair half of the needed equation. I want to see One Bills Drive pull off another trade, this time landing a young, talented wide receiver named Brian Thomas Jr. Thomas and the Jacksonville Jaguars seem to be at an impasse, and the timing may be right for Buffalo to swoop in.
Reportedly, the Jaguars are looking to “move into the bottom of the first round” in the 2026 NFL Draft, and there’s discussion that Brian Thomas Jr. could be leveraged as a deal sweetener. Jacksonville surrendered its 2026 first-round slot during the 2025 NFL Draft, in the name of moving up to select CB/WR Travis Hunter.
It appears the Jaguars now have their eye on someone in Round 1. With all due respect to each, I don’t love any of this year’s prospects enough to say no to this trade if Jacksonville comes calling. They have a ton of time to wait too, as their first pick is slated to be the 24th slot in Round 2. Would a move back that far interest Buffalo’s front office? Would the deal also include another draft pick in addition to Thomas?
Regardless, to me it’s a move that further elevates Josh Allen’s game, and one that I can envision new head coach Joe Brady fully endorsing.
