We’re less than one week away from the start of opening night of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and things at the Buffalo FAMbase blog are winding down in terms of draft prep.
But, we’re not done yet!
It’s been a grind, but you’ll miss it when it’s gone, folks (wink, wink). So, scarf down the list of prospects while you still can.
Remember, the possibilities of what a draft CAN BE for your favorite franchise are usually always better than WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS.
So, bask in the glory of blissful ignorance while it lasts.
Your new NFL reality soon awaits.
Anyway, enough of my rambling. Let’s get right to it, shall we?
Here’s another edition of your newest favorite (probably not) draft series — “Five at Five.”
Brenen Thompson, Wide Receiver, Mississippi State University (5-foot-9, 164 lbs/Age: 22)
The last four years of Mississippi State University wide receiver Brenen Thompson’s career could be described as a bit of a slow burn.
However, nothing else about his game can be described as such . . . not in the slightest.
The fastest player at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, this past February, Thompson spent time between three different programs after entering the collegiate ranks as a four-star recruit out of Spearman High School in Spearman, Texas, in 2022, and he originally signed on with University of Texas as a freshman, but he spent just one season with the Longhorns before joining the University of Oklahoma Sooners in 2023 and 2024, and then the Bulldogs in 2025.
And, it wasn’t until he stepped on grounds of the Mississippi State campus in the northeastern portion of the state in Starkville, Mississippi, last season that he finally found his footing as a college player despite being a four-star recruit.
Standing at 5-foot-9 and weighing just 164 pounds, Thompson isn’t much of a physical player due to his size limitations, and he can be neutralized if the opposition gets their hands on him at the line.
But, that’s the thing — if defenders don’t get their hands on him quickly — good luck catching him.
The Lone Star State native, who also spent time in Amarillo, Texas, and Early, Texas, before returning to Spearman, Texas, for high school, which is where he was actually born, ran a blazing time of 4.26 seconds in the 40-yard dash two months ago, and since then he’s been receiving plenty of attention for his incredible efforts.
The speedy wideout, however, was actually “disappointed” with his time.
Crazy, I know.
He expected to possibly BREAK the combine record for the event, and he was just 0.06 seconds away from doing so.
But, alas, Thompson’s former teammate, wide receiver Xavier Worthy, still holds the 40-yard dash title with a time of 4.21 seconds, which he set back in 2024 before being drafted in the first round by the Kansas City Chiefs (Bills Mafia, do you remember?).
Still, when someone is disappointed in a sub-4.3 time in the event — you know they’ve got speed for days.
“I was a little disappointed,” Thompson said when speaking to reporters about his combine performance following his pro day last month.
“I think all my times in training (leading up to it) were going faster than that. Those training with me and those around me know that. I think that was fast and it caught a lot of people’s eyes. (But) for me, it was another day in the office.”
That’s scary to think, and it should have his prospective NFL offensive coordinators salivating.
However, despite his fast feet, Thompson seemingly wasn’t correctly utilized until last season with the Bulldogs.
In his previous three years between the Longhorns and the Sooners, the diminutive playmaker appeared in just 27 games while hauling in only 27 receptions for 503 yards and four touchdowns.
While it was an impressive yard-per-catch average of 18.6 yards for the former Spearman standout, Thompson and those within his circle knew there was more to be unleashed.
And, that finally happened last year when he broke the Mississippi State University school record for receiving yards — which was last held by Makai Polk — by recording 57 receptions for 1,054 yards and six touchdowns.
Thompson. Was. Sensational.
And, now he’s hoping to become the first receiver drafted from the school since three-time Pro Bowl wideout Eric Moulds did so when he was selected in the first round of the 1996 draft.
Does anyone remember what team that might’ve been to? My memory is foggy.
All cheekiness aside, there’s a real chance the Bills could be the team to take the next receiver from Mississippi State in this year’s draft, too.
Buffalo likely feels it needs to add at least one more receiver to its room this offseason, and Thompson’s skillset would be a welcomed addition in Western New York.
The team could use his incredible powers as a speed demon to open up the passing game down the field, and — although he had just one punt return recorded in college (that went for 41 yards!) — Thompson could conceivably be used on punt returns and maybe even on kickoff returns depending on how he adjusts to that portion of the game in the league.
The Third-Team All-SEC honoree’s game isn’t perfect, and he’s dealt with some injuries so far in his career, but there’s plenty to like about what he brings to the table.
There’s no denying he has a chance to be a weapon at the next level, and it just might happen to come within Joe Brady’s offense in Buffalo.
Don’t blink.
