Buffalo News Mock Draft 3.0: A trade down nets the Bills some much-needed draft capital
What will the board look like when the Bills go on the clock? Here is Jay Skurski’s third and final mock draft leading up to the real thing that kicks off Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
Put your pencils down.
The time for mock drafts is over. The real thing begins at 8 p.m. Thursday when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces that the Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock with the first pick of the 2026 NFL draft.
The Buffalo Bills’ first pick is scheduled for No. 26 overall in the first round. There is a long wait for president of football operations and general manager Brandon Beane after that, with the Bills not scheduled to pick again until No. 91 in the third round Friday night. That is, of course, unless Beane swings a trade to either move up or down the draft board, which he has shown he's willing to do.
What will the board look like when the Bills go on the clock? Here is The Buffalo News’ third and final mock draft leading up to the real thing:
1. Las Vegas Raiders. Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana. The draft really starts with pick No. 2, because this one has been written in ink since January.
2. New York Jets. David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech. It seems all but certain this pick will come down to either Bailey or Ohio State edge rusher Arvell Reese. Bailey tied for the Football Bowl Subdivision lead with 14½ sacks last season and led the nation with a 20.2% pressure rate, so that production pushes him to this spot.
3. Arizona Cardinals. Arvell Reese, Edge, Ohio State. There have been some rumors that the Cardinals might look to trade down here, but in a draft with so few blue-chip prospects, that doesn’t seem like the best idea. So, they stay put and take Reese, who should provide an immediate upgrade to the pass rush.
4. Tennessee Titans. Jeremiah Love, RB, Notre Dame. Love is likely to become the highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley was chosen No. 2 overall eight years ago by the Giants. Old friend Brian Daboll, the Titans’ new offensive coordinator, would love this pick.
5. New York Giants. Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State. Three Ohio State players are thought to be top-10 locks, and Styles is the second one to come off the board. He is an impressive athlete who should step right in as the starting middle linebacker for Big Blue.
6. Cleveland Browns. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State. The third Buckeye off the board in the top six picks, Tate immediately would become the No. 1 option for Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (or Deshaun Watson, ha ha).
7. Washington Commanders. Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami (Fla.). Bain led all of the FBS with 83 pressures last season. Washington has rebuilt its pass rush this offseason with the additions of Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson, but Bain would take that investment to another level.
8. New Orleans Saints. Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU. The Saints could look for a wide receiver here, but staying in state to get a potential No. 1 cornerback would be a good fit, too.
9. Kansas City Chiefs. Spencer Fano, OT, Utah. This might be a bit of a surprise, but the projected top offensive tackle, Francis Mauigoa, has a herniated disc in his back that could cause him to slip a bit on draft night. Getting some protection for Patrick Mahomes makes plenty of sense for Kansas City.
10. New York Giants (from Cincinnati). Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State. It feels like Tyson is going to go earlier than expected Thursday night. The fit here opposite Malik Nabers is nice for quarterback Jaxson Dart.
11. Miami Dolphins. Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (Fla.). Mauigoa ultimately slides out of the top 10, but doesn’t have to wait long for his name to be called. If healthy, he should be a Day 1 starter, plus he gets to stay in a city in which he’s familiar.
12. Dallas Cowboys. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State. Downs is one of the best players in the class, but his position makes him hard to project in the first round. This would be a great get for the Cowboys.
13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta). Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia. The depth at offensive tackle usually depletes quickly in the first round. Right tackle Rob Havenstein retired for the Rams, so Freeling would have the opportunity to start right away.
14. Baltimore Ravens. Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State. The Ravens lost center Tyler Linderbaum to a huge contract offered by the Raiders. Ioane gives them immediate help on the interior offensive line.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami (Fla.). The Bucs’ defense is sorely lacking a high-impact edge rusher, so Mesidor is a good investment here.
16. New York Jets (from Indianapolis). Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee. This is the pick the Jets acquired from the Colts by trading cornerback Sauce Gardner, so it makes sense to give New York a cornerback here. McCoy missed all of the 2025 season with a torn ACL, but should be healthy as a rookie.
