Five at Five: 2026 NFL Draft prospects to keep in mind for Buffalo (8.0)

Slowly but surely we’re getting there, folks.

It won’t be long until opening night of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 23.

So, I’m not going to slow us down any further . . . here’s another edition of your favorite new NFL draft series, “Five at Five.”

Grab a drink, grab some food — whatever helps you get this information down more easily.

It’s important.

You’re going to need all of these facts and figures to reference in just a few short days.

Get to it.

D.J. Campbell, Offensive Guard, University of Texas (6-foot-3, 313 lbs/Age: 22)

University of Texas guard D.J. Campbell has a wide variety of opinions on him this draft cycle.

Some analysts see his size and impressive measurables, coupled with the fact that he started three straight seasons in the SEC as a Longhorn, and think that there’s potential for Campbell to be a starter in the league depending on what type of scheme he may fit in, which according to Lance Zierlein would be a gap scheme. 

Meanwhile, others view the Arlington, Texas, native as strictly a depth piece at the next level due to his less-than-stellar athletic ability and lack of fluidity in open space.

However, wherever you may view his abilities, there’s no arguing that his 34-¼” arms and 10-¼” hands are good building blocks for any offensive lineman to have.

Campbell’s testing numbers at the combine weren’t jaw-dropping, but they were decent.

He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.01 seconds, had a 10-yard split of 1.76 seconds, a vertical jump of 26.5”, and a broad jump of 8’-8”.

He’s not the greatest athlete, but I would say he’s at least average . . . and sometimes offensive line coaches in the NFL can work with “average” in terms of athleticism as long as the player’s technique is up to snuff, so to speak.

Well, Campbell isn’t completely polished at this point, but he’s not terrible in terms of his technique, either, and he has a lot of things to like about him depending on what you’re asking him to do.

He’s been durable while going up against the best of the best in the SEC, and he seems to be incredibly poised in his approach to the game as he appears to see things clearly in front of him as they’re developing.

A former top-10 recruit nationally coming out of Bowie High School, Campbell has tremendous core strength and is able to lock and anchor down on bull rushes, but he sometimes struggles with speed from the interior.

In my opinion, though, there’s a lot to like about the former Texas lineman’s game.

The 6-foot-3, 313-pound guard was a hot commodity as an impending collegiate freshman before deciding to stay in the Lone Star State with the Longhorns, and he started 43 of 50 games at right guard over the past four years in the best conference in college football.

That’s not an easy thing to do, and it shouldn’t be overlooked because someone deems him an “average” athlete.

Some team will take a chance on him between Round 4 and Round 7, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Bills take a chance on him.

Despite only playing right guard, there’s no reason to believe he couldn’t shift over to left guard and compete.

Maybe not immediately, but I think by his second or third year in the league he could be starting for someone if he lands in the right spot.

Watch out for Campbell’s name on draft weekend.

Malik Benson, Wide Receiver, University of Oregon (6-foot, 189 lbs/Age: 23)

University of Oregon wide receiver Malik Benson took the road less traveled to get where he’s about to go.

And, for that reason, he’s a bit older than most other wide receiver prospects in this draft class as he’ll turn 24 in October, but that shouldn’t scare off teams.

He’s got talent . . . and it was fitting that he ultimately landed with the Oregon Ducks because he can flat out fly.

A sprinter in high school in the 100 and 200-meter events, the wide receiver started out at the JUCO level at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas, to begin his collegiate football journey, which is roughly three hours away from Benson’s hometown in Lansing, Kansas, and the 6-foot, 189-pound speedster wound up setting a school record for both single-season receiving yards and career receiving yards in his only two seasons with the school.

As a freshman, he broke Hutchinson’s record for receiving yards that had stood since 1970 after he managed to rack up 43 catches for 1,229 yards and 11 touchdowns in 11 games for an incredible average of 28 yards per catch.

In total with his 2021 and 2022 seasons combined, Benson recorded 97 receptions for 2,152 yards and 21 touchdowns, which led him to become the No. 1 JUCO recruit nationally heading into 2023 after he earned First-Team NJCAA All-American honors in both seasons.

