Updated Mock Draft: Bills traded back, what’s next?

It’s always fun seeing your hard work go down the drain, isn’t it?

After “laboring” for hours on a mock draft only for it to all crumble before your eyes within moments of a certain selection or trade, one might think a writer would be discouraged by such developments.

Not this guy.

Especially considering Buffalo Bills President of Football Operations and General Manager Brandon Beane’s actions weren’t far off from how I had things playing out in my final mock scenario yesterday  . . . AND two of the top three targets on my Bills-centric big board are still available — yeah, sign me up!

The Bills made a whopping count of three trades on the night in Round 1, moving back a total of 11 spots (No. 26 to No. 35, No. 165 to No. 167) for the entirety of their draft — at least so far — in order to gain two extra fourth-round picks (101, 125) and jump up 25 spots in the third round from their original pick of No. 91 to Tennessee’s pick at No. 66.

That is impressive, to say the least.

And, to any fans complaining — you shouldn’t be.

The team is in a transitional phase on the defensive side of the ball no matter how much “coach speak” they want to throw out there about, “Well, there’s not a huge difference between 3-4 and 4-3. Jim Leonhard will make it work.” 

Guess what? 

Yes, it’s true that Buffalo’s new defensive coordinator probably will make it work regardless of the pieces he has at his disposal.

But, having a few extra dart throws at the board on Day 2 and Day 3 will help stock Leonhard’s cupboard a little more heading into Year 1, and that will undoubtedly help ease some of the growing pains during the transformation.

So, with that said, how about a little updated mock for your viewing pleasure before things kick off for Round 2 and Round 3, Bills Mafia?

Cool.

LET’S RIDE! (Quoting my 2-year-old daughter here, not Russell Wilson. Sorry, Russ . . . not really, though. Love you, Scarlett!)

*I’m going to try and predict the two selections ahead of Buffalo, too.*

Round 2

“Good evening, NFL fans. And, welcome to the start of night two of the 2026 NFL Draft live from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Tonight, we will have Rounds 2 and 3.”

“The New York Jets have traded the 33rd overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers.”

“The 49ers are now on the clock.“

Here comes Roger Goodell to announce the first selection of Round 2.

“With the 34th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select . . .“

33. Chase Bisontis, Offensive Guard, Texas A&M University (6-foot-5, 315 lbs/Age: 21)

It was rumored that San Francisco would be in the market for a guard in Round 1, but instead the team chose to trade back . . . TWICE.

So, see — it wasn’t just Brandon Beane who saw the chance to stockpile precious picks and decided to take it last night.

John Lynch did too.

And now, in this scenario, Lynch still gets a player that was likely in his clump of targets at pick No. 27 (their original 1st-round spot) to begin the night yesterday.

I also think Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston, Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren or Missouri EDGE Zion Young could be targets for the team here, but after doing some research it appears that guard is the most glaring need for San Francisco at the moment, and protecting your franchise quarterback while still maintaining your “fast ball” in the running game is something that I think the 49ers will be intrigued by.

Theoretically, this pick makes both of those things happen.

So, Bisontis it is — and Beane is probably happy to see that in this scenario.

He’ll also likely be looking to get a player from his original clump of targets like Lynch did in just a few moments . . . the board is falling perfectly.

“The Arizona Cardinals are now on the clock.“

**TRADE ALERT**

Uh, oh. Who could be crashing the party ahead of Buffalo?

Is this a nightmare situation unfolding?

Should Beane have stayed pat at pick No. 31 last night!?

Fans, maybe you weren’t wrong for complaining this morning online.

Hold your breath, folks.

“The Cardinals have traded the 34th overall pick and pick No. 183 (6th round) to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for picks No. 39 (2nd round) and No. 107 (4th round).“

“With the 34th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select . . .“

34. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Safety, University of Toledo (6-foot-3, 201 lbs/Age: 22)

After grabbing two players to help new offensive-minded head coach Todd Monken on opening night of the draft on Thursday with the selections of Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano (No. 9 overall) and Texas A&M wide receiver K.C. Concepcion (No. 24 overall) — sorry Bills fans — the Browns decide to go back to stockpiling talent on the defensive side of the ball at this spot with the selection of Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, who I mentioned about could possibly go at No. 33 to the 49ers.

