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The Buffalo News looked at 25 mock drafts by national writers to see where they expect the Bills to look Thursday in Round 1. Of the 25, all but three went defense, and two of those three predicted that the Bills will trade out of the first round.

Twelve of the 25 went with a cornerback – a clear need for Buffalo this offseason. Trey Amos of Ole Miss was the player most mocked to the Bills – a seven-time selection.

Mock drafts are a funny thing. Essentially, all the ones we rounded up last year missed the Bills' pick. The Bills traded down and out of the first round, then drafted wide receiver Keon Coleman.

Still, of the 25 drafts we looked at last year, a whopping 20 went with wide receiver, so the logic was there. Texas’ Adonai Mitchell was the most popular pick.

The year before also was heavy on wide receiver, with 12 of 25 analysts thinking the Bills would go that direction in 2023. That year, the team went with tight end Dalton Kincaid.

But now, defense has emerged as the Bills' clear need. Outside of cornerback, defensive tackle was a popular position of choice. In fact, Michigan’s Kenneth Grant was mocked to the Bills five times, second only to Amos.

Edge and safety also garnered selections, and FOX Sports’ Henry McKenna had the lone pick on offense, opting to go with guard Donovan Jackson out of Ohio State. Some mock drafts have different flavors, and McKenna acknowledged in his introduction that he was leaning a little more chaotic with his selections.

Predicting whom Bills will pick

Asterisks mark a trade from pick No. 30.