Five at Five: 2026 NFL Draft prospects to keep in mind for Buffalo (2.0)

Is it 5 o’clock already? 

Sheesh. Where has the time gone?

Somebody grab me a Blue Light, I’m off the clock! But . . . luckily for you, as promised, I have another batch of prospects brewed up for you to pore over while I pour this Labatt’s into a glass.

Cheers, Bills Mafia!

After yesterday’s inaugural iteration of the Buffalo FAMbase blog’s newfound draft series — “Five at Five” — touched on a quintet of likely first-round picks that could potentially find themselves in Western New York in just a few short weeks, today’s edition will do the same.

However, some of these names listed could also be considered fringe first-rounders who might slip into the early stages of Day 2 . . . you just never know with this crapshoot.

So, without further ado, let’s roll the dice and see what five players spill out for you lucky FAMbase readers tonight, shall we?

Jordyn Tyson, Wide Receiver, Arizona State University (6-foot-2, 203 lbs/Age: 21)

Where does one start with Jordan Tyson?

Well, for starters, it’s JORDYN, not Jordan. 

Got it? Good.

So, now that the formalities are out of the way, let’s talk about one of the most intriguing wide receivers in this year’s draft class — redshirt junior Jordyn Tyson out of Arizona State.

At 21 years old, he’s still a relatively young prospect despite spending four years in college — which is seemingly a rarity these days for skill-position players — but, more than anything, that was probably due to the pile of injuries that Tyson built up over the course of his time in the Southwest, which caused him to miss plenty of games while down in the heat of Tempe, Arizona.

Whether it be lingering hamstring issues that have plagued him this offseason, a knee injury that cost him time in 2022, or the broken clavicle that derailed his entire 2024 campaign . . . injuries are a part of the story for Tyson, but they don’t paint the whole picture of the prospect.

Outside of the growing concerns from draftniks about his durability, there’s plenty of positive buzz surrounding the Allen, Texas, native, as well.

Learning from former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward while being coached by the all-time great in 2024 and 2025, as Ward was his receiving coach at the school, Tyson put up incredible numbers despite his consistent battle with staying on the field.

When he was between the lines — he shined.

Coming off his clavicle injury heading into his redshirt sophomore season in 2024 after appearing in just 12 games in his first two collegiate seasons, Tyson erupted for 75 receptions, 1,101 yards, and 10 touchdowns before deciding to return to the team in 2025.

Hindered by the aforementioned hamstring issues last season, Tyson managed to collect 61 receptions in nine games for a total of 711 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on the year, which are still respectable marks.

With that said, it’s certainly been a frustrating offseason for Tyson, who, as previously mentioned, has been affected by his muscular ailments since the final three games of the year, which then leaked over into February where he was only able to do the bench press at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, putting up a whopping 26 reps of 225 pounds . . . showcasing his incredible upper-body strength despite not being able to do much of anything else.

For his career, which started at the University of Colorado in 2022, Tyson recorded 158 receptions for 2,282 yards and 22 touchdowns in just 33 career games.

He may not be available at the end of the first round, but there’s chatter that some executives around the league are deeply concerned by his injury history, which could cause him to slip into the latter portions of opening night.

That would be fortunate for teams picking that late, especially Buffalo, because Tyson is able to play at all three receiving positions and has improved his route-running ability every year since coming out of high school.

He’s more than just a 50-50 ball receiver, and you’d be foolish to think that even though he does possess tremendous size and body control for the position.

In fact, he could wind up being the best receiver of the bunch in this class when their careers are all over. 

He’s that talented.

So, with that all said, if you see “JORDYN TYSON, WR, ARIZONA STATE, BUFFALO” come across your screens on April 23: 1. Rejoice, Mafia. You just got a good one. And, 2. Congrats, teleprompter person, you spelled his name correctly. Good job!

Let’s move along.

Omar Cooper Jr., Wide Receiver, Indiana University (6-foot, 199 lbs/Age: 22)

Another wideout makes the list.

At 6-foot and nearly 200 pounds, Omar Cooper Jr. is solidly built with a frame and a style on the field similar to that of veteran Deebo Samuel, who is currently still on the free-agent market.

Capable of making something out of seemingly little to nothing on any given play, Cooper Jr. was just a moment’s notice from finding the end zone any time he stepped between the lines for the Hoosiers over his four years at the University of Indiana, particularly the last two seasons when he accumulated 97 catches, 1,551 receiving yards, 97 rushing yards and 22 total touchdowns (20 receiving, 2 rushing) in 29 games.

