Bills Predraft Meetings With Two Prospects Indicate Buffalo's NFL Draft Direction

There are countless different directions the Buffalo Bills can turn in the NFL Draft, including an effort to improve their secondary.

While Buffalo brought in players such as C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Dee Alford to help fill vacancies in the back end, they have also been perusing the vast market of prospects set to enter the selection process on Thursday night.

Two of the Bills’ recently-revealed meetings were with Notre Dame’s DeVonta Smith and Illinois State’s Shadwell Nkuba II, players who spoke about their sit-downs with Buffalo with Draft OnSI’s Justin Melo. Nkuba II met with the Bills at his pro day, while Smith has also spent time with the team leading up to draft day.

There are other positions, such as edge rusher, wide receiver and linebacker, that appear as more likely routes for the Bills to take while pursuing first-year talent. Still, even with the free-agent additions the team has made, cornerback is another that must be bolstered before the team takes the field for training camp this summer.

State of things

Notre Dame cornerback Devonta Smith during a Notre Dame football spring practice at Irish Athletic Center on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Outside of starters Christian Benford, Maxwell Hairston and Dee Alford, the Bills don’t have acceptable backup options on their depth chart. Beyond Hairston, who was selected in the first round of the 2025 draft, Buffalo also drafted CB Dorian Strong later in the sixth round of last year’s draft. However, a season-ending neck injury and subsequent offseason surgery have left his playing future in question.

If Buffalo wants to establish a high floor of performance behind its three first-team players, seeking additional help in the draft would be the right way to go. And Nkuba II and Smith are each late-round options who could help the team solidify one of the most important areas on the defensive side of the ball.

What they offer

Shadwell Nkuba II — Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Deion Burks (4) makes a catch against Illinois State Redbirds defensive back Shadwel Nkuba II (1) during the first half at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Smith would be a strong option to step in as a backup nickel cornerback behind Alford. Of his 287 defensive snaps in 2025, 72% of them came in the slot, while the 5-foot-11, 195-pound defender also briefly lined up elsewhere in the box, at free safety and out wide at boundary cornerback. He finished his lone season with the Irish, which came after four seasons at Alabama, with 20 tackles, three passes defensed and a fumble recovery.

Nkuba II is a bit more physically imposing player, standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 190 pounds.

“I’m a big, strong cornerback,” he said during his predraft conversation with Draft OnSI. “I like to cover and play press-man coverage. I’m very sticky in coverage. I play with a high motor, and I don’t take plays off. I fight through the whistle.”

The former Illinois State CB recorded a career year in 2025, finishing with eight pass breakups and five interceptions to go with 79 tackles.

Neither Smith nor Nkuba II is an elite-level prospect expected to be taken in the early rounds. Waiting patiently for either player to slip into the sixth or seventh round, or perhaps claiming one or the other as an undrafted free agent, should be in the cards for Buffalo this weekend.

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