Bills 7-round 2026 mock draft: Trades and investments for new defense

At long last, draft week is here.

The Buffalo Bills have an opportunity to add a pair of legitimate starters with their top two selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, beginning with their first-round pick. There has been a constant debate over whether to use the top choice on a wide receiver or someone to help their new defensive scheme.

How will this year’s draft play out for the Bills? After analyzing both the Bills roster and draft class, it’s time for my final Bills-only mock draft of the draft season.

We’ll get things started with the Top 20 picks, and then recalibrate as their top pick at No. 26 gets a bit closer.

Bills picks heading into the draft: Nos. 26, 91, 126, 165, 168, 182, 220

2026 Mock Draft: Picks 1-20

PickTeamPlayerPositionSchoolTrade Notes

Fernando Mendoza

Indiana

Arvell Reese

Edge/LB

Ohio State

David Bailey

Edge

Texas Tech

KC gets Nos. 3, 143. ARI gets Nos. 9, 40

Jeremiyah Love

Notre Dame

Caleb Downs

Ohio State

Sonny Styles

Ohio State

DAL gets Nos. 6, 39. CLE gets Nos. 12, 20

Mansoor Delane

LSU

Carnell Tate

Ohio State

Francis Mauignoa

Miami

Part of trade for No. 3

Jordyn Tyson

Arizona State

Rueben Bain Jr.

Edge

Miami

Spencer Fano

Utah

Part of trade for No. 6

Makai Lemon

USC

Olaivavega Ioane

IOL

Penn State

Kenyon Sadiq

Oregon

Jermod McCoy

Tennessee

Keldric Faulk

Edge

Auburn

Omar Cooper Jr.

Indiana

PIT gets Nos. 18, 163. MIN gets Nos. 21, 99

Monroe Freeling

Georgia

KC Concepcion

Texas A&M

Part of trade for No. 6

*Denotes pick moved in a projected trade. See trade notes in the last column for details.

Some notable selections here are five receivers going off the board, including the two who I think are best suited to the Bills in Jordyn Tyson and KC Concepcion. The top 20 also had another potential Bills target go off the board in edge rusher Keldric Faulk. In terms of a trade down, the first 20 picks had four offensive linemen, which means the run is likely coming, with as many as nine possibly going in the first round this year. As I wrote in The Draft Files on Friday, with so many teams picking after the Bills at No. 26 in need of offensive line help, that could be the most conducive trade-down avenue for Buffalo. On to the next five picks.

2026 Mock Draft: Picks 21-25

PickTeamPlayerPositionSchoolTrade Notes

Dillon Thieneman

Oregon

Part of trade for No. 18

Kadyn Proctor

T/G

Alabama

Max Iheanachor

Arizona State

T.J. Parker

Edge

Clemson

Akheem Mesidor

Edge

Miami

Two offensive linemen went off the board, as did two potential edge rushers the Bills could be interested in, T.J. Parker and Akheem Mesidor. The last first-round-caliber wide receiver available is Denzel Boston, though how he wins as a contested-catch player is too similar to what they value in Keon Coleman. As we wrote all last week, Beane and company have gone out of their way to defend their belief in Coleman’s talent, and they likely want to give him the best path to finally realizing his potential in 2026.

That leaves the Bills with two options. They can stick and pick their favorite edge rusher, or make a move down the board to better their 2026 draft situation while remaining in a position to get one of those edge rushers.

The pick at No. 26… Trade!

Trade details: Houston gets No. 26, Buffalo gets Nos. 28 and 141.

The Bills get the best of both worlds with this deal. With such a run on offensive line, several teams after No. 26 needing offensive line and some likely trade interest from others, the Bills instead make a minor move down the board. In doing so, they strengthen their overall draft capital for Day 2 and Day 3 wheeling and dealing, giving themselves better odds of landing a starter.

With three edge rushers who fit their scheme in Cashius Howell, Lawrence and R Mason Thomas, only moving down to No. 28 assures them that, in the worst-case scenario, they’d get their least favorite of the three. As the 49ers (No. 27) also need offensive line help, there is a chance the Bills get their favorite of the three, as well. Let’s see how it goes.

2026 Mock Draft: Picks 26-27

PickTeamPlayerPositionSchoolTrade Notes

Chase Bisontis

IOL

Texas A&M

HOU gets No. 26. BUF gets Nos. 28, 141

Caleb Lomu

Utah

The offensive line hunger remained, with blockers going back-to-back, leaving the Bills with their favorite edge rusher and an extra pick for being patient. On to the pick.

The pick at No. 28: Malachi Lawrence, edge, Central Florida

The longer the draft process has gone on, the more Lawrence to the Bills makes sense. The Bills lack depth and draft investment in their edge rushing outside linebacker group. They also have two power-based rushers in the starting lineup in Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb, but lack the speed, explosiveness and juice that can give a quarterback problems. Lawrence is all of these things, with the potential to become the long-term starter opposite Rousseau.

Although Howell had the more productive college career and is more natural bending around the edge, Lawrence offers complete explosiveness as an ascending pass-rushing prospect who had only 4.5 fewer sacks than Howell over the last three years. For his position, Lawrence had a 97th percentile 10-yard split and was in the 99th percentile in both the vertical and broad jump. By comparison, Howell has a 96th percentile 10-yard split, but only a 62nd percentile vertical and 60th percentile broad jump. Plus, Lawrence’s arm length is nearly three inches longer than Howell’s, and he’s a far better run defender. While recently chatting with The Athletic, Beane said that at “most positions, when it’s close, you’re gonna go with a bigger guy.”