However, once he darted for the FBS and landed with the University of Alabama, Benson found out that his speed was only going to take him so far if he didn’t add some nuance to his game when facing other major college programs.

Although he appeared in 14 games for the Crimson Tide in that 2023 season, the Kansas native only recorded 162 receiving yards and one touchdown on 13 catches.

It was a disappointment, to say the least, and Benson decided to hit the transfer portal for the 2024 season, eventually choosing to play with Florida State.

Things were much the same for him down in Tallahassee, Florida, however, as he mustered just 25 receptions for 311 yards and one touchdown . . . not exactly a great uptick in production for the once highly-sought after junior college recruit.

Benson was granted an extra year of eligibility in 2025, though, and he took his chances and ran with it . . . quite literally.

The Bills took notice, too, as he told NFL Draft on SI’s Justin Melo recently that he had a private workout with the team’s wide receivers coach, Drew Terrell, and that Buffalo’s assistant general manager, Brian Gaine, also flew down to look at Benson.

That’s certainly interesting, and it should be noted.  

In his final collegiate campaign, Benson started to meet the expectations that were cast on him coming out of community college as he led Oregon in receiving yards by registering 43 receptions for 719 yards and six touchdowns.

He also added 161 yards and one touchdown on nine punt returns, which is something he hadn’t previously done with the Crimson Tide or the Seminoles.

With that said, Benson seemingly put it all together on the field while playing with the “big boys” of the FBS, and he only further cemented his status as a draftable prospect in February when he ran a blazing 40-yard dash time of 4.37 seconds along with a 10-yard split of 1.55 seconds, a vertical jump of 32.5”, and a broad jump of 10’-2”.

If scouts hadn’t already noticed, Benson made them do so that day at Lucas Oil Stadium.

And, now the “walking touchdown waiting to happen” is just biding his time until he hears his name called on draft weekend, which should come somewhere between Round 4 and Round 6.

His path wasn’t easy, but the former Lansing High School standout persevered to get to where he’s at in this current moment, and Benson told Justin Melo in that same previously mentioned interview that he had his beginnings as a JUCO player to thank for his toughness and grit.

“Hutchinson proved to be the right place for me. I had a great wide receivers coach. He instilled the junior college mindset in me,” Benson said in his sitdown with Melo.

“Every day is its own grind. That’s the JUCO way. There’s no looking ahead. Just keep your head down and go to work.”

That type of mindset will surely sit well with the likes of many in Bills Mafia, and it’s probably part of what has drawn the Bills to Benson.

Might it be the thing that makes them decide to bring the burner aboard in just a few short days?

It could happen.

Benson is definitely on Buffalo’s radar.

Brandon Cisse, Cornerback, University of South Carolina (6-foot, 189 lbs/Age: 20)

University of South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse will likely be long gone by any of Buffalo’s picks, unless the team decides to choose the Gamecocks’ cornerback at No. 26 (highly, highly unlikely), but if the Bills end up trading down and accumulating picks in the second round, then a player like Cisse might make sense.

He’s only about to turn 21 years old in July just weeks before training camps are set to begin around the league, and he possesses the type of athleticism that general managers, scouts, and fans all drool over.

The Sumter, South Carolina, native didn’t run all of the drills at the NFL combine in February, but he did explode for a 41” vertical jump and a 10’-11” broad jump at the league-wide event before eventually running a 4.40-second time in the 40-yard dash at his pro day.

Wipe your mouths off, guys. Jeeze.

Anyway, it’s clear to see that — in spite of being a bit raw in some aspects of his game according to Lance Zierlein — Cisse has all of the tools necessary to be a starter at the next level.

He’s tremendous in run support, which should be a plus in the minds of those in Buffalo, and he just simply needs to refine his technique and work on his ball skills in order to take his game to the next level.

If he can do that, then there’s no telling how good Cisse can be.

It’ll be up to his future NFL coaches to get it out of him.

After originally starting out at North Carolina State University for two seasons, Cisse spent just one year with the Gamecocks before deciding to forgo his senior year and enter the draft.

