The Buffalo Bills no longer have their second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, thanks to the D.J. Moore trade, so the later-round selections will be key. The good news is that Brandon Beane actually has a better track record in rounds three through seven than he does in Rounds 1 and 2. With that in mind, let’s look at three Bills sleeper prospects to target in the 2026 NFL Draft.
DT Zxavian Harris, Ole Miss
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
The Bills are moving from Sean McDermott’s 4-3 defense to Jim Leonhard’s 3-4, which means at least a slight change in personnel. With bigger bodies needed in the middle and more speed outside, the front seven will look different this season.
Ed Oliver, T.J. Sanders, and Deone Walker will all be in slightly different positions in this new formation, and the team could use one more big body up front. That’s where Ole Miss interior defensive lineman Zxavian Harris comes in.
Despite drafting Sanders in Round 2 and Walker in Round 4, it was Walker who was the breakout rookie on defense. The 6-foot-7, 331-pound lineman immediately made an impact with his unbelievable athleticism for a man his size.
In the 2026 NFL Draft, there is a very similar player available in Harris. The former Rebel is 6-foot-8, 330 pounds, and moves like a man four inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter. He can push the pocket in the passing game and disrupt the backfield against the run. Putting him and Walker together in the middle on pass downs and on either side of a beefy nose tackle to stop the run could be incredible.
The biggest problem here is what that would mean for two highly drafted (and one highly paid) DTs, but in today’s NFL, the D-line is very much a rotation, so having too many good players is not really an issue.
LB Red Murdock, Buffalo
The Bills have taken the short drive from Orchard Park to Amherst before and found a diamond in the rough with “Buffalo” Joe Andreesen. The undrafted free agent from UB has solidified his spot on the Bills’ roster over the last two seasons, and in 2026, he may be a better fit for one of the two middle linebacker spots than Terrel Bernard or Dorian Williams.
Beane should add another linebacker to the mix in the 2026 NFL Draft with a late-round pick. It would make a lot of sense to make Red Murdock that player, and not just because he played for the Bulls down the street.
Murdock is not the most athletic specimen in this draft, but the 6-foot-2, 232-pound linebacker is a playmaker who plays downhill and in the other team’s backfield. He racked up an incredible 39.5 tackles for a loss in three years at UB and set an NCAA record with 17 forced fumbles.
In Leonhard’s attacking defense, a linebacker like this would thrive and cause chaos for opposing offenses.
WR Jeff Caldwell, Cincinnati
While trading for D.J. Moore doesn’t necessarily take wide receiver off the table in Round 1, chances are that Beane will have to try to upgrade the WR room late on Day 2 or on Day 3. In a somewhat weak receiver class, that means a Bills’ sleeper pick in the 2026 NFL Draft will have to be a boom-or-bust swing.
Jeff Caldwell started his career at FCS Lindenwood, where he put up a 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown season in 2024. His 2025 at Cincinnati wasn’t super impressive, production-wise, but six of his 32 catches were for TDs.
Caldwell is 6-foot-5, 216 pounds, and put up off-the-charts testing numbers at the combine. His 4.31-second 40-yard dash, 42-inch vertical, and 11-feet, 2-inch broad jump were fourth, second, and second, respectively, among wide receivers. And the three WRs who ran faster were all 5-foot-10 and under.
The big wideout has the size and athleticism of a DK Metcalf or A.J. Brown, but he needs a lot of work on his route running and just overall feel for the position before he plays like those guys. That said, Caldwell has rare traits, and a player who averaged a touchdown every four catches in college is someone worth investing in.
It may take Caldwell two to three years to develop into a WR1 at the next level, if he ever gets there. That said, he could be a significant red zone threat as a rookie, and when you are taking wideouts on Day 3 of the NFL draft, that’s not a bad early return if the ceiling is so high.
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