17. Detroit Lions. Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State. A 6-foot-6, 321-pounder, Iheanachor was playing in junior college as recently as the 2022 season. He allowed eight sacks during the 2024 season, but improved a great deal last season. He’s thought to be scratching the surface of his potential.
18. Minnesota Vikings. Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon. Thieneman is a versatile defensive back who lined up deep, in the box, split out side and over the slot for the Ducks. He had 86 tackles, two interceptions and one sack last season.
19. Carolina Panthers. Makai Lemon, WR, Southern California. Lemon works best out of the slot. He’s drawn comparisons to Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown.
20. Dallas Cowboys (from Green Bay). Malachi Lawrence, Edge, Central Florida. This might come as a surprise to some, but it feels like Lawrence has been steadily rising up the mock draft boards. The Cowboys need to give their pass rush a boost after trading away Micah Parsons.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers. Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama. Is Aaron Rodgers going to be back to play quarterback? Who the heck knows? Either way, the Steelers need some help up front, and Proctor is a mountain of a man at 6-6, 352 pounds.
22. Los Angeles Chargers. Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah. The Chargers’ coaching staff risked arrest last season for neglect based on the amount of punishment quarterback Justin Herbert took.
23. Philadelphia Eagles. KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M. Reports are the Eagles will make the long-rumored trade of wide receiver AJ Brown to the Patriots after June 1, so they’ll need a replacement for him.
24. Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville). Blake Miller, OT, Clemson. The Browns have undergone a full makeover on the offensive line, which will now include Miller.
25. Chicago Bears. Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn. Faulk doesn’t turn 21 until September, so he’s still a developing prospect. A team leader for the Tigers, scouts love his leadership skills.
26. Arizona Cardinals (projected trade with the Buffalo Bills). Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama. After moving on from Kyler Murray, the Cardinals have a massive hole at starting quarterback. They’ll want to move back into the first round to address it, and the Bills certainly wouldn’t mind moving down, which in this case nets them the No. 34 overall pick in the second round, as well as an early third round selection, No. 65 overall. That potentially allows them to add two starters and gives them three picks in the top 100.
27. San Francisco 49ers. Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M. A popular mock pick to the Bills, Howell was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, but he lacks desired measurables for the position, which leads some to question as to whether the Bills would go for that.
28. Houston Texans. Chase Bisontis, G, Texas A&M. The Texans have an elite defense – as the Bills learned last season – but desperately need to upgrade their offensive line in front of quarterback C.J. Stroud.
29. Kansas City Chiefs (from Los Angeles Rams). Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee. The Chiefs traded Trent McDuffie, so a replacement is needed with this pick.
30. Miami Dolphins (from Denver). Denzel Boston, WR, Washington. The Dolphins traded Jaylen Waddle, so a replacement is needed with this pick.
31. New England Patriots. Gennings Dunker, OT, Iowa. The Super Bowl showed that the Patriots have to beef up their offensive line in front of quarterback Drake Maye.
32. Seattle Seahawks. Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame. The Seahawks lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker in free agency to the Chiefs. Price would provide a nice replacement on a roster that doesn’t have many glaring needs.
Missouri defensive end Zion Young runs the 40-yard dash during the school's NFL pro day on March 20 in Columbia, Mo.
L.G. Patterson, Associated Press
34. Buffalo Bills. Zion Young, Edge, Missouri. The Bills aren’t afraid of adding a little bit of attitude this offseason. Young plays with it. From his nfl.com scouting report: “Long, well-built edge rusher with the size, strength and temperament engineered for trench battles at the next level. Young is a fiery alpha who brings immense energy to the field and locker room.” A 6-5, 262-pounder, Young was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection in 2025, leading the Tigers with 16½ tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. His sack production was good, but not great, finishing with 6½. He spent two years at Michigan State before transferring to Missouri.