Here is who the Buffalo Bills should take in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Buffalo Bills have the 26th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and their ideal pick has been revealed.
NFL analyst Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report believes the Bills should select Gabe Jacas out of Illinois.
"Illinois' Gabe Jacas hasn't been viewed as a first-round option," Sobleski wrote. "However, a few factors must be considered. Mainly, he's a consistent presence off the edge. As Pro Football Focus noted, his 141 quarterback pressures since 2022 led all Big Ten defenders. Second, he has experience playing from a two-point stance and dropping into coverage, which will help a transition into coordinator Jim Leonard's defensive scheme.
"Finally, Leonard has ties to Jacas. He served as the Wisconsin Badgers' defensive coordinator when the defender was named a Freshman All-American, then joined the Fighting Illini staff the following year."
Jacas put up 13.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks in 2025 for Illinois. He finished his college career with 97 solo tackles, 35.5 tackles for loss and 27 sacks.
The Bills were 12th in points per game allowed last season. They racked up 36 sacks as a team. Both of those numbers could be better with Jacas in the fold next to newcomer Bradley Chubb.
Buffalo lost to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round of the 2026 playoffs. The Bills have yet to reach the Super Bowl in the Josh Allen era.
The Bills fired Sean McDermott as head coach and promoted Joe Brady to HC. Along with adding Chubb, Buffalo traded for Chicago Bears WR D.J. Moore.
It doesn't really matter who the Bills draft in the 2026 draft because the team will go as far as Allen can take them in 2026. The 2024 MVP, Allen finished with 3,668 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, 579 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns last season. The Pro Bowler enters next season with 30,102 passing yards, 220 passing touchdowns, 4,721 rushing yards and 79 career rushing touchdowns.
Allen had right foot surgery after the 2025 season ended. The surgery was done on a broken bone in his foot.
Allen will be ready to go once training camp starts.
Bills Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Bills. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.