You might miss him being picked by the Bills in under a week.
Tyreak Sapp, EDGE, University of Florida (6-foot-2, 273 lbs/Age: 23)
Set to be 24 in October, University of Florida EDGE defender Tyreak Sapp is yet another “older” prospect in this year’s draft class — which seems to be a growing trend since COVID — but he actually only saw time on the field for four of his five years during his time on the Gainesville campus after he redshirted for the Gators in the 2021 before making his collegiate debut in 2022.
A native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Sapp appeared in 49 games across his four seasons of action with the SEC school, and he broke out as a junior in 2024 when he recorded nine starts in 13 games en route to tallying career-highs in total tackles (47), tackles for loss (13), and sacks (7), while also tying his previous career-best in forced fumbles (2).
His tackles for loss and sacks both led the Gators that season.
And, although his follow-up to that performance wasn’t as great last year, Sapp was still a solid contributor for Florida in his senior season in 2025 despite seeing a dip in production on the stat sheet.
Starting all 12 games, the former St. Thomas Aquinas High School graduate recorded 34 total tackles, three-and-a-half tackles for loss, one pass deflection, and one sack to finish his time as a Gator with 125 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, four forced fumbles, and two pass deflections.
Seen as more of a power player than a crafty speed rusher, Sapp plays with good leverage and it’s hard for opposing linemen to move him given his tremendous upper body strength and solid base.
The Florida native displayed that strength and power at the combine in February when he put up 28 reps of 225 pounds during the bench press portion of the mid-winter collegiate showcase.
Still though, scouting analysts like Lance Zierlein question his fit with teams in the NFL, and the 6-foot-2, 273-pounder may be best suited to bulk up and move inside at the next level, which is where he seems to rush the passer best from.
Regardless of where he lands, though, Sapp is a solid player and figures to at least be a quality depth player for years to come no matter what position he ultimately winds up playing.
Most prognosticators view him as a fifth-round to seventh-round pick.
The EDGE defender would be a quality addition for Buffalo in the later rounds if they’re looking for someone who can collapse the pocket and who can help in defending against the run, which has been a sore spot for the team’s defense in recent years.
Hopefully they’ll have already addressed an EDGE rusher who has a little more “pop” to their pass-rush arsenal, though, if they decide to bring Sapp aboard, also.
Jaeden Roberts, Offensive Guard, University of Alabama (6-foot-5, 333 lbs/Age: 23)
A three-star recruit coming out of North Shore High School in Harris County, Texas (Houston), Roberts joined the University of Alabama as an impending freshman in 2021, and went on to record 25 starts over the course of his collegiate career after redshirting his first season with the Crimson Tide.
A massive human being at 6-foot-5, 333 pounds, Roberts started 21 consecutive games from the end of the 2022 season to the end of 2024, but he was unfortunately injured in the team’s 19-13 loss to the University of Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl that year, and the injury bug followed the lineman into his senior campaign.
Last season, the Sporting News and CBS Preseason All-American selection appeared in just 10 games with only four starts after a concussion caused him to miss time in training camp and the season opener.
It was a rough outing in 2025, and now scouting analysts like Lance Zierlein question his ability to stick at the next level, especially as a starter, but there’s no questioning that he has great building blocks in terms of his height, weight, arm length (33-⅜”), and hand size (10-¼”).
And, although his technique isn’t up to par with where you’d expect it to be coming out of a major SEC school with more than two dozen starts under his belt, Roberts is a powerful player who just may need to land in the right system with the right coach for it all to click.
It’s not every day that you come across a player with his size and power, and coaches throughout the league are probably at least somewhat intrigued by him.
They might want to see what they can do with the Texas native once they can “get their hands on him,” so to speak, once he’s in their building at the next level.
Most media analysts aren’t very high on him, though, as many see him as a seventh-round pick or a priority free agent, but it only takes one team to fall in love and take a chance on a player.
He’s an intriguing prospect — at least in my mind.
Your view on Roberts probably depends on what your favorite flavor is at guard.
I tend to prefer to have big boys with bellies up front.
We’ll see if Buffalo agrees.
Rene Konga, Defensive Tackle, University of Louisville (6-foot-4, 300 lbs/Age: 23)
We’ve covered many, but University of Louisville defensive tackle Rene Konga’s football story is another interesting one in what seems to be a long list of them in this year’s draft class.
A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Konga was a defensive end, running back, and tight end while playing at Colonel By Secondary School across the northern border, and he finished his senior season by being named the team MVP and the school’s Male Athlete of the Year after he scored 16 touchdowns and was also awarded the title of defensive MVP for his league.