For all of those reasons, Lawrence checks all the boxes of size, speed, position, positional value, upside, a path to starting at some point and a justifiable year one role. Chubb, who turns 30 this summer, is merely a short-term solution on an effective two-year deal. As soon as Lawrence begins to show he’s acclimating to the NFL game, he could eat into Chubb’s playing time relatively quickly. There’s a lot to like with Lawrence in his fit with the Bills.

Just to be complete, here’s the remainder of the first round.

2026 Mock Draft: Picks 28-32

PickTeamPlayerPositionSchoolTrade Notes

Malachi Lawrence

Edge

Central Florida

Part of trade for No. 26

Chris Johnson

San Diego State

Denzel Boston

Washington

Blake Miller

Clemson

Kayden McDonald

Ohio State

CHI gets No. 32. SEA gets Nos. 57, 60

Let’s skip straight to the Bills’ picks from here on out, beginning with their pick in the third round.

Trade!

Trade details: Buffalo gets No. 78, Indianapolis gets Nos. 91 and 141.

The pick acquired in the slight trade down with Houston helps the Bills jump up 13 spots to better their pick and land a player who can step in as what could be an immediate starter in 2026.

The pick at No. 78: Josiah Trotter, ILB, Missouri

Inside linebacker is a giant need for the Bills, and the sweet spot for finding one is likely on Day 2. Rather than wait around to see what’s left at No. 91, the Bills jump up to land a player who can become a potential tone setter in the middle of their defense. The worst part of Trotter’s game is his feel in coverage, so the Bills will need a plan for it. However, where he is at his best is where most of the current Bills linebackers tend to struggle.

Trotter is a load to deal with as a run defender and in getting off blocks. His instincts are excellent. His size (237 pounds) is something none of the other potential Bills starting inside linebackers come close to, which the new defensive scheme needs. Despite his coverage being a minus, he can make up for that on passing downs with his plus-blitzing abilities. To top it all off, Trotter is only 21, giving him a long runway as a potential starter. The Bills could justifiably play Trotter next to starter Terrel Bernard and feel pretty good about their prospects to improve as a run defense without sacrificing too much in coverage, as Bernard excels in that area. When the Bills go into dime looks, Trotter would likely be the inside linebacker coming off the field in this setup.

Julian Neal would be a good Day 3 selection at cornerback. (Chris Day / Imagn Images)

The pick at No. 126: Julian Neal, CB, Arkansas

The Bills have nothing behind starters Christian Benford and Maxwell Hairston. Although they are likely to sign a veteran, putting a mid-round investment in a cornerback for a long-term backup to their starters would be a wise choice. Neal has great size (6-foot-2, 203 pounds), has experience as both a man and zone corner and is noted for his physicality. That can translate well to special teams, which will be an integral part of being up on game days as a backup cornerback. The Bills have long had a good eye for Day 3 cornerbacks, so Neal outplaying his draft slot of a late fourth-round pick is very possible.

The pick at No. 165: Malik Benson, WR, Oregon

The Bills have the room to add one more receiver for the 53-man roster, and Benson would carry immediate game-day function as a sparingly-used boundary receiver to help take the top off the defense, while doubling as the team’s primary punt returner. Benson has excellent speed for his 6-foot, 187-pound frame. Still with some room for development on underneath routes, Benson could easily outplay his draft position. But even if he doesn’t, having a speedy depth receiver who will be the locked-in punt returner is a solid return for the fifth round.

The pick at No. 168: Gracen Halton, IDL, Oklahoma

Halton isn’t the nose tackle type some people might want in the draft, but the Bills will have some veteran options in free agency, and that player would likely be a lot more impactful in 2026 than anyone taken at this point in the draft. Halton is a 293-pound high-energy rotational defensive end in the Bills’ upcoming odd-man front, who would battle for some snaps as early as the first year at both the five-technique and 4i positions. His draft stock gets dinged for his below-average arm length (31.125 inches), but at this point in the draft, you take a player with potential that he could overcome it. The Bills have room for six or seven defensive linemen, so they have the space to add both Halton and a veteran nose tackle to the group.

The pick at No. 182: Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson

Klubnik had a 2025 season that left a bit to be desired. However, his performance in 2024, along with workable traits as an athletic quarterback with an arm strong enough for Buffalo weather, could make the draft cost of a sixth-round pick seem entirely worthwhile to Beane and the Bills. The 6-foot-2, 207-pound Klubnik would compete immediately with Kyle Allen, who is a fringe No. 2 quarterback in the NFL, for the backup job. If Klubnik wins the job outright, the Bills have a multi-year, cost-controlled backup for Josh Allen. If he doesn’t, they have the roster space to keep three quarterbacks in 2026.

The pick at No. 220: Jack Stonehouse, P, Syracuse

You didn’t think I’d go through my entire final mock draft without a possible long-term punter, did you? The only thing the team owes on the cap to incumbent punter Mitch Wishnowsky is his $150,000 signing bonus, making this ripe for a competition with a young punter. The Bills did some homework on Stonehouse this draft season. With seventh-round picks having such a tough time making rosters, using their last pick on a multi-year solution at punter is a good idea in theory if the player can win the job. My friends, yet another summer-long #Puntapalooza awaits.

2026 final Bills mock draft class

RoundPickPlayerPositionSchool

Edge

Central Florida

ILB

Missouri

126

Arkansas

165

Oregon

168

IDL

Oklahoma

182

Clemson

220

Syracuse

Bills 7-round 2026 mock draft: Trades and investments for new defense

Tags: