Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills had another impressive regular season in 2025, posting a 12-5 record and finishing second in the AFC East. Although Buffalo had seen sustained regular-season success under head coach Sean McDermott, they once again fell short in the playoffs, losing to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round. The Bills decided to move forward without McDermott after the playoff loss, ending his nine-season tenure with the team.
The Bills, even with the arm talent of Allen, did not have a wide receiver break 750 yards this season, with Khalil Shakir leading the team with 719 receiving yards. In fact, Buffalo has not had a 1,000-yard receiver since Stefon Diggs, now with the New England Patriots, who finished with 1,183 yards in 2023.
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Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi FieldsAngela Driskell, Irish Breakdown
(Angela Driskell, Irish Breakdown)
The Bills, who are in desperate need of wide receiver help, can look to the 2026 NFL Draft to help bolster their wide receiver core. In NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah’s latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft, Buffalo is predicted to take Malachi Fields, a wide receiver from the University of Notre Dame.
“The Bills add a player with a wide catch radius to complement Khalil Shakir at receiver.” Jeremiah said. “Fields was excellent all week long at the Senior Bowl.” The Senior Bowl is where Fields first shot up the draft boards, with scouts and analysts noting his dominance, along with perhaps the play of the week.
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The former All-ACC receiver started his career with the Virginia Cavaliers before transferring to Notre Dame for his senior season. Fields is a 6-foot-4, 223-pound big-play receiver who posted 17.5 yards per catch last season. He uses his big frame to bully smaller defenders, and could become a safety blanket for Allen.
In his lone season with Notre Dame, Fields tallied 36 catches for 630 yards and five touchdowns, catching passes from C.J Carr.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.