*Fun sidenote, Konga grew up just about an hour-and-a-half away from yours truly.
Anyway, Konga’s impressive efforts as a teenager proved just what type of athlete he is, and — despite deciding to stick to being a big man along the defensive line when entering the collegiate ranks — his athletic abilities have seemingly never left him.
And, after being snubbed of an invite to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, Konga displayed his physical prowess at the Louisville Pro Day on March 24.
The Canadian native ran the 40-yard dash in 4.79 seconds at 300 pounds, had a 1.6-second time in the 10-yard split, posted a vertical jump of 37”, a broad jump of 10’-02”, and he also had a time of 7.03 seconds in the three-cone drill.
It was impressive, to say the least, and it opened the eyes to many scouts around the league after Konga had seemingly been overlooked during his collegiate career.
Starting out with Rutgers University before becoming a Cardinal, the defensive lineman only had 63 career tackles across his five seasons, but he also had 11 tackles for loss and sick sacks.
So, it’s a bit strange as to why he was being overlooked, but that’s not the case anymore.
Projected to go anywhere on Day 3, the 6-foot-4, 300-pounder has a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.78 according to Kent Lee Platte on X (@MathBomb), and he put his traits to good use last season at Louisville as he had career-highs in total tackles (29) and tackles for loss (5), while also adding one-and-a-half sacks and six pass deflections.
He possesses a tremendous first step, has quality functional strength — as evidenced by his 20 reps of 225 pounds at his pro day — and he has excellent ankle flexion, hip mobility, and bend for his size that puts stress on opposing offensive linemen.
Of course, it’s not all good. There’s a reason he won’t be selected on Day 1 or Day 2.
At times he plays too upright, and he can sometimes struggle disengaging from his blockers, which probably led to a decreased number of opportunities to make plays behind the line of scrimmage.
In short, though, Konga has the upside that teams crave.
And, just like some other players mentioned in tonight’s segment, coaches are probably drooling about what they can do with the defensive tackle once he gets into their program.
He might not ultimately fit what Buffalo wants to do on defense, but he’s an incredibly intriguing prospect, nonetheless.
Keep an eye out for Konga in the league.
Max Bredeson, Fullback/Tight End, University of Michigan (6-foot-2, 252 lbs/Age: 23)
Hey! Another fullback/tight end makes the list at “Five at Five.”
We’re staying in the Big Ten Conference again like we did with Indiana University’s Riley Nowakowski the other day, but this time we’re talking about University of Michigan’s Max Bredeson, who was a five-year player and two-time captain for the Wolverines after starting out with the team as a freshman walk-on in 2021 out of Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin.
His brother, Ben Bredeson, is also a former player at Michigan who is now the starting left guard for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after originally being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Max hopes to follow suit.
Coming off a season in 2025 in which he earned Third-Team All-Big Ten honors, Bredeson finished his time on the Ann Arbor campus by tallying just 12 receptions for 132 yards and zero touchdowns, but that’s not his game.
Bredeson is known for his blocking from the H-Back position, and it’s something that he seemingly takes plenty of pride in.
And, although he has a tough time sustaining his blocks for long, the Wisconsin native gives great effort, and he’s by no means a bad blocker by any stretch of the imagination.
However, due to many teams going away from the true fullback position, it’ll be interesting to see how much the league values a player like Bredeson.
The Bills did just recently lose longtime veteran fullback Reggie Gilliam to free agency, though, so might Bredeson be Buffalo bound soon?
We’ll have to see.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea in the later rounds, though.
As previously mentioned, Bredeson has good bloodlines, and there’s something to be said about being multi-year captain and an 18-game starter for a big time program like Michigan.
It’s not like it’s an easy thing to do.
With that in mind, the former walk-on turned team leader will likely be somewhat limited at the next level, but I wouldn’t count him out.
There’s a chance he could be some team’s starting H-Back/Tight End for many years to come.
That’s the funny part about the draft that many people don’t want to say out loud — even the most intelligent football minds are lying to you if they say something is a sure thing.
But, Bredeson’s background makes him as good of a bet as any to be a solid contributor at the next level.
If the Bills do wind up adding a fullback at some point late in the draft, then don’t forget about the former Wolverine.
Writer’s note: Bills Mafia, I truly hope you’re enjoying my work so far this offseason, especially the recent NFL Draft articles. If you do, please consider giving me a follow over on X (formerly Twitter). My handle on that platform is @JGreen_PRsports. I’m really trying to get my work out there, so to anyone who reads and shares — THANK YOU. It is greatly appreciated.
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