It may have been a questionable decision to some as he could’ve conceivably improved his draft stock even more with increased production on the field in another season, but nonetheless he’s an intriguing prospect.

For his career, the competitive defensive back finished with 12 starts across 34 games played — which all came last season — and he registered 65 total tackles, 10 pass deflections, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.

The thought of him coming in to be depth behind Maxwell Hairston and Christian Benford is enticing, but it’s probably a pipe dream.

Still though, keep an eye on Cisse at the end of the month.

Julian Neal, Cornerback, University of Arkansas (6-foot-2, 203 lbs/Age: 23)

University of Arkansas defender Julian Neal is an intriguing athletic prospect who originally started his collegiate career at Fresno State University before joining the Razorbacks in 2025.

A native of San Francisco, California, Neal was a wide receiver, defensive end, and a defensive back while at Mission High School as a teenager, and he decided to join Fresno State’s secondary once he graduated in 2021.

While there, Neal appeared in 30 games across four seasons with the Bulldogs before deciding to take his talents to the SEC last year, and he wound up starting all 12 games down in Fayetteville, Arkansas, en route to collecting a career-best 55 total tackles, 10 pass deflections, two tackles for loss, and two interceptions.

For the entirety of his five seasons, the “Super Senior” registered 99 total tackles, 18 pass breakups, two tackles for loss, and one sack in 42 games.

Neal isn’t a finished product by any means, but he’s incredibly athletic and has all the makings of a press corner at the next level if a positional coach and/or coordinator can refine his technique further.

He’s already a willing tackler in the run game, and that will undoubtedly endear him to scouts and coaches alike, but it will take some time before he can reach his true potential.

Still, you can’t teach what he already has — athletic gifts in abundance.

At the combine in February, Neal ran the 40-yard dash in 4.49 seconds, had a 10-yard split of 1.59 seconds, jumped 40” in the vertical, leaped 11’-2” in the broad jump, recorded a three-cone drill in 7.13 seconds, had a 20-yard shuttle of 4.2 seconds, and he also racked up 16 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press.

It was an eye-popping performance, and it might get Neal drafted sooner than maybe he should.

That’s not to say he’s not talented — he is — but a high draft selection might put unfair expectations on him too early on in his NFL career in what otherwise could be a player that has the potential to be a “diamond in the rough.”

There’s a lot to like about Neal’s game.

Draft weekend will surely be an exciting time for the former Bulldog and Razorback.

Cole Wisniewski, Safety, Texas Tech University (6-foot-4, 220 lbs/Age: 23)

Being snubbed of an invite to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine this winter was nothing new for Texas Tech University safety Cole Wisniewski — he’s seemingly had to overcome doubters his entire football career — and it’s hard to imagine him letting that slight overlook cause him to second guess himself one bit as he enters the NFL next fall.

He’s silenced the detractors so far, so why stop now?

At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Wisniewski was a massive presence in the secondary for the Red Raiders’ defense in his lone season with the team in 2025 after beginning his jump out of Sparta High School in Sparta, Wisconsin, by joining North Dakota State University in 2020.

He was with the Bison from 2020 to 2024, registering 195 total tackles, 15 pass deflections, and eight interceptions en route to earning FCS All-American honors in 2023, but he missed the entirety of the 2024 campaign due to a foot injury that required surgery.

The Wisconsin native bounced back from that injury, however, and he somehow landed in the FBS with Texas Tech, finishing third on the team in total tackles with 78, and adding six pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and one sack.

And, although he didn’t record an interception, Wisniewski did earn an overall grade of 80.9 for his efforts down in Lubbock, Texas, last season according to Pro Football Focus.

It was a good finish to a long collegiate journey for the lengthy defensive back, and now he hopes he’ll be able to continue that journey on a path in the NFL.

He’s one of the better run-defending safeties in this class, and he figures to still have room to grow in other aspects of his game, as well.

With that said, you can’t teach his size, and he’d be an intriguing piece to add into Buffalo’s mix of defenders in the secondary.

If the Bills want to add a developmental safety later on in the draft, then Wisniewski is a name to watch in Round 4 through Round 7.

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.