With that said, Cleveland — which appears to have a big need at the position — decides to not take any chances in this scenario, and leaps way up to grab the MAC playmaker with the second pick of Round 2.

In this situation, the Browns would likely be hoping that they are getting a similar impact from McNeil-Warren in his rookie year that they received last season from now second-year linebacker Carson Schwesinger, who the team took with the top pick in second-round in the 2025 NFL Draft.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see this trade happen, especially considering how wild last night was toward the end.

So, in this scenario, McNeil-Warren, the 10th player on my big board, goes to Cleveland.

PHEW! That was a close one. And, although McNeil-Warren might’ve been a consideration for Buffalo at this next pick, safety isn’t the *MOST* pressing need for the team at the moment, at least not in my opinion.

So, crisis averted.

OK, folks. 

This is it — we’ve made it to pick No. 35.

Here. We. Go.

Beane is going to FINALLY pick . . . right?

RIGHT!?

Let’s find out, shall we?

“With the 35th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select . . .“

35. Kayden McDonald, Defensive Tackle, Ohio State University (6-foot-2, 326 lbs/Age: 21)

Woah!

What happened to Christen Miller?

You know, the guy I had slotted to the Bills at pick No. 39 in my mock draft yesterday . . . well, guess what?

I have McDonald rated higher, and I did NOT think that the energetic Ohio State behemoth defensive lineman would be available for the Bills at this point in the second round.

I thought he’d maybe even go in the first round, but Florida’s Caleb Banks (18th to Minnesota) and Clemson’s Peter Woods (29th to Kansas City) were the only interior defensive linemen to come off the board in Round 1.

So, in this situation, the Bills get a player who I had rated as the top defensive tackle in this class, and they did so while also gaining two extra fourth-round picks and leaping a significant amount in the third round from No. 91 to No. 66. 

EXCELLENT work, Mr. Beane. Hats off to you, sir.

I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but your maneuvering of the board was a master class.

Instead of having to “settle” for Miller, who might be more of just a lane clogger during his time in the league, they get a player in McDonald who can do that AND presumably make more splash plays, which was evidenced by his 65 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 2025.

The Ohio State Buckeye defender is also almost nearly an entire year younger than Miller, who will turn 22 in August, while McDonald just turned 21 in March.

Oh, and you want to try and persuade me that Miller should be the pick because he made a top-30 visit with Buffalo?

Well, who’s to say that the Bills didn’t also have McDonald in for a visit during the pre-draft process.

I’m willing to bet that they did.

In fact, the Bills sent Brandon Beane, assistant general manager Brian Gaine, and Joe Brady to the Ohio State Pro Day earlier this offseason, so there’s some interest in a Buckeye . . . my bet is on McDonald.

Let’s bring the 6-foot-2, 326-pounder back home to Buffalo.

Pick submitted to the league, and McDonald — who is still in the “green room” in Pittsburgh — gets to have his shining moment with all of Bills Mafia that will last a lifetime.

You love to see it.

And, hey Kayden — it’s going to be a REALLY short flight to Orchard Park from Pennsylvania . . . so fans in Western New York will see you soon (hopefully)!

Oh, and the Sabres don’t play tonight . . . so, their undivided attention will be on YOU.

As it should be.

Let’s see what Brandon Beane has up his sleeve next as the draft board begins to dwindle  . . .

**TRADE ALERT**

Buffalo decides to get back into the back-half of the second round . . . but, for who?

Let’s find out.

“The Buffalo Bills have traded picks No. 66 and No. 126 to the Houston Texans in exchange for pick No. 58.“

“With the 58th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select . . .”

58. A.J. Haulcy, Safety, Louisiana State University (6-foot, 215 lbs/Age: 22)

Wait, hold on.

Didn’t Buffalo JUST sign two safeties AND re-sign Damar Hamlin this offseason!?

Yup.

And, your point is?

Much like the Bills did when they drafted Cole Bishop a few years ago, the team is looking toward the future with this pick.

