The reason the Bills can't take a WR with NFL Draft 26th overall pick in 1st round originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Buffalo Bills aren't slated to be on the clock until late in Thursday night's first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
And when that pick arrives at No. 26, assuming no trades, there'll be many in Bills Mafia hoping for a wide receiver.
It's been a position of need for Buffalo in recent seasons, and drafting a first-round WR sure feels like a flashy move.
It's probably not one that the Bills can afford to make, and that's because of what they've already done this offseason.
The Bills traded away their 2026 second-round pick to the Chicago Bears to land DJ Moore. Essentially, that's Buffalo picking a wideout with its second pick in this year's draft -- it's just a veteran rather than a rookie.
If it was still just a pick, would the Bills use their first two picks on wide receivers? That seems highly unlikely.
MORE: Shedeur Sanders sets the bar for NFL Draft craziness
Moore's addition has also made the depth chart a little crowded, if not perfect.
The Bills now have Moore, Joshua Palmer and Keon Coleman leading the perimeter receivers, with Khalil Shakir still in the slot. Buffalo also has the likes of Tyrell Shavers, Mecole Hardman, Jalen Virgil and Trent Sherfield under contract.
It's not an amazing group, but at least Moore, Palmer, Coleman, Shakir and Shavers will surely make the 53-man roster if no trades happen between now and then.
And the Bills can't afford to overlook all their other needs to add a young WR to the mix.
Buffalo needs a lot of help on defense, and most mock drafts have them focusing on that side of the ball with their first-round pick.
Given that their second-rounder went to get Moore, it'd add up that their first-rounder would be used to bolster the defense.
There's a key twist to Kyler Murray's Vikings contract
Travis Kelce's new Chiefs contract has a simple retirement plan
Replacement refs could impact Aaron Rodgers' retirement decision
Browns may have officially won the Travis Hunter trade