2026 Mock Draft Roundup
We are just under two weeks away from the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, and it is peak mock draft season. I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to the NFL draft and the buildup to it. The number of mock drafts released and written by the national media tells me that I am not the only one who feels that way. I took this as an opportunity to compile a number of mock drafts for Bills fans and to provide an overview of how the Bills are expected to navigate the 2026 draft, based on the opinions (possible insider knowledge?) of various media members who cover the NFL, listed below (links provided).
National Media Mock Drafts
Chad Reuter NFL.com Draft Analyst - The Bills trade up with the Chicago Bears to select WR K.C. Concepcion at pick 25, CB Julian Neal, Arkansas at pick 91, EDGE Jaishawn Barham, Michigan at pick 126, pick 165 traded to Chicago, and LB Justin Jefferson, Alabama at pick 168.
Charles Davis NFL Media Analyst - The Bills select EDGE Keldric Faulk, Auburn, at pick 26. WR K.C. Concepcion and S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren are still available.
Charles McDonald and Nate Tice Yahoo Sports NFL Writers - The Bills select S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at pick 26. Only two WRs were selected before this pick.
Daire Carragher PFF NFL Writer - The Bills trade pick 26 to the Carolina Panthers to select CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson. No trade details provided. The top three safeties and four WRs were selected before this pick.
Field Yates, ESPN NFL Insider - The Bills trade pick 26 to the Arizona Cardinals to select QB Ty Simpson, Alabama, and acquire picks 34 and 65 from the Cardinals. WR K.C. Concepcion is still available at this pick. The Bills select LB CJ Allen, Georgia, at pick 34.
Fox Sports Research - The Bills select CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson, at pick 26.
Garrett Podell NFL Staff Writer CBS Sports - The Bills select EDGE Keldric Faulk, Auburn, at pick 26. WR K.C. Concepcion is still available at this pick.
Lance Zierlein NFL.com Draft Analyst - The Bills trade pick 26 to the Arizona Cardinals to select OT Max Iheanachor, Arizona St. No trade compensation details. WR K.C. Concepcion and S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren are still available.
Matt Miller ESPN NFL Draft Analyst - The Bills select WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana, at pick 26, EDGE Derrick Moore, Michigan, at pick 91
Mel Kiper ESPN NFL Draft Analyst - The Bills select CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson, at pick 26. WR K.C. Concepcion is still available at this pick.
Mike Band Next Gen Stats Research & Analytics - The Bills trade pick 26 to the Arizona Cardinals to select QB Ty Simpson, Alabama. WR K.C. Concepcion is still available at this pick.
Nate Davis USA Today NFL Reporter - The Bills select EDGE Keldric Faulk, Auburn, at pick 26.
Nick Shook Around the NFL - The Bills select WR Jordan Tyson, Arizona St, at pick 26.
Nick Wright First Things First FS1 - The Bills select CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson, at pick 26. Safeties, Dillon Thieneman and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, were available at pick 26.
Pete Prisco CBS Sports Senior Writer - The Bills select EDGE Malachi Lawrence, University of Central Florida, at pick 26. WR Makai Lemon and S Dillon Thieneman are both available.
Peter Schrager ESPN NFL Insider - The Bills select DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio St, at pick 26. S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon, is still available. Six WRs taken before the Bills’ selection.
Rhett Lewis NFL Network Host - The Bills select S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo, at pick 26. 5 WRs selected before the Bills’ selection.
Ryan McCrystal Sharp Football Analysis - The Bills select EDGE Zion Young, Missouri, at pick 26.
Ryan Wilson NFL & NFL Draft Writer for CBS Sports - The Bills select S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon, at pick 26 and CB Chandler Rivers, Duke, at pick 91.
Todd McShay NFL Draft Analyst The Ringer - The Bills select EDGE Zion Young, Missouri, at pick 26. WR K.C. Concepcion is still available at this pick.
Local Media Mock Drafts
Ryan Talbot Bills Beat Reporter Syracuse.Com - The Bills select S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon, at pick 26 and EDGE Jaishawn Barham, Michigan, at pick 91.
What Happens at Pick 26?
Nobody knows the answer to this, including Brandon Beane. The consensus I get from reading all of the mock drafts is that there are a lot of different opinions on what the Bills should do in the first round. Wide Receiver is not as popular as I thought it would be, which surprised me a little, but I understand, given the trade for D.J. Moore earlier this offseason. The mock drafts picking the Clemson corner back were the most surprising. Buffalo is returning Christian Benford and Maxwell Hairston, along with FA signing Dee Alford at the nickel spot, so they would be using a first-round pick on a backup.
Pick Breakdown
EDGE - 6
Safety - 4
Trade Out of 1st - 4
Cornerback - 3
Wide Receiver - 3
Defensive Tackle - 1
Top Players Mocked to Buffalo
Pass rusher Keldric Faulk and cornerback Avieon Terrell led the mock drafts with three selections each. Safeties Dillon Thieneman and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, along with pass rusher Zion Young, each had two selections. There were four trade-back scenarios mocked, three with Arizona and one with Carolina. All of them meant the Bills would not be drafting in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but trade compensation details weren’t listed on each.
