It’s safe to assume that the Buffalo Bills, at most, have 20 prospects with legitimate first-round grades amongst the current NFL Draft class.
“You probably don’t get as many consensus names anywhere near getting to 26,” said Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane on Monday in Orchard Park.
By multiple accounts, there doesn’t appear to be much variance in value between the prospects tabbed for bottom half of Round 1 and those graded in the top half of Round 2.
“I think there’s players that feel like they’re going in [Round] 1, but their agent, or someone close to them, also realizes they could go anywhere from 20 to 40. There’s always players like that. I would say there’s probably maybe more in that category this year,” said Beane.
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While Beane didn’t offer an exact number, the football executive admitted to this year’s class coming out on the lower end in terms of first-round grades assigned by the Bills.
“In this case, we get to pick 26, is this something we’re fired up to take the player? Or is this something we would prefer, there’ll be a player there that we like that can help us, but is it something we prefer to trade back and get that player in Round 2 while adding some additional compensation?” said Beane.
With almost all mainstream mock drafts projecting the Bills to use the No. 26 overall selection on a player, there seems to be an underestimation of Beane’s openness to trade down for more picks.
Below, we examine projected Bills’ first-round picks from three mainstream mock drafters.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. — EDGE Keldric Faulk, Auburn (No. 26 overall)
While the Godfather of mock drafts has the Bills addressing a real need at No. 26 overall, Faulk is one of those borderline first-round prospects, recently moving up two spots to No. 29 overall on NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s Top 150 Prospects list.
Kiper acknowledges the possibilities of Buffalo addressing wide receiver or cornerback at this spot in Round 1, but he settles on the Bills “taking a chance on a prospect with a ton of impressive physical traits and upside.”
Will the Bills be “fired up to take” Faulk? Or will they trade back and roll the dice that he’ll still he available in early Round 2?
Feb 26, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Auburn defensive lineman Keldric Faulk (DL38) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
NFL Media’s Chad Reuter — WR KC Concepcion, Texas A&M (No. 26 overall)
This pick presumes that the Bills view Concepcion as a first-round talent, and team brass is willing to double dip at wide receiver. Remember, they gave up their Round 2 pick for wide receiver DJ Moore is a pre-free agency trade.
While Reuter rationally suggests that “Concepcion’s ability to make plays after the catch puts a big smile on Josh Allen’s face heading into training camp,” there’s an argument to be made that the WR selection lacks value at this point in Round 1. Maybe, Buffalo is better off waiting until Round 3 for a wide receiver prospect on the level of Connecticut’s Skyler Bell, who we wrote about when the Bills attended his Pro Day.
Feb 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M wideout KC Concepcion (WO16) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones — EDGE Malachi Lawrence, UCF (No. 26 overall)
We wrote about Lawrence being mocked to the Bills at No. 28 overall after trading down two spots in a projection by The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia. It fills a hole, but Buffalo may be able to trade down even further and still have access to Lawrence or a comparable player.
The “incredibly explosive” Lawrence has better measurables than Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell, but doesn’t appear to be as polished at this point. Jeremiah has Lawrence as the No. 40 overall prospect (up six spots) on his latest big board, suggesting it would be somewhat of a reach to take him in Round 1.
Sep 6, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; North Carolina AT Aggies quarterback Braxton Thomas (17) is tackled by UCF Knights edge Malachi Lawrence (51) during the first quarter | Mike Watters-Imagn Images
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