One Thing the Buffalo Bills Cannot Afford to Get Wrong in NFL Draft

The Bills must nail their selection at a key position, no matter what round they pull the trigger.

Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver KC Concepcion (7) runs after a catch during the first quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

There’s one thing the Buffalo Bills cannot afford to get wrong in the 2026 NFL Draft, and that’s their presumed upcoming selection of a wide receiver.

Now, a number of different prospects with various projections have been linked to the Bills throughout the predraft process. Therefore, it’s not a matter of when Buffalo makes a move on a new pass catcher, but which player they wind up selecting that matters most.

Many fans have called for the team to go all out and select a WR with their first-round pick. While that may turn out to be the best-case scenario for the Bills to add a new weapon for Josh Allen and the passing game, it’s not “wide receiver or bust” at No. 26 like many may make you believe.

In the end, as long as Buffalo brings in a pro-ready prospect capable of impacting the passing game in Year 1, that’s all that matters. The round in which they do so does not.

With that being said, at different levels of the draft, there will be specific players for the Bills to target depending on where they fall on the board.

Diving into options

Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (0) against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Mountain America Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

At the top end of the draft, the Bills could look to bring in Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion or Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson, both of whom have received first-round grades by many evaluators.

There are injury concerns with both players. Tyson’s history of ailments is extensive, while Concepcion underwent an offseason procedure to repair his knee, leading him to decide not to participate in some of the athletic testing at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Later, on Day 2, Georgia State’s Ted Hurst would be a great player for the Bills to add if he winds up falling to the third round, or if the team trades out of the first round and into Round 2. Hurst is 6-foot-3, 206 pounds and ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at the combine.

Like the players mentioned above, in the middle rounds, the Bills have been linked to Louisville’s Chris Bell, who would be an enticing option, particularly in Round 4. He recorded 115 receptions for 1,654 yards and 10 touchdowns over his final two collegiate seasons.

History shows us

Louisville wideout Chris Bell (WO03) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

The Bills’ recent history hasn’t shown a tendency or success in drafting wide receivers. Keon Coleman has been a bust through two seasons, while Buffalo’s general manager/president of football operations Brandon Beane rarely spends valuable selections on the position.

Outside of Coleman, Beane has never used more than a fourth-round pick [Gabe Davis, 2020] on a wide receiver. Of the eight he has selected during his GM career, just two—Khalil Shakir, a former fifth-round pick, and Coleman— remain with the team.

So at the end of the day, the timing isn’t of the utmost importance, as many tend to believe. Instead, it will be the value the Bills find in a rookie wide receiver and that player’s potential to impact the Buffalo passing game immediately.

Find a prospect who can make a difference. The Bills cannot swing and miss here.

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