The Buffalo Bills suffered another crushing playoff defeat in 2025. Now the Bills should feel a lot of pressure to nail the 2026 offseason to give them a shot at another Super Bowl run this fall. One big priority should be adding playmakers on defense. The Bills land a legitimate defensive star in one recent mock draft.
ESPN's Jordan Reid released a two-round mock draft on Tuesday following the NFL Scouting Combine. Reid has the Bills taking Georgia linebacker CJ Allen as a foundational piece in the team's new 3-4 defensive scheme.
“With the switch to a 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, the Bills need to have an active presence up the middle of their defense,” Reid wrote. “Because of that, I thought about going nose tackle (another massive need) at this spot, but instead I'm giving Buffalo an instinctive second-level defender. Allen has the potential to transform the Bills' defense with his physical, tone-setting play, as he is a seek-and-destroy linebacker with excellent range.”
The Bills hired Jim Leonhard as defensive coordinator at the end of January. Leonhard would love the prospect of adding a young, athletic middle linebacker like Allen in the middle of his defense.
Scouts praise Allen as a three-down linebacker who boasts impressive leadership skills. That makes him an ideal fit for wearing the “green dot” as the leader of a modern NFL defense.
The Bills already have a capable middle linebacker in Terrel Bernard. However, they will need two moving forward as a 3-4 defense.
Buffalo has no shot at elite linebackers like Sonny Styles or Arvell Reese, but a player like Allen could be available at the end of the first round. It could end up being the perfect marriage for both sides.
Meanwhile, Reid also had the Bills selecting Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II in the second round.
Brazzell is a prototypical X receiver who boasts blazing speed. He would have a chance to become Josh Allen's new favorite target deep down the field.
Bills fans should keep an eye on which moves their team makes during free agency. It could provide clues of which positions they may target early in April's draft.
