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ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 28: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills warms up prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Highmark Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
The true king of mock drafts, Mel Kiper Jr., is back. The ESPN draft analyst released his latest mock draft on Tuesday, just as the league is set to descend on Indianapolis for the Scouting Combine. He had an interesting selection for the Buffalo Bills in this one.
The Bills are picking at No. 26, deep in the first round. It can be tough to find immediate difference-makers at that spot, but Buffalo has some clear needs on its roster. They need a receiver, badly, and they also need to get younger and faster on defense. Accomplishing either of those goals with the No. 26 pick would be a smashing success.
As Kiper notes in his article, things could be on the verge of a major shift. With the Combine this week, prospect performances are sure to shake things up on the board. Perhaps more notably, all the scouts, media, coaches, executives, and league officials all in one place will generate a lot of buzz and intel that could reshape how we view the first round and the draft as a whole.
The Buffalo Bills Are Projected to Select a Dominant Wide Receiver
GettyMADISON, WISCONSIN – NOVEMBER 08: Denzel Boston #12 of the Washington Huskies catches a touchdown pass in the second quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 08, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
“Boston’s hands, catch radius and vision would quickly make him a go-to option for quarterback Josh Allen,” Kiper wrote. “He finished with 881 yards and 11 scores last season, bullying opposing cornerbacks along the way.”
“Buffalo’s receiver room has a lot of questions and lacks a true WR1, all due respect to Khalil Shakir,” Kiper continued. “After being called out by ownership last month, Keon Coleman‘s future with the team is murky. Brandin Cooks and Gabe Davis are free agents. Joshua Palmer was injured and limited to 22 catches on the season. And Tyrell Shavers tore an ACL in the playoffs. So, this one seems obvious.”
Boston is a big receiver who can win one-on-one on the outside and down the field. He can take the top off a defense, but he’s best on in-breaking routes over the middle of the field, dissecting secondaries with chunks of yardage in the intermediate range. Despite his size, Boston is an excellent route runner with soft hands and plays tough in traffic. He’s exactly the type of receiver the Bills have been missing from their offense in recent seasons.
The Buffalo Bills Are Entering a New Era
For nine seasons, Sean McDermott lead the Bills as their head coach. He broke the longest playoff drought in the NFL at the time in his first season, leading an undermanned Bills squad to a wildcard berth. In fact, he made the playoffs in eight of nine seasons, but he only had two AFC Championship Game appearances and never broke through to the Super Bowl.
With 2024 MVP Josh Allen under center, Bills ownership felt McDermott was underachieving. So they fired him and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to the head coaching gig. Brady is younger and with an elite offensive track record — but time will tell if he can lead the Bills to greater heights than McDermott ever did.
Ethan Woodie is an accomplished sports writer specializing in the NFL and college football for Heavy.com. He’s written for Heavy since 2025 and has years of experience writing for NFL Trade Rumors and Pro Football Focus (PFF). Woodie is an expert in draft scouting and his final 2025 Big Board was included in Arif Hasan’s media consensus board for Wide Left. More about Ethan Woodie
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