He’s played a lot of football over the past two years, at least collegiately speaking, and he proved to be a pivotal weapon for the expected No. 1 overall pick in this year’s upcoming NFL draft — quarterback Fernando Mendoza — and the eventual FBS national champion Hoosiers, who were the winners of the 2025 College Football Playoffs this past year.

In his 16-game stretch one season ago, the somewhat “hometown” kid, who is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, registered 69 catches for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding three rushing attempts for 74 yards and one touchdown.

He’s the definition of “give me the rock and watch what I do with it,” on the gridiron, which is fitting given that his father, Omar Cooper Sr., played basketball at Louisiana Tech University from 1997 to 2000, and is a current NBA agent, while his mother, Vnemina (Reese) Cooper, also played basketball collegiately at Michigan State University, where she earned Big Ten All-Freshman honors and went on to record 753 points, 356 assists, and 186 steals in her career across four seasons from 1998 to 2002.

It’s not hard to see that Cooper Jr. comes from a bloodline of athletes, and he just might be the best athlete in his family . . . his prowess just so happens to be on grass and not the court.

He’s not the biggest wide receiver in this draft class, though, and he’s certainly not the fastest, but he’s sufficient in everything, and there’s nothing that you ask of him that he can’t do once the pads come on.

He was strictly aligned from the slot in 2025, but he does have experience on the outside — so there’s versatility to his game.

At the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, the former Lawrence North standout ran a 40-yard dash time of 4.42 seconds, had a 1.55-second 10-yard split, and also had a 37” vertical to add to his impressive showing.

It’s unclear whether or not Cooper Jr. will end up hearing his name called on night one or not, but don’t be surprised if he dodges the doubters on his way to becoming a first-round selection just as he dodged defenders during his illustrious career in Bloomington, Indiana.

Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn University (6-foot-6, 276 lbs/Age: 20)

Auburn University’s Keldric Faulk is a controversial player in this year’s draft cycle amongst draft pundits, and it’s to no fault of his own.

The 20-year-old EDGE defender doesn’t have any off-the-field baggage or anything of that nature, in fact he’s considered to be a high-character person according to various scouting reports, but it’s just that some people are simply hung up on what Faulk could be at the next level.

Do you play him at EDGE? 

Or do you slide him inside to play along the defensive front of a 3-4?

Both options are possible for Faulk, but nobody can seem to agree where he should go.

He’s built similarly to future Hall-of-Famer Calais Campbell, as well as current Bills’ outside linebacker Gregory Rousseau, but the production didn’t seem to match his physical attributes, particularly last season when the junior had just 29 tackles, five tackles for loss, four pass deflections, two sacks, and one fumble recovery, which certainly aren’t earth-shattering numbers, to put it lightly.

He did have 30 quarterback pressures last season according to Pro Football Focus, however, and was named a team captain coming off a campaign in 2024 where he registered 45 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and seven sacks in the SEC as a 19-year-old sophomore. 

So, there’s no doubting that the potential for more production is there from the Highland Home, Alabama, native . . . much more.

The only question is — can NFL coaches get it out of him?

That will be up to general managers and scouts to decide in the coming days and weeks as we draw closer to the big Yinzer extravaganza.

He finished his three-year collegiate career with 109 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, six pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble in 37 games played.

Overall, Faulk is a high-ceiling prospect in terms of having the functionality to play within various schemes, but he’s also a player who just might break through that labeled barrier en route to becoming a walking superstar in the NFL if he lands in the right situation.

Might that place be in Buffalo?

We’ll have to find out.

Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, University of Central Florida (6-foot-4, 253 lbs/Age: 23)

This player has been rising up the ranks of draft boards all offseason long, and he’s seemingly become somewhat of a fan favorite amongst members of the Bills Mafia this offseason — and for good reason.

The lengthy EDGE defender out of the University of Central Florida has nearly 34” arms, and he certainly uses them to his advantage despite only having 9-¼” hands.

For his career playing for the Knights of Orlando, Florida, the 6-foot-4, 253-pound EDGE rusher collected 72 total tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 20 sacks, five pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery across four seasons.

As a senior last year, Lawrence had career-highs in tackles for loss (11) and pass deflections (3), while almost matching his 2023 sack total (7.5) by tallying seven sacks in 2025. In that sophomore campaign he also had 10.5 tackles for loss.

