{"id":864421,"date":"2026-04-12T01:57:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T01:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/864421\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T01:57:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T01:57:20","slug":"bills-potential-best-case-nfl-draft-scenario-involves-trading-down-filling-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/864421\/","title":{"rendered":"Bills’ Potential Best-Case NFL Draft Scenario Involves Trading Down, Filling Need"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s currently only a hypothetical, but it’s something that Buffalo Bills<\/a>‘ general manager Brandon Beane has done before.<\/p>\n

If certain highly-graded prospects are no longer available by the time the Bills hit the clock at No. 26 overall at the NFL Draft, then a trade down can be an attractive option<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sports Illustrated national writer Matthew Verderame proposed such a scenario while identifying “32 Deals for 32 Teams<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

Verderame has the Bills making a deal with the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins, who are in Phase 1 of a complete rebuild. Prior to agreeing to a trade with Buffalo, however, Miami, which traded back to No. 17 in the simulation, took Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell, a potential Bills’ target<\/a>, off the board.<\/p>\n

With Howell no longer an option, and wide receivers<\/a> Denzel Boston, Omar Cooper and KC Concepcion all gone, too, Buffalo sends the No. 26 pick to the Dolphins in exchange for a three-pick package \u2014 No. 30, No. 130 and No. 151.<\/p>\n

The Bills, who don’t hold a second-round pick as a result of acquiring wide receiver DJ Moore<\/a> prior to free agency, use the No. 30 overall selection to satisfy a defensive need by choosing Georgia linebacker CJ Allen in Sports Illustrated’s prosposal.<\/p>\n

\"CJ<\/p>\n

Feb 25, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Georgia linebacker CJ Allen (LB01) speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

“Buffalo has several needs, including receiver and edge rusher, but perhaps nothing is more pressing than an off-ball linebacker, as the Bills transition to a 3-4 scheme under new coordinator Jim Leonhard,” said Verderame.<\/p>\n

In addition to writing about the Bills’ lack of depth at off-ball linebacker<\/a>, we’ve also analyzed multiple mock drafts that have linked the Georgia linebacker to Buffalo<\/a> at No. 26 overall.<\/p>\n

Bills history of draft trades under Beane<\/p>\n

While Beane has traded up to secure a desired prospect on multiple occasions, most notably quarterback Josh Allen in 2018, he’s also shown a tendency to trade down if he doesn’t perceive the value as being there in the slot.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Buffalo traded twice down the board and landed outside of Round 1.<\/p>\n

First, the Bills sent the No. 28 selection<\/a> to the Kansas City Chiefs. Next, they flipped the No. 32 pick to the Carolina Panthers for the first selection in Round 2.<\/p>\n

Looking to upgrade the receiving corps, Buffalo used the No. 33 selection on Keon Coleman. Needless to say, it’s been a mixed bag thus far<\/a> from the young wide receiver.<\/p>\n

\"Keon<\/p>\n

Jul 23, 2025; Rochester, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) talks with wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) during training camp at St. John Fisher University. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

CJ Allen fits Bills’ need<\/p>\n

Being able to add two early Day 3 selections while still addressing an important need in Round 1 may be a best-case scenario for Buffalo. After securing Allen, the Bills could use the additional mid-round picks to meet one of their other needs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams and Joe Andreessen the only returning off-ball linebackers from last year’s 53-man roster, the Bills must add depth at the position, and Allen projects as a scheme fit for Leonhard’s defense.<\/p>\n

\"CJ<\/p>\n

Sep 23, 2023; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker C.J. Allen (33) tackles UAB Blazers running back Jermaine Brown Jr. (1) during the second half at Sanford Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

“Allen comes from an elite defensive program in Georgia, where he played in 41 games, recording 205 tackles, including 13.5 for loss with 4.5 sacks. He\u2019d be a nice fit alongside Terrel Bernard on the second level,” said Verderame.<\/p>\n

While Allen built a reputation for being a leader and effective on-field communicator, he suffered a knee injury this past November and skipped NFL Combine testing as a result.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It’s currently only a hypothetical, but it’s something that Buffalo Bills‘ general manager Brandon Beane has done before.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":864422,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2048],"tags":[215,214,53,2086,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-864421","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-buffalo-bills","8":"tag-bills","9":"tag-buffalo","10":"tag-buffalo-bills","11":"tag-buffalobills","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116389260122326826","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=864421"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864421\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/864422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=864421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=864421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=864421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}