With the NFL combine now over and free agency kicking off with a bang, teams’ 2026 NFL Draft boards are starting to solidify. We now know how the prospects measure and are starting to truly understand what each team’s biggest need will be. So, that’s a perfect time to jump into another Bills’ 2026 NFL Mock Draft roundup to see who pundits now think the franchise will take at pick No. 26.
EDGE Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
Even before the D.J. Moore trade, we were suspicious that Brandon Beane would actually take a wide receiver at 26, so we’ve had an edge rusher to the Bills in our last two 2026 NFL Mock Draft predictions.
In the 3.0 edition, it was Miami’s Ahkeem Mesidor here, but after all his measurements (6-foot-3, 259 pounds, 32 1/8-inch arms, 10-inch hands) checked out, it seems as though he will no longer be available in the mid-20s.
While Mesidor is on the rise, Cashius Howell is falling due to his incredibly short (for his position) arms. His 30 ¼ -inch arms were a ½-inch shorter than Rueben Bain Jr., whose arms are also a major concern.
At 26, beggars can’t be choosers, and if Howell is the best pass rusher on the board, the Bills should jump at him. With the team switching to a 3-4 defense, it’s not as important that the pass rush outside linebacker is a great run-stuffer. And we know that Howell can rush the passer at a high level, as the former Texas A&M EDGE put up 11.5 sacks and 14.0 tackles for a loss in the SEC this past season.
WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana
The D.J. Moore trade did not necessarily disqualify the Bills from taking a WR in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. After Moore on the outside and Khalil Shakir in the slot, the team’s WR room is still woefully undermanned.
What makes the Omar Cooper Jr. pick in this 2026 NFL Mock Draft so interesting is that it represents the post-NFL combine reality for the Bills.
Beane no longer has his second-round pick, so trading up for one of the top WRs in this draft is likely no longer an option. And with NFL free agency shaping up the way it is, there is a good chance that even the Tier 2 pass-catchers in this class are off the board at 26. That means no Denzel Boston or KC Concepcion, who have been trendy Bills picks.
That said, with Moore now in the building for the explosive plays, a versatile player like Cooper could fit perfectly. His size, strength, and toughness would bring an edge that the position group doesn’t have now.
LB C.J. Allen, Georgia
While EDGE and WR have easily been the most popular picks for the Bills in every early iteration of the 2026 NFL Mock Draft world, events have conspired to change that. Buffalo traded for Moore and, after the NFL combine, both wideouts and edge rushers started climbing draft boards, giving the Bills fewer options at these positions.
The “good” news is, the Bills’ roster has enough holes, especially on defense, that they could pick players at several positions and get an upgrade over who is there now.
Linebacker is one of those positions. Matt Milano is likely gone in NFL free agency and with two starting ILBs in a 3-4, the team could use those spots to get more talent on the field than Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams.
C.J. Allen is a sideline-to-sideline, do-it-all linebacker who was a team captain and green dot LB at Georgia. New defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard needs a coach on the field who can get the team lined up in the new system and help make everyone around him better. There’s an Allen who does that on offense, and if they make this pick, another Allen could do the same on defense.
S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon
Another position of need on the defense is safety. After Cole Bishop’s breakout season, the Bills have one safety spot filled, but with Jordan Poyer and Demar Hamlin likely gone, they need to find Bishop a long-term partner.
Dillon Thieneman was one of the big winners of the 2026 NFL combine. Thought of as a mid-day 2 selection, he showed elite athleticism in Indianapolis, which is vaulting him into the Thursday night conversation.
At 6 feet, 201 pounds, Thieneman ran a blazing 4.35-second 40-yard dash and posted a 1-inch vertical and 10.5-inch broad jump. When combined with his impressive tape at Oregon, those numbers suggest he could become an elite NFL safety.
EDGE T.J. Parker, Clemson
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA Today
Back to EDGE, T.J. Parker is another interesting option who could be available at pick No. 26. The former Clemson defensive end was a monster in 2024, with 11.0 sacks and 19.5 tackles for a loss. Last season, though, Parker struggled mightily, dropping to 5.0 sacks and 9.0 TFLs.
So, was this drop-off due to the fact that Clemson had a year from hell, and the entire team stunk? Or is it because opponents had better tape on Parker and figured out how to stop him?
Either way, Parker doesn’t seem like a perfect fit for the Bills, even at his best. He is a power player, not a speed rusher, so his skills will best translate to 4-3 DE, not 3-4 OLB. And even if he could play that stand-up role, his powerful skillset is too close to Gregory Rousseau’s, so it is not what the Bills need right now.
