2026 NFL Draft Day 3: Best available defensive players for Bills

Linebacker

**Kyle Louis, LB (Pittsburgh**) — Louis is a player who thrives in space — so much so that many believe he’s a player bound to be a nickel in the NFL. Louis is one of the more fun watches in the class thanks to his athleticism and trigger to attack the football both as a run defender and in coverage. The question on Louis becomes role because he’s not a take-on defender and will likely be reduced to the slot where he can survive. If Louis works in the NFL, he’s one of the best tackling nickels in the league from day one. If he doesn’t it’s likely because he never found a true role and was a “miss” based on the tweener label. Louis will have to show even more as a man-to-man defender on game days if he wants to start in the league full time. Team fit will matter a ton here. **Keyshaun Elliott, LB (Arizona State**) — If there is one player who could end up being a “green dot” play caller to go on day three, it may be Elliott. He possesses requisite size and athleticism for the position while playing with a quick trigger and keying/diagnosing quickly. Despite his above average athleticism, he does struggle in coverage with feel. He similarly needs to fine tune his technique and understanding to take on blocks in the run game. Something that could hurt him is a lack of special teams experience as we move into day three. **Kaleb Elarms-Orr, LB (TCU**) — Very gifted athlete who threw up 130 tackles in 2025 along with 11 tackles for loss. He’s still relatively new to the position and it feels that way with his play. He has hesitancy to attack blocks in the hole and looks to evade instead. He’s also not very good just yet at reading keys and playing with instincts. There’s a lot to like with the athletic profile and ability to sift through the trash, but he needs refinement and time to learn how to maximize the athletic talent. **Bryce Boettcher, LB (Oregon**) — Boettcher is a very unique prospect in that he’s both a football and MLB prospect. Boettcher has seemingly chosen football as his primary sport. He plays fast and furious downhill to wack ball carriers in the gap. He’s a very instinctual football player with above average athleticism and plenty of experience on special teams. Boettcher plays too fast sometimes and gets himself in compromised positions. Length is a real potential problem for him in the NFL when it comes to upside in taking on NFL offensive linemen. **Jimmy Rolder, LB (Michigan**) — Rolder has just one year of starting experience in college, but he did make the most of that one year with the Wolverines. Rolder doesn’t have a lot of experience playing a ton of snaps, but he can really move at his size and played fast for Michigan this season. There could be more to his game with more reps, but the athletic package is intriguing along with his willingness to take on blocks despite his lack of length. Rolder is another player with special teams experience which will help on Saturday.

Safety/Nickel

**Keionte Scott, NCB (Miami**) — Scott is a unique player in that he is a downhill nickel who operates best the closer he is to the line of scrimmage. Scott plays incredibly fast and is one of the best blitzers in this draft class regardless of position. He’s the nastiest run defender in the draft pound-for-pound. He’s a bit unique in that despite good testing athleticism at 4.33 in the 40-yard dash and solid explosive figures, he’s much better closer to the line. You can see how uncomfortable he gets the further he’s required to work down the field. If he can improve his overall coverage prowess and feel, he could work for an NFL team as a starting nickel. He’s a scheme dependent chess piece that a smart defensive coordinator will want to get their hands on. **Keith Abney II, DB (Arizona State**) — Abney is a feisty competitor who played quite a bit of reps on the outside for Arizona State and could project inside for his NFL future. It’s a bit surprising he wasn’t selected given the athletic profile and competitive toughness. He’s multiple in how he can be used with strengths as a man and zone player. He’s grabby at times and needs to trust himself more often. But there’s a lot to like in a player like this with an easy slot projection. **Zakee Wheatley, S (Penn State**) — Wheatley projects more to the backend as a safety working in a system that allows him to align two-high with relative regularity. Wheatley is a good athlete, but he does lack long speed. That’s not necessarily a death knell for the position, but it may limit his role as previously listed. He’s got length and want-to as a run defender with very good ball skills. His lack of versatility and concerns about holding up when he has to keep up in man coverage against a variety of body types is likely giving teams some pause. He’s also already 24 years old. **Jalon Kilgore, NCB (South Carolina**) — Kilgore played almost all of his snaps in college from the nickel for the Gamecocks. Some don’t think that’s his future in the NFl which requires a complete projection if he was to move to deeper alignments. He’s an elite level athlete from a linear and explosive standpoint. He struggled with deceptive route runners escaping him and that’s where the deeper alignment projection comes from. There’s exciting tools to work with and he’s a very aggressive player. But some of the projection or worry about getting sticky in the slot has likely scared some teams off . **Malik Muhammad, DB (Texas**) — He tested like an elite athlete at the Combine. He’s a former high recruit who came in and played immediately in Texas’ defense. Muhammed has some questions on whether he’s inside or out player. But there’s some aspects to like about his nickel prowess. He has some size to work with, but he struggles to win jams and can get muscles on the outside in contested situations. A move to the slot thanks to his willingness as a run defender could make some sense. **Chandler Rivers, DB (Duke**) — What Rivers lacks in size he makes up for with his play style. He’s a small player with great athleticism in all facets. Similar to a player like D’Angelo Ponds, Rivers plays much bigger than his size as a fearless competitor. Rivers does suffer from his size where he can simply get dunked on by larger players. A lot of wins come with physicality as the route progresses, but that may not hold up at an NFL level. He’ll be a fan favorite from day one for whoever drafts him.

Other players to note still available

**Jermod McCoy, CB (Tennessee)** — He’s an outside corner with top-1o pick upside. He did not play in 2025 due to an ACL injury and there is apparently more going on with his knee despite running in the 4.3s at his Pro Day this past month. McCoy’s injury concerns have to be significant to still be available on day three. The Bills should seriously consider selecting him as long as the medicals aren’t going to imminently threaten his football career. The fact he just tested like a very good athlete is a good sign it may not be entirely over for him. **Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE (Penn State**) — The Bills already picked an edge rusher, but it’s a bit of a surprise he’s still available. He tested as a ridiculous athlete between numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine and his Pro Day. The athletic numbers show a fast, explosive, and agile player. But the tape says something a bit different. He’s a huge body at over 6’5” with over 33” arms. He’s got a good array of pass rush moves in his arsenal. Despite the athletic testing, he’s still available because his rush isn’t very deceptive or particularly difficult for offensive tackles to deal with from a twitch/athleticism standpoint. The tape doesn’t necessarily match the athletic testing which makes his landing spot/career arc a fascinating one.