The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft is set to kick off on Thursday night. Currently, the Buffalo Bills hold the No. 26 pick, but will they still be making that selection when the time comes?
Buffalo could be a candidate to trade down or even move up in the draft, and NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has the Bills making a draft-day trade in a mock draft he published on Wednesday.
Bills Predicted Trade With Cardinals
Jeremiah has the Bills trading the No. 26 pick to the Arizona Cardinals to move up from the second round to draft Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
“If the Cardinals want to move up from No. 34 for Simpson, I think they’ll find some very willing trade partners late in Round 1. With no second-round pick right now (traded it in the DJ Moore deal), Buffalo could be motivated to get something done for extra draft capital. Arizona makes a move for its QB of the future after bolstering the offensive line earlier in Round 1,” Jeremiah wrote.
If the Bills executed this trade, they would receive the Cardinals’ No. 34 pick, the second pick in the second round.
The Bills would gain additional draft capital through the trade, but Jeremiah only had Buffalo receiving the 34th pick, as it was just a first-round mock draft.
What Could a Trade Look Like Between The Two Teams
A blueprint that the Bills might consider for a draft trade with the Cardinals could mirror the strategy the New York Giants successfully executed last season with the Houston Texans.
The Giants selected Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter with the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Later, they made a bold move to trade back up into the late first round, where they picked Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.
New York sent its No. 34 pick, No. 99 pick and 2026 third-round pick to the Houston Texans for pick No. 25.
If the Bills were to strike a deal with the Cardinals, expect them to receive a return similar to what the Texans got last season.
A trade could look something like this: the Cardinals receive the No. 26 pick, while the Bills acquire the No. 34 pick, the No. 104 pick and a third-round pick in 2027.
Why The Bills Should Trade Down
It might be in the best interest of the Bills to skip the first round of the draft. By doing so, they could acquire two additional picks alongside the 34th overall selection, which would provide them with valuable opportunities in the next couple of drafts.
The Bills need to bolster their depth on both sides of the ball, and coming away with an early fourth-round pick could enable them to select three players within the top 105 picks who can make an immediate impact. This consideration doesn’t even take into account DJ Moore, whom they acquired for a 2026 second-round pick this offseason.
It will be interesting to see how the Bills approach their first-round pick. If they decide to trade down, they might not pick until Friday night.
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