Seven Initial First-Round Targets Still Available for Bills on NFL Draft Day 2

For the second time in three years, the Buffalo Bills traded out of the first round at the NFL Draft on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

Buffalo's move down the board comes as no surprise considering general manager Brandon Beane's assessment of the first-round prospect pool.

"I don't have anywhere near 26 first-round grades," said Beane, who apparently did not view any of the remaining prospects as worthy of the No. 26 overall selection.

Rather than reaching for a player just for the sake of making a Round 1 pick, the Bills added significant draft capital by trading back into Round 2.

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In addition to being armed with nine selections over the next six rounds, Buffalo may still be able to draft the same player it would've taken at No. 26 when it makes the third pick of the second round on Friday.

A number of the prospects who were linked to the Bills as first-round targets during the pre-draft process remain available heading into Round 2.

With the No. 35 overall selection, Buffalo will have the chance to choose one of the following players who appeared in mainstream mock draft first-round projections since February.

The prospect's ranking from NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah's Top 150 is listed in parentheses ( ).

S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (15), Toledo

The small-school safety is the biggest faller thus far. McNeil-Warren watched safeties Caleb Downs and Dillon Thieneman go off the board in Round 1 while he remains available.

The Bills, who hosted McNeil-Warren for a zoom meeting, are likely interested in the prospect despite his projected struggles in pass coverage.

Dec 30, 2023; Tucson, AZ, USA; Toledo Rockets safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (22) against the Wyoming Cowboys in the Arizona Bowl at Arizona Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

WR Denzel Boston (23), Washington

Boston was actually ranked two spots higher than Texas A&M's KC Concepcion on the NFL Top 150, but the former remains available after the latter landed with the Cleveland Browns at No. 23 overall.

The Bills reportedly met with Boston, who led Washington in receptions (62), yards (881) and touchdown catches (11) over 12 games in 2025, at the NFL Combine. We wrote about the 6-foot-4 WR prospect when Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport named Boston as Buffalo's "dream draft target" back in February.

Denzel Boston TD — Oct 10, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver Denzel Boston (12) catches a pass for a touchdown against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

EDGE Cashius Howell (28), Texas A&M

Howell was one of the more frequently mocked prospects to the Bills over the past two months. He's coming off thee consecutive productive seasons at the NCAA FBS level.

The reigning Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year has been knocked for his short 30.25-inch arms, but he may be able to thrive under defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard's attack-focused 3-4 scheme.

Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Cashius Howell (9) rushes the line past Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Markel Bell (70) | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

LB CJ Allen (32), Georgia

Allen, who fits a need at off-ball linebacker, has been linked to the Bills in mock drafts since early February. Viewed as a good on-field communicator, Allen earned All-America First Team honors for Georgia in 2025.

His draft stock has seemingly taken a hit due to the knee injury that he suffered back in November, leading him to opt out of Combine testing. Assuming the medicals check out, Allen, who made 41 career appearances for UGA, is an appealing prospect for the Bills.

Nov 28, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker CJ Allen (3) in action against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

CB Avieon Terrell (38), Clemson

With a third cornerback needed behind presumed starters Christian Benford and Maxwell Hairston, Terrell would satisfy a position need on defense. Although he was mocked to Buffalo by FOX Sports talking head Nick Wright, it's unknown what the team's interest level is in the prospect.

Terrell could be the first cornerback off the board in Round 2, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him drop further. His subpar 4.94 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) may be making the Bills hesitant, especially when they've seemed to use the athleticism metric as a differentiator in the evaluation process on multiple prior occasions.

Clemson Tigers cornerback Avieon Terrell (8) celebrates after stopping a fake punt attempt by Troy Trojans Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025 | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

DT Kayden McDonald (33), Ohio State

The 326-pound McDonald projects as a nose tackle in the Bills' new defense, and he's likely a key reason why Beane attended Ohio State's Pro Day in person.

Mocked to the Bills by ESPN's Peter Schrager earlier this month, McDonald makes sense although he isn't predicted to offer much pass rush prowess from the interior. He started all 14 games en-route to All-America First Team honors in 2025.

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive tackle Kayden McDonald runs past defensive line coach Larry Johnson during Pro Day for NFL scouts at the Woody Hayes Athletics Center on March 25, 2026. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LB Jacob Rodriguez (42), Texas Tech

We wrote about Rodriguez's stock on the rise earlier this week. After earning an All-Big 12 Conference First Team nod in 2024, the Texas Tech linebacker was the league's 2025 Defensive Player of the Year.

Essentially Sports' Tony Pauline recently mentioned Rodriguez as a possibility for the Bills at No. 26 overall and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Beane and Co. have done "extensive homework" on the prolific tackler, who totaled 255 stops over the past two seasons.

Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez asks for more crowd noise during the Big 12 Championship football game, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2025 | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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