However, in my opinion, Haulcy could come in right away and start over Geno Stone at free safety, while allowing C.J. Gardner-Johnson to roam around the secondary as a bit of a “roving playmaker” in Jim Leonhard’s new defensive scheme.

And, if Haulcy isn’t ready to immediately start right away, then I can think of worse players to learn from than Gardner-Johnson, Stone, and Hamlin.

The Bills are in need of a rangy safety who can cover the deep parts of the field while allowing Bishop to do what he does best, which is take care of business closer to the line of scrimmage.

This defensive back does that, and he’s also not afraid to make his presence known with a hard hit or two, either.

He’s a great player, and Buffalo has shown significant interest in him, too, as Haulcy was confirmed to be a top-30 visitor with the Bills during the pre-draft process.

I thought about putting a linebacker here, which would make a lot of sense, but for some reason I think the Bills like their young core of linebackers more than most fans do . . . we’ll see.

Haulcy finished his senior season at LSU with 88 total tackles, four pass breakups, three interceptions, one forced fumble, and a half sack in 12 games in 2025.

Having previously played for the University of New Mexico (2022) and the University of Houston (2023-2024) in his three prior seasons, Haulcy finished his collegiate career with 10 interceptions.

He led the Big 12 in interceptions with five in 2024.

Pick submitted.

So, Beane winds up with two second-round picks, and two immediate impact players — not too shabby.

And, while it’s possible that he could look to pounce for a prospect again at the end of the third round given that he does have ammunition to do so, I tend to think Buffalo’s general manager might find those fourth-round picks pretty valuable.

Let’s see as we move forward.

END OF DAY 2

Welcome back to the beginning of Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft, folks!

What might Brandon Beane do today to finish things off?

Here. We. Go.

ROUND 4

“With the 101st overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select . . .”

101. Brenen Thompson, Wide Receiver, Mississippi State Univ. (5-foot-9, 164 lbs/Age: 22)

There we go, folks! 

You guys get your first offensive player of the draft!

And, he’s got SPEED to burn.

Truthfully, if the Bills go with a speedy wideout in the middle rounds, then I think there’s a high probability that it may be Oregon’s Malik Benson.

But, for the sake of being a little different, I decided to go with Mississippi State University wideout Brenen Thompson, who ran the fastest 40-yard dash out of any prospect — regardless of position —  at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in February with a blazing time of 4.26 seconds.

And, he’s not just fast — he’s a talented player who can contribute as a receiver who opens up the deep passing game, while also probably helping on special teams, which is what he has been focusing on improving this offseason.

He had just one punt return in college, but it went for 41 yards . . . so there’s potential there.

But, as a receiver, there’s even more.

Thompson finished his senior season with the Bulldogs by recording career-highs across the board in receptions (57), yards (1,054), and touchdowns (6), and he’s hoping to parlay those efforts into becoming the first player at his position to be drafted into the NFL from the school since 1996.

Who was that player you ask?

Eric Moulds.

Yup . . . let’s continue that tradition of Bulldogs becoming Bills right here.

The selection has been turned into the league offices.

Let’s see what position group the team looks to add talent to next, shall we?

“With the 125th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select . . .”

125. Harold Perkins Jr., Linebacker, Louisiana State Univ. (6-foot-1, 223 lbs/Age: 21)

Another defender!?

Get used to it, Bills Mafia.

You’ll probably be seeing plenty of picks coming from that side of the ball over the next two nights.

And, while I’m unsure if this prospect will ultimately be of interest to Buffalo, let me try to convince you.

I think Perkins Jr. is a top-100 player in this draft simply for what he did in his freshman and sophomore seasons at LSU, regardless of his ACL injury in 2024.

He was electric as a blitzer, as well as pass-rusher off the EDGE in obvious passing situations, and he was simply just an overall playmaker from the “STAR” role last season down in Louisiana.

Perkins Jr., who finished his collegiate career with 220 total tackles, 35.5 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, 10 pass breakups, and eight forced fumbles in 43 games, could conceivably be what many imagine Michigan’s Jaishawn Barham becoming at the next level, but the LSU product offers even more coverage ability, which is evidenced by his five career interceptions (3 in 2025).

