Buffalo moved down three spots from No. 28 to No. 31 in the…
Buffalo moved down three spots from No. 28 to No. 31 in the 2026 first round and added pick 125, while New England climbed to No. 28 for Utah tackle Caleb Lomu. The Bills later moved No. 31 again and kept No. 125, using it on UConn receiver Skyler Bell. With both rookies still before their first regular season, the exchange remains appropriately even.
Buffalo Bills Received
- pick 2026 1st round pick (31st overall subsequently traded, Keldric Faulk)
- pick 2026 4th round pick (125th overall, Skyler Bell )
New England Patriots Received
- pick 2026 1st round pick (28th overall, Caleb Lomu)
Trade Analysis
New England treated the three-slot move from No. 31 to No. 28 as a chance to secure an offensive tackle it did not want to risk losing. Caleb Lomu had started 24 college games at left tackle for Utah, earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2025 and entered the league with the athletic profile of a first-round pass protector. The Patriots gave Buffalo a fourth-round pick, No. 125, for the right to move ahead and make Lomu the 28th selection.
Buffalo's side was about accumulating value without falling far. The Bills picked up No. 125 and initially retained No. 31, though they subsequently traded out of the first round rather than using that selection themselves. That distinction is important: Keldric Faulk became the player ultimately selected at No. 31 after the choice moved again, so his career should not be treated as a direct Buffalo return from this transaction. Buffalo did keep No. 125 and used it on UConn receiver Skyler Bell, who was coming off a 101-catch, 1,278-yard, 13-touchdown season and a Biletnikoff Award finalist campaign.
The deal therefore produced two different roster-building approaches. New England spent a fourth-rounder to secure a specific premium-position prospect. Buffalo sold three spots, added a Day 3 selection and continued moving around the board rather than tying its return to one first-round player. There is not yet meaningful regular-season evidence for Lomu or Bell, and the Bills' later handling of No. 31 makes a simple player-versus-player comparison misleading.
An Even Trade grade is the right snapshot. New England paid a modest premium to control its preferred tackle, while Buffalo collected additional capital and turned part of it into a productive college receiver. The balance can shift once the rookies establish NFL roles, but nothing in the current evidence justifies forcing a winner before either side's central return has played a regular-season snap.