Bills top draft options at wide receiver, linebacker for Day 3

He began his college career playing baseball for the Ducks and walked on to the football team in 2022 and immediately saw action in 12 games as a special teamer. He stuck with both sports through 2024 and became a 13th-round draft pick of the Houston Astros in 2024, but he decided to return to Oregon to play football in 2025 and football will be his full-time sport now.

In his last two seasons he started 28 of 29 games and was a second-team All-Big 10 selection who totaled 230 tackles, 13.5 for lost yardage. He’s another player who is a force against the run, even though he doesn’t have great size at 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds.

In a fun note from Brugler, Boettcher played quarterback and safety for his Pop Warner team which was named the Buffalo Bills.

“Boettcher is a classic ‘see-ball, get-ball’ defender, with the speed and play personality that will make him a natural fit in an NFL linebacker room,” Brugler said. “Although he will need the right situation to become a starter, he will be an immediate and impactful special teamer.”

Keyshaun Elliott, Arizona State

According to several analysts, one of Elliott’s premier traits is his professional work ethic and leadership ability. On that latter point, in both seasons he played at Arizona following a transfer from New Mexico State, he was voted to the team’s Pat Tillman Leadership Council, a prestigious honor.

At 6-foot-1 and 233 pounds he’s not quite the athlete that Elarms-Orr and Boettcher are, but he overcomes some of that with a motor that never quits. He’s probably not going to push for a starting job as a rookie, but he’ll be a solid special teamer.

In his Audibles & Analytics newsletter, Jon Ledyard wrote, “Elliott’s physicality into contact is a plus that should sustain in the NFL given his size and length. It’s unbelievable how he bounces off blockers and finds his gap. He has elite balance through contact and ability to find the ball while delivering blows to blockers. He does need to work on disengaging when an opponent does lock him up (finding leverage points, clubbing hands, etc). But that so rarely happens because Elliott is a constant moving target, and even when you hit him, he uses the block like bumper lanes in bowling to launch into the space he needs to occupy.”

Wide receivers

Elijah Sarratt, Indiana

Indiana's Elijah Sarratt (13) stiff arms Miami's Ethan O'Connor (24) during the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026.

He helped the Hoosiers win the national championship by catching an FBS-high 15 touchdown passes from Heisman Trophy winner and presumptive No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder lined up on the outside for more than 86% of his snaps and that’s what the Bills need because Khalil Shakir, tight end Dalton Kincaid, and maybe even Keon Coleman will get the bulk of Buffalo’s slot snaps. Surratt’s not going to be a big deep threat, though his 4.53 time in the 40 at his pro day proved he’s not a plodder. He’s more of a possession receiver and his calling card was his sure hands with a low career 3.6% drop rate.

“A tall, rugged pass catcher who separates from defenders and catches everything in his zip code,” said Danny Kelly of The Ringer. “Sarratt lacks elite speed and burst. He won’t easily run away from pro corners. He struggles at times to shake tight coverage and ends up in a lot of contested-catch situations. He has good height but short arms. He works hard at run blocking but doesn’t always sustain his blocks.

Bryce Lance, North Dakota State

Bryce’s brother, Trey Lance, had a standout career as the quarterback for North Dakota State and the 49ers made him the No. 3 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 draft. That turned out to be one of the worst picks in recent draft annals and now he’s hanging on as a backup QB for the Chargers.

Bryce followed his brother to North Dakota State and while he didn’t have the same outstanding career there, it was nonetheless impressive as he finished with 127 catches for 2,157 yards and 25 TDs, helping the Bison win the 2024 FCS national championship.

The 6-foot-3, 206-pounder then tested off the charts at the combine while competing against FBS players which confirmed what scouts saw on his tape. He ran the 40 in 4.34 seconds which was 10th-best among all positions; his 10-yard split of 1.49 seconds was tied for second-best; his short shuttle of 4.15 seconds was second-best; and his vertical jump of 41 ½ inches was 13th-best.

Luke Easterling of Athlon Sports said, “Lance could have made a lot more money by transferring to a Power 4 school last offseason, but he stuck it out for the Bison and dominated his competition. There will be questions about whether that dominance can translate in the NFL, but his testing numbers prove he’s one of the best athletes at the position this year. Lance’s combination of size, speed and athleticism should be enough to get him picked on Day 2, regardless of his level of competition in college. In the right scheme, with the right coaching staff, Lance could eventually develop into a dynamic target who can stretch the field deep and after the catch.”

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills best available players for Day 3 of the NFL Draft