The Buffalo Bills had another disappointing end to their season in 2025. With Josh Allen failing to get to the Super Bowl, there will be a lot of emphasis in the offseason on adding weapons around him and adding reinforcements on defense.
With the offensive mindset of new head coach Joe Brady, this AFC East quad will be on the market for a top receiver either via free agency, trade or the 2026 NFL Draft.
Now, the recent discussion surrounding the selection of Keon Coleman in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bills would be more likely to explore free agency and the trade market for a top-level receiver to form a connection with Allen, then draft a receiver on Day 1 or Day 2 in the draft.
In looking at the draft and where the Bills will be selecting, the options for first-round talent will be slim, but if they do their homework, they can find a receiver who fits as a No. 2 option with the potential of growing into a No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL. At the very least, a consistent weapon for Allen in the Bills’ offense.
While NFL Mocks has consistently linked the Bills to Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston, a recent CBS Mock Draft has Buffalo adding one of Fernado Mendoza’s top receivers at Indiana.
CBS Sports 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Bills tough receiver with reliable hands
If the Bills can get a veteran deep threat in free agency or trade to pair with Khalil Shakir, a solid option in the draft will be a player who can play in the slot and create plays after the catch. In his recent NFL Mock Draft, CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards has the Bills invading the talent pool of the national champions to find a player who can feast in the middle of the field like Hoosiers’ playmaker Omar Cooper Jr.
Edwards writes:
“Thinking back to the best versions of Buffalo, yes, they had a downfield threat like Stefon Diggs, but they also had a slot merchant like Cole Beasley. Omar Cooper Jr. is not afraid of contact and is also capable of creating yards after the catch”
With a running game fueled by James Cook, adding a short-yardage type receiver like Cooper Jr., would make the Bills’ offense hard to defend given the targets at tight end they are also able to put on the field. In Cooper Jr., they get a master of the YAC as he averaged 7.2 yards after the catch. Not only that, but Cooper Jr is also a physical wide receiver who will fight for yardage and at times will get down the field and create plays outside and down the field.
Sounds like a great fit for a quarterback like Allen who can create time in the pocket and manipulate defenders with his legs and arm talent.
NFL.com Mock Draft: Is Notre Dame receiver the right fit in Buffalo?
A player who projects as a high-level WR2 in the NFL is Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields who has really raised his draft stock towards the end of the college football season and the Senior Bowl. Standing at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Fields is a physical “X” receiver who could be what Coleman failed to be consistently through his first two seasons in the NFL.
In his latest NFL Mock Draft, Jeremiah sticks with the theme of physicality and links Fields to the Bills as a first-round pick.
Jeremiah writes:
“The Bills add a player with a wide catch radius to complement Khalil Shakir at receiver. Fields was excellent all week long at the Senior Bowl.”
Could Fields be a reach for the Bills in the first round? Is Omar Cooper Jr. a reach? As a team with big needs at receiver, all that matters if how the team feels about those players and their fit in the offensive system.
Either as late-first round picks or Day 2 picks, both players add intrigue to the Bills offense. But one player who won’t be considered a reach is a player NFL Mocks’ contributor John Blair feels is perfect for Allen and the Bills.
NFL Mocks pick for Bills at No. 26
In our latest NFL Mock Draft, the Bills are going defense with the selection of CJ Allen with their first pick and then select Georgia’s Zachariah Branch on Day 2. While wide receiver is a need, the Bills will have an opportunity to fill defensive holes with their top pick, which Mocks views as more of a sure bet.
However, Blair sees a great fit in Boston as a receiver who thrives catching the ball in traffic.
He writes:
“Boston fits Buffalo for several reasons. First, he’s a big, physical receiver who would complement Shakir well. He thrives in traffic, catching 10 of 13 targets in tight coverage this season, according to PFF. That kind of reliability is something the Bills have lacked.”
Again, another tough, physical receiver linked as a fit for the Bills.
So, when it comes to Cooper Jr. vs Fields, either player offers a playmaking ability the Bills lacked consistently from the wide receiver position other than Shakir, but the ideal pick is Boston. He is just a player who gives Allen a big target along the sideline and in the redzone.