In my opinion, the 6-foot-1, 223-pound “chess piece” has all the makings to become a perennial Pro-Bowler in the NFL, but he just needs to land in a situation with a creative defensive coordinator . . . hmmm, does Buffalo have one of those?

Yeah, I can’t get my mind off this pairing of Perkins Jr. to Buffalo.

Selection submitted.

*We’re going to do a little more rapid-fire style now, OK? OK.*

Round 5

“With the 167th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select . . .”

167. Anez Cooper, Offensive Guard, University of Miami (6-foot-6, 334 lbs/Age: 23)

I had the Bills selecting University of Kentucky guard Jalen Farmer at pick No. 126 in my mock draft yesterday, and I’d still like that to happen — but, I’m unsure he’ll be available at this spot in the fifth round.

So, I went with Miami’s Anez Cooper, who is a massive human being standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 334 pounds.

You can find my scouting report for Cooper right here.

Possessing large 10” hands and long 34” arms, the former Hurricane was a 46-game starter during his four seasons with Miami. 

The Pleasant Grove, Alabama, native earned Second-Team All-ACC honors for his efforts with Miami in 2025.

Oh, look — back-to-back picks for Buffalo . . . head on a swivel!

“With the 168th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select . . .“

168. Jimmy Rolder, Linebacker, University of Michigan (6-foot-2, 238 lbs/Age: 22) 

Another linebacker?

Despite already adding LSU’s Harold Perkins Jr. earlier on in this scenario, who would be more of a do-it-all player if selected by Buffalo, the Bills grab a prospect on the ascent with Michigan’s Jimmy Rolder, who finished his first year as a full-time starter for the Wolverines in 2025 with 73 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, two pass breakups, two sacks, and one interception in 12 games.

At this point in the draft, this pick would be STELLAR value.

Here is my scouting report of the 22-year-old Orland Park, Illinois, native, who just looks like a Jim Leonhard linebacker. 

Interesting. 

Maybe Rolder will go from Orland Park in the Midwest to Orchard Park in Western New York, who knows?

Selection submitted.

Round 6

“With the 182nd overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select . . .“

182. Charles Demmings, Cornerback, S.F. Austin State Univ. (6-foot-1, 193 lbs/Age: 22)

The Buffalo Bills add more depth to their secondary with this pick.

Demmings possesses the perfect blend of size and speed that NFL teams covet at the outside corner position despite playing at a smaller school.

He could be a potential steal at this point of the draft.

Here is my scouting report of the former Lumberjack defender.

ONE. MORE. PICK.

Round 7

“With the 220nd overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills select . . .” 

220. Jack Stonehouse, Punter, Syracuse University (6-foot-2, 211 lbs/Age: 23)

HEY!

A punter! 

Again? Sure, why not!

The Bills currently only have punter Mitch Wishnowsky under contract for a minimal one-year deal at the moment, and, if the team can help it, I’m sure it would like to avoid the mess it had at the position last offseason when it cycled through Jake Camarda, Brad Robbins, and Cameron Johnston early on last year before finally settling on Wishnowsky.

University of Syracuse punter Jack Stonehouse, who spent one season with the University of Missouri before taking his talents to Syracuse in 2023, could potentially come in right away and solve all of Buffalo’s punting issues for the next 10 years.

That seems like an enticing chance to take in the seventh round, doesn’t it?

So, Beane gets special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers a new leg to work with in his first season in Buffalo.

Stonehouse, who is known for being a solid directional punter, tallied 200 punts in his collegiate career for a serviceable average of 45.0 yards per punt.

*In this scenario, the Bills failed to pick up a cornerback for depth purposes until the sixth round with the way that the board fell in the later rounds. So, the team would be likely picking up a veteran or two at boundary corner in the coming weeks if this were to happen. I just wanted to cover my bases with that little tidbit.*

That’s it. We did it, folks!

Another mock draft completed. Let’s see how close this one is to what actually unfolds in just a few short hours.

With that said, enjoy Round 2 and Round 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft tonight, Bills Mafia!

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.