INDIANAPOLIS — Hundreds of draft prospects were invited to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Ind. to show off their skillsets, meet with teams and showcase why they deserve to be drafted. Among the 319 invited, several have connections to the Buffalo Bills.
Whether they've played with current Bills players, would love to play for Josh Allen or have been mocked to Buffalo, plenty had something to say about the team that's won a playoff game in six straight seasons and has a new head coach in Joe Brady.
Here's what the 2026 defensive draft class had to say about the Buffalo Bills.
LINEBACKERS
LB Red Murdock, Buffalo
University at Buffalo linebacker Red Murdock represented UB with a ton of pride at the NFL Scouting Combine. Murdock said the opportunity was all about giving UB the stage it deserved.
"That's one of the forethoughts in my brain whenever I'm in any type of national stage," Murdock said. "Being able to represent UB for a lot of the guys that weren't granted that opportunity, and for a lot of guys coming up that deserve it."
Murdock is devoted to his teammates and the university he played for. He had plenty of opportunities to transfer due to his elite production but wanted to stay at UB due to his loyalty.
"Red Murdock is somebody that's completely devoted to the team and genuinely able to do whatever and use all my resources to help myself be the best player I can be and help the team to win in any way possible," Murdock said.
Murdock, 6'3" and 232 pounds, totaled 17 forced fumbles throughout his four years, which broke an NCAA record. He also recorded 39.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, 364 total tackles, four passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, one interception and one touchdown in 42 games.
He said former UB linebacker and current Bills linebacker Joe Andreessen gave him a ton of inspiration. The powerful linebacker, who's been second in the nation in total tackles the last two seasons, said he would love to play next to a former Bull in Andreessen.
"Obviously being able to play beside Joseph Andreessen," Murdock said of why he would want to play for the Bills. "Buffalo is a great community, a great city. Buffalo is my second home already, so it would be a blessing to not have to go anywhere else."
The 2025 All-American said he's training in Buffalo until the NFL Draft at the end of April.
LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles ran a blazing 4.46 40-yard dash, tied for the best among linebackers in his class. Styles is projected to go earlier in the first round due to his size, athleticism and production.
At 6'5 and 244 pounds, Styles racked up nine sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss, 10 passes defensed, three forced fumbles, one interception and 244 total tackles in 53 games at Ohio State. The linebacker overlapped with Bills safety Jordan Hancock at Ohio State. The two played together from 2022-24 and caught up before the combine.
"I talked to Jordan right before I left for the combine," Styles said. "He's awesome. He was an awesome player at Ohio State. But just talking to him, he's just telling me to be myself and no need to stress about it."
After winning a national championship together in 2024, the first-team All-American said he would be happy to play with Hancock in Buffalo.
"I definitely wouldn't mind linking back up with him," Styles shared. "That's my guy right there."
Biggest strengths: "I think I would say versatility. I think I would say that because the great defenses you look at, there's at least two to three guys on the defense that can play a multitude of roles … I think when you have guys like that on your defense, you're able to do a lot of different things." — Styles
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
DT Kayden Mcdonald, Ohio State
Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald is someone who's been mocked to the Bills at No. 26. The defensive lineman is known for being a solid defender at nose tackle due to his size at 6'2 and 326 pounds. He earned All-American honors and was named the Big Ten's Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2025.
"I believe I'm the best defensive tackle in the draft class," McDonald said. "Really pride myself on being consistent and competitive."
McDonald played with Bills safety Jordan Hancock at Ohio State from 2023-24. Hancock gave the soon-to-be rookie some advice about the draft process.
"I've talked to Jordan and have known him since we were kids," McDonald shared. "He just told me to put my best foot forward (at the combine)."
Their connection doesn't begin at Ohio State. In fact, McDonald and Hancock grew up in the same town, Suwanee, Ga. They have a close relationship because of that.
"When we were in like middle school now, we won an AAU basketball tournament with each other," McDonald said. "He lived a block away from me, so he could walk to my house. I love his family. We just got a really tight bond, and I got a lot of respect for him."
McDonald totaled 85 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles in three years at Ohio State.
Biggest strengths: "I'll say my power. Having violent hands. I'm that guy. I'm strong in the middle. My high school coach said being a war daddy, being that guy in the middle, just stopping everything, being disruptive on all downs." — McDonald
DT Nick Barrett, South Carolina
South Carolina defensive tackle Nick Barrett played collegiate football with Bills defensive lineman T.J. Sanders. The two overlapped at USC from 2021-24. Barrett learned a lot from the now pro and looks up to him today.
"I learned how to be an ultimate competitor from T.J.," Barrett shared. "…I talk to T.J. quite often."
Barrett, 6'3" and 312 pounds, totaled 72 tackles, two sacks, six tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and one touchdown during his time with the Gamecocks.
In terms of getting a chance to play with Sanders at the professional level, Barrett thinks it would be a great opportunity.
"We both share the same goals, and just to go from being roommates, playing in college with each other, and being together each and every day," Barrett said. "Playing in the NFL together would be wild."
Biggest strengths: "Stopping the run, playing double teams and pushing the pocket." — Barrett
DT David Gusta, Kentucky
While Kentucky defensive tackle David Gusta didn't get a chance to play with former Wildcat and current Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker, the athletic DT still made an impact on Gusta.
"Deone is a phenomenal player, a phenomenal kid," Gusta said. "I couldn't be more proud of him. Watching his knock-back in the run games…he's phenomenal. People say he just a pass rusher, just a big dude, no the boy can play the run."
