The Buffalo Bills faced a tough challenge against the Houston Texans last Thursday, and now they must figure out how to turn things around. If they don’t get back on track soon, they might find themselves starting their offseason plans a bit earlier than they expected.
This upcoming offseason will be critical for the Bills to add depth to their defense, and they could do so through the NFL Draft.
Bills Predicted to Draft Georgia Linebacker CJ Allen
The 2026 NFL Draft is shaping up to be quite impressive, particularly with a strong pool of defensive players. On Monday, Jaime Eisner from The Draft Network released a mock draft that had the Bills selecting Georgia linebacker CJ Allen with the 21st pick.
“With Matt Milano’s contract set to expire, the Bills should look to add to the second level of their defense,” Eisner wrote. “CJ Allen could be a tone-setter for Buffalo’s defense. He’s physical, instinctive in coverage, and tackles with sound technique. He’s a day-one starter for the Bills.”
Allen is in his third season at Georgia and has 78 combined tackles and 3.5 sacks through 10 games this season.
Pro Football Focus lead draft analyst Trevor Sikkema published his top 315 prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft and has Allen ranked as the No. 71 prospect.
“Allen is a player with a strong baseline as a MIKE linebacker,” Sikkema wrote on Monday. “The question is: just how high is his ceiling? In 2024, he knew where to be in his place on defense, but in 2025, he could show more playmaking instincts, not just running to a spot (though that’s not a bad thing at all). He’s a very reliable tackler and sound in almost everything he does. His multi-position and multi-sport backgrounds from high school give him adequate all-around movement skills.”
Since Sikkema has Allen as the No. 71 overall player and Eisner has Allen as one of the top 20 non-quarterbacks taken in the NFL Draft, there is a difference of opinion on the young player.
However, it’s okay that there are a lot of opinions on Allen because it’s way too early to decide where he could be drafted.
Allen Still Has a Few More Games Left This Season
Georgia still has one more regular season game left and possibly an SEC title game and a playoff run, so Allen will be able to put more film on tape, good or bad, for NFL scouts to see.
The Bills will need to watch the college football playoffs closely this season, since there could be a handful of stars they could target in the draft next April.
Buffalo still has everything in front of it this season, but after its loss to the Texans, the Bills could be looking toward a wild-card spot instead of an AFC East division title.
The Bills will look to get back on track this Sunday when they head to Pittsburgh to face a struggling Steelers team.
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