ESPN's Peter Schrager mocks Kayden McDonald to the Buffalo Bills at No. 26 in his 2026 NFL mock draft, citing first-round buzz on the Ohio State run stuffer.
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ESPN's Peter Schrager dropped his NFL mock draft today and penciled in a defensive stud for the Bills.
The 2026 NFL draft is rapidly approaching, and the Buffalo Bills were just predicted to pick Ohio State’s AP All-American Kayden McDoanld in Peter Schrager’s mock draft.
Schrager is the latest to connect the Bills to the 6-foot-2, 326-pound defensive tackle with the 26th overall pick.
“This might be the highest you’ll see McDonald going in a mock draft at the moment, but I’m hearing significant first-round buzz on him,” Schrager wrote. “A massive run defender, McDonald would be a good fit in Buffalo, where the Bills ranked 30th against the run last season (5.1 yards allowed per carry).”
NFL Draft: Buffalo Bills Predicted to Pick Kayden McDonald in Latest Mock
The Buffalo Bills’ 30th-ranked run defense is exactly why McDonald keeps showing up in Buffalo mock scenarios. The All-American and Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year posted 33 run stops on just 448 defensive snaps in 2025, with a minuscule 3.3% missed tackle rate and a reliable presence against the run. The 2024 national champion out of Ohio State is just 21 years old, and scouts see him as a top interior run defender in the class.
Schrager isn’t alone. A post-free-agency mock from Bleacher Report also projected McDonald to the Bills at 26, calling him “the tip of the spear for the entire unit.” ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg has also noted a gap in the current roster for players with size and run-stopping ability, and multiple draft projections have pointed Buffalo toward a defensive tackle in the first round.
The Bills are transitioning to a 3-4 base defense under new coordinator Jim Leonhard, and McDonald profiles as the kind of anchor who can eat space for Ed Oliver to make plays around him.
McDonald believes he’s the guy. “I believe I’m the best defensive tackle in this draft class,” he said, via SI.com. “Really pride myself on being consistent, competitive, holding my teammates accountable.”
Bills’ Aggressive Offseason Adds Fuel to the Fire
Buffalo’s front office has already been swinging big this offseason, and drafting McDonald would cap an offseason overhaul unlike anything the Bills have attempted in the Josh Allen era.
Brandon Beane traded for wide receiver D.J. Moore from the Chicago Bears, giving Allen a nice weapon, locked up center Connor McGovern, and re-signed tight end Dawson Knox to a three-year contract to keep the offensive infrastructure intact.
On the defensive side, the Bills added pass rusher Bradley Chubb on a three-year deal and signed Super Bowl champion C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a one-year, $6 million deal, plus cornerback Dee Alford and safety Geno Stone.
Could the Buffalo Bills Trade for Dexter Lawrence?
And then there’s the wild card. Giants’ All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence requested a trade on April 6, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. NFL insider Easton Butler reported that Buffalo is among the teams pursuing him.
Lawrence is a three-time Pro Bowler, and the Bills would need to create roughly $6 million in additional cap space just to absorb his $20 million salary before any restructure or extension talks, according to SI.
That’s a tough needle to thread for a team with roughly $12 million in cap room. But the fact that the Bills are even poking around tells you everything about how seriously Beane is taking the run defense problem.
Whether it’s McDonald at 26 in the NFL draft or a Lawrence blockbuster before the draft, there is a ton of speculation that the Bills want to beef up their defensive line.