Daniel the Draftnick – Jets deadline deals could lead to QB in draft

The NFL trade deadline isn’t usually the time for teams to have a fire sale like the New York Jets had this week. Yes, players get moved, but two defensive superstars in their respective positions? Surprising. 

New York opted to trade cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for three first-round picks, a second-round pick, defensive tackle Mazi Smith and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. 

Stars lost, but draft capital gained for New York, and fans for the foreseeable future will be running the Pro Football Focus Mock Draft simulator every day until April, getting excited for the new faces to wear the green of the New York Jets. 

It’s impossible to predict who the board will be or who will be available when the Jets use these five first-round picks. But here’s a potential way it could fall for head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey in the next two drafts. 

Potential 2026 First Round and Second Round Selections 

(Used PFF Mock Draft Simulator for 2026) 

Round 1, No. 3 Overall: SAF Caleb Downs, Ohio State 

Round 1, No. 32 Overall: DT A’Mauri Washington, Oregon 

Round 2, No. 35 Overall: WR Chris Bell, Louisville 

Round 2, No. 46 Overall: LB Deontae Lawson, Alabama 

Quarterback is the position fans in New York want answered immediately, but in 2026, that may not be an option. It’s still unclear who’s officially coming out in this next class, with guys like Oregon’s Dante Moore and Alabama’s Ty Simpson only having one year under their belt after this season. 

In this situation, for the Jets, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is gone at No. 1 overall to the New Orleans Saints, forcing Glenn to take a clear top-three player in this class in Downs. Ohio State

linebacker Arvell Reese could be the pick here as well, to be a sideline to sideline defender just like Downs. 

With no quarterback in mind for 2026, the priority should be loading the roster up with talent in preparation for an eventual young quarterback. Trading away Williams leaves a hole in the defensive line room, and Washington could help fill it up with his big and powerful frame. 

Bell helps get a true threat outside of Garrett Wilson on the outside, and Lawson is a talented linebacker who’s just been going up my board throughout the 2026 college football season. Don’t know if he’ll be there at 46, but it would be a home run pick if he is. 

Potential 2027 First Round Selections 

It’s harder to project pick numbers in a draft over a year and a half away, so we’ll just focus on the first round in 2027. In the scenario above, the Jets opted to wait on a quarterback, so they’ll most likely use their highest pick or trade to pick the signal caller of the future. 

Round 1, No. 2 Overall: QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State 

Round 1, No. 13 Overall: EDGE Dylan Stewart, South Carolina 

Round 1, No. 21 Overall: CB Leonard Moore, Notre Dame 

2027 is loaded with wide receiver talent, but the Jets will skip out on it after taking Bell a year earlier. Instead, they load up with two defensive studs and a shot at the quarterback of the future. 

In this scenario, Arch Manning goes first overall, leaving guys like Julian Sayin, CJ Carr and potentially Dante Moore on the board for the Jets. Throughout this college football season, Sayin has looked the part for the Buckeyes offense and easily can contend for being the No. 1 overall quarterback in 2027. It took Sayin a couple games to settle into the offense, but his arm, accuracy and demeanor in the pocket all scream NFL quarterback. 

New York fans may have loved to see Ryan Williams or Cam Coleman with the other two selections, but there is serious defensive talent in 2027 as well. Stewart has flashed serious speed in his first two seasons at South Carolina and Moore has true shutdown corner traits with the Fighting Irish. Glenn replaces Gardner with Moore and helps get some pass-rush help lost with Williams in Stewart.