Gusta, 6'2" and 308 pounds, played at Washington State from 2022-24 and at Kentucky for the 2025 season. He totaled 74 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and two and a half sacks throughout his collegiate career.
Even though he didn't compete with Walker or Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston at Kentucky, Gusta's aware of the pipeline that's started in Buffalo. He wouldn't mind being another Wildcat on the defensive line.
"Just making the whole defensive line Kentucky, that would be phenomenal," Gusta said. "Me and my coach talked about that not too long ago. Being able to link up with them would be a great time. We would probably become one of the best defensive lines out there."
Biggest strengths: "I'm persistent. I'm just ultra-aggressive, and I want to put my head down and just go." — Gusta
DE R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma
Oklahoma defensive end R Mason Thomas doesn't have any ties to current Bills players, but he does have a connection to a new Bills coach. Thomas overlapped with new Bills cornerbacks coach Jay Valai at Oklahoma.
Even though Thomas wasn't in the CB meeting rooms, Valai still made sure to coach him up.
"He always believed in me as a freshman," Thomas said. "…He told me from the beginning, you're going to be special and it ended up happening."
Thomas remembers Valai most for his words of wisdom and getting the best out of his players.
"He has developed two freshmen All-Americans," Thomas said. "So, it says something about him. You see him day-to-day, his process, he's always saying something that you need to write down because it helps you play fast."
Playing fast is Thomas' bread and butter as he ran a 4.67 40-yard dash at the combine. He's 6'2" and 241 pounds and rushes the passer with a speed and explosiveness like his life depends on it. Analysts have mocked Thomas to the Bills at No. 26 and he is projected to be drafted around that range.
His favorite player to watch is someone who played for new Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard when he was the pass game coordinator in Denver.
"The big one is Nik Bonnito, I watched him a lot," Thomas shared. "He plays with speed, plays with his hair on fire."
Thomas earned first-team All-SEC and second-team All-American honors in 2025. He produced at Oklahoma totaling 17 sacks, 25.5 tackles for loss, 65 total tackles, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 42 games.
DE Wesley Williams, Duke
Defensive end Wesley Williams overlapped with Bills defensive tackle DeWayne Carter at Duke in 2023. While they only played together for one season, Carter made a lasting impression on Williams. He's one of the reasons Williams decided to play at Duke.
The Bills reached out to Williams ahead of the combine to give the soon-to-be rookie some advice.
"DeWayne texted me yesterday just saying, good luck," Williams shared. "He hosted me on my first official visit. He played a huge role in me committing to Duke. Again, being that type of person that you strive to be similar to, he's a great man. He's obviously a great athlete."
Williams, 6'3 and 265 pounds, was a team captain in 2025. He racked up 11 sacks, 29 tackles for loss and 131 total tackles during his career at Duke. The DE would love the opportunity to play with Carter at the pro level.
"It would be an amazing opportunity," Williams said of playing for Buffalo. "He's a great mentor and a great role model."
Biggest strengths: "I'd say my motor, just relentless. Second effort rushes, physicality." — Williams
DEFENSIVE BACKS
S Emmanuel McNiel-Warren, Toledo
Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has been mocked to Buffalo by analysts at No. 26. While he doesn't have any current Bills connections, he does feel a lot of pride from playing at a smaller school in Toledo, just like fullback Reggie Gilliam.
"It means everything," McNeil-Warren said about representing Toledo at the NFL Combine. "Just watching it as a young kid, telling yourself you're going to be here one day and now you're finally here. It's just a dream come true."
This is just the start of McNeil-Warren's dream as he wants to be an impact player at the next level. The safety stands tall at 6'2" and weighs 202 pounds, although he plays more like 220 due to his powerful punch. McNeil-Warren is known for creating chaos with his ability to break up plays. He offers range, a ton of physicality and plays with high-effort.
"I'm versatile. I've played in the box, played up high, so I can play everywhere on the field and make plays," McNeil-Warren said.
The safety has a knack for creating takeaways as he forced nine fumbles in 48 games. He also totaled five interceptions, 17 passes defensed, 11 tackles for loss and 214 total tackles at Toledo. He earned second-team All-American honors in 2025.
"When I'm on the field, I can let all my anger out on the field," McNeil-Warren said of the reason for the takeaways. "You bleed just how I bleed, so we are both human and we'll bleed together. I just leave everything out on the field like it's my last (game)."
CB Collin Wright, Stanford
Stanford defensive back Collin Wright doesn't have any connections to current Bills players, but he did play for new Bills outside linebackers coach Bobby April III.
April III served as Stanford's defensive coordinator from 2023-25. Wright believes April III was an impactful coach who built the defense around player strengths.
"Coach April is a player's coach," Wright said. "He allows feedback, gives us a lot of feedback, and I think we had a standard in the way we wanted to play defense that he instilled in us when we came in. I think we just did a lot as a defense, ran a lot of different coverages … He really honed in on everybody's specific talents, and not just trying to plug and play people."
Wright, listed at 6'0" and 195 pounds, was a team captain for Stanford in 2025. He had a productive career at Stanford racking up five interceptions, 19 passes defensed, 10 tackles for loss and 144 total tackles in 36 games.
Biggest strengths: "I think I'm very versatile. I can play any position in the back end. I'm a very smart player and I use my football IQ." — Wright
