The case for the Bills trading down and out of the 1st round of the 2026 NFL Draft

The case for the Bills trading down and out of the 1st round of the 2026 NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Fans don't enjoy when their team doesn't have a pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.

They'd probably like it even less if they thought their team, the Buffalo Bills, was slated to pick 26th, stayed up all night to see who they chose, then saw them trade down and out of the first round from that slot.

The Bills should do it anyway.

This isn't about one pick. This is about the draft as a whole. And unless someone blatantly obvious slides down the board, there's a strong case to be made for the Bills moving down.

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Why? It starts with DJ Moore.

The Bills made the logical move this offseason to trade for a wide receiver to boost the offense for Josh Allen. They found that WR from the Chicago Bears. It cost a second-round pick to land Moore.

That means that after the Bills pick in the first round, they won't pick again until the third round, as things stand right now. The lack of a second-rounder is a large window that talent can't be acquired.

Now clearly, Moore essentially stands in as the pseudo-pick. But by the time the draft arrives, it starts feeling like a long, long time to wait between picks for Buffalo.

That's especially true when the defensive side of the ball has so many needs. They won't all be solved just with the 26th pick. The Bills will have to try and fill them with their later-round picks, too.