He seemed to gain steam amongst draft pundits following a good showing during the week of practice at the East-West Shrine Bowl this offseason, even though his 40 pressures last year were good for fifth in the Big 12.

It just took a while for scouts to come around on the player.

Now, Lawrence has an outside chance of hearing his name on the opening night of the draft if some team falls in love with his long limbs and relentless motor — two tools that will surely have NFL defensive coordinators drooling. 

The Louisville, Kentucky, product did nothing but increase his draft stock at the combine in February as he ran a 4.52-second time in the 40-yard dash, had a 40” vertical jump, a 10’-10” broad jump, and a 10-yard split of 1.59 seconds — all of which are outstanding numbers.

He’s only average against the run most of the time, but there’s no telling where his game can go in that department once he’s amongst coaches in the league.

And, although his age might deter some teams — he’ll turn 24 on July 21 as training camps are about to open up league wide this summer — there’s certainly plenty to work with in terms of what Lawrence can provide as a pass-rusher immediately upon arriving at his new NFL home.

So, that’s still enticing to think about even if he’s a bit older than his fellow EDGE counterparts in this draft class.

Don’t forget about Lawrence on draft weekend, Bills fans. 

Quarterbacks will likely be having a hard time getting him off their minds in the coming years if he lands in the right situation.

Lee Hunter, Defensive Tackle, Texas Tech University (6-foot-3, 318 lbs/Age: 23)

Much like the player mentioned above, Malachi Lawrence, who ironically was his former teammate prior to becoming a Red Raider, Texas Tech University defensive lineman Lee Hunter is a bit of an older prospect in comparison to his fellow draftmates in this year’s class, but he also might be one of the most electric . . . and that’s quite the statement considering he’s a 6-foot-3, 318-pound defensive tackle.

But, it’s true.

Possessing a near seven-foot wingspan (81”), Hunter knows how to use his length to his advantage and is a load to handle in the middle of a defensive front while occupying blockers from the nose tackle position.

Simply put, he’s going to make his presence felt from whistle to whistle despite mostly being a two-down player at this point of his career. There is, however, also some pass-rush juice to his game, as well.

He dominated during the week of practice at the 2026 Reese’s Senior Bowl in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama, and it was a performance that was the icing on the cake for the sensational big man following the conclusion of a collegiate career that was split between Orlando, Florida, and Lubbock, Texas, which is where Hunter finished his career in 2025 after spending the first three seasons at the University of Central Florida following a brief stint at Auburn University in 2021, where he saw no playing time as a redshirt freshman before hitting the transfer portal.

At UCF, the defensive tackle was just as dominant as he was at Texas Tech, tallying 131 total tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, and one pass deflection from 2022 to 2024 before ripping off 41 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, two-and-a-half sacks, and one forced fumble as a senior last season in the Lone Star State.

And, despite his less-than-stellar sack numbers and poor combine testing results, which aren’t usually the calling card of a large nose tackle anyway, Hunter possesses quite the initial first step for his size and an ability to work laterally just as well as he does vertically when attacking up the field, and his repertoire of pass-rushing moves, albeit limited, were good enough for him to record an average of 25 quarterback pressures over the last three seasons, which included 26 pressures on 328 pass-rushing snaps last year.

He also had a 12.4% pressure rate through the B-gap and a 4.2% tackle-for-loss rate, which are both solid marks for the larger-than-life human.

So, while he is certainly able to anchor and take on double teams with relative ease, the ability to win in one-on-one situations against opposing interior offensive lineman is in his bag of tools, which bodes well for his future in the NFL even though people are trying to pigeon hole him as strictly a two-down run defender.

In the end, where Hunter is drafted will come down to what “flavor” of player NFL general managers and coaches are feeling on any given night of the draft.

Could he slip into the bottom of the first round? Maybe.

But, most likely, he’ll hear his name called on Day 2 of the draft, with the late second round to anywhere in the third round looking like a sweet spot for the lovable big man.

A union with Buffalo, a team that just so happens to possess pick No. 91 in the third round and may be looking for more help along the interior of the defensive line, might be in the cards for Hunter in a couple of weeks.

He’d be a fun pairing with Ed Oliver, Deone Walker, and T.J. Sanders in Western New York, and it’d give the Bills a strong nucleus of talent to build off of heading into the future under defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, who prides himself on his unit being stout up front.

Stay tuned, Bills fans. You never know — you could have back-to-back years with large humans landing inside your team’s draft class.

Oh, the potential.