Some teams seem very likely to make deals in the NFL Draft. And one team could benefit greatly from it. But rumors have the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Jets as first-round trade candidates for the 2026 event.
Earlier speculation had teams staying put. The reasoning was that the draft is shallow on quarterbacks. And teams wouldn’t be pulled for a trade unless a franchise-type quarterback remained on the board.
However, the trend is changing.
Draft-day trades could be wild
Perhaps pushed by the availability of potential season changers like Ohio State’s Sonny Styles, things could go off the tracks a bit. There could be as many as eight trades, according to ESPN.
“The flat nature of this draft class might make people think there will be fewer trades,” Matt Miller wrote. “But teams I’ve spoken to expect activity due to the fact that there are so few blue-chip-caliber prospects. Like Jordan, I heard from a GM that there could be two trades in the top 10 picks alone. The Cowboys (No. 12) and Jets (No. 16) are two teams to watch in terms of moving up, as teams picking in the teens would like to snag the highly rated players before they’re off the board.”
Field Yates backed off a little from that, but still went with six trades.
“We’ve seen at least five draft-day trades involving first-round picks in each of the past three drafts,” Yates wrote. “Identifying specific teams that will aim to be active is no easy chore, but there is plenty of reason to believe that the same amount of activity will continue this year.”
And coming in on the low side was Jordan Reid, who predicted five deals.
“I think we’re in for an exciting first round, but teams will remain cautious about giving up early draft capital for 2027,” Reid wrote. “It always takes two teams to tango, though sources are telling me the Cardinals (No. 3) and Browns (No. 6) both want to move back in the top 10 itself.”
Some teams seem very likely to make deals in the NFL Draft. And one team could benefit greatly from it. But rumors have the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Jets as first-round trade candidates for the 2026 event. Earlier speculation had teams staying put. The reasoning was that the draft is shallow on quarterbacks.
