Tuesday brought the NFL Trade Deadline, which gave us one of the most memorable deadlines in recent history. Typically, we see a bunch of smaller moves as teams in contention add around the edges, while we never see the fire sales you typically expect. Instead, this year's trade deadline brought us two blockbuster deals and several deals that will shake the race for the Super Bowl.
The biggest player in the NFL Trade Deadline was the New York Jets, who are currently in the race for the 1st overall pick. The Jets sent Sauce Gardner to the Colts and Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys, bringing in a total of 3 1st round picks, a second-round pick, and two players to help their rebuild. After the moves made on deadline day, the NFL Mock Draft looks drastically different for the tanking teams as well as the contenders.
The New York Jets' fire sale shakes the 2026 NFL Mock Draft
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During the Trade Deadline, the Saints held on to Chris Olave, which keeps a key piece in place to help a young quarterback when the Saints make their pick. [Fernando Mendoza](https://saturdayblitz.com/heisman-stock-watch-ohio-state-duo-surging-after-week-10-julian-sayin) has flown up the draft boards and looks the part of a quarterback who can make the jump to the NFL and instantly breathe life into this offense.
The Tennessee Titans will be going through another regime change, and the top priority has to be landing blue-chip talents. There isn't a more dominant player in College Football this season than Arvell Reese, who can jump in and instantly become a disruptor off the edge or on the interior of this defense.
On Tuesday, the New York Jets dismantled their roster, trading away two of their stars in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. Woody Johnson has made it clear this team needs a quarterback, and taking a swing on Dante Moore makes a ton of sense. Moore has shown a ton of the traits that made him a 5-star recruit out of High School, and the Jets held onto Garrett Wilson, who will make life easier on Moore in the NFL.
The Dolphins kicked off the trade deadline by trading away Jaelan Phillips, stripping this defense of another key piece. The Dolphins simply need to add elite talent anywhere they can on this offense, and a blue-chip player on defense would be a great start. Rueben Bain has more raw talent than any edge rusher in this class, and he'll only continue to get more productive as he continues to develop.
The New York Giants didn't make a trade for a wide receiver like many thought at the Trade Deadline, meaning they'll look to find Jaxson Dart the pieces he needs this offseason. Carnell Tate would be the perfect complement to Malik Nabers as he can beat defenses deep, but has the ability to win in the short and intermediate areas, giving Dart another receiver he can rely on.
The Browns continue to let a great defense go to waste as their quarterback room is truly a disaster. While Ty Simpson may not have the raw talent that some of the other quarterbacks in this class have, he's the type of passer who can start from Day One and grow on the job, helping the Browns finally compete in the AFC North.
At this point, the Las Vegas Raiders have to focus on adding blue-chip players, especially on defense. After releasing Christian Wilkins this offseason, the Raiders have a glaring hole in the middle of the defensive line. Peter Woods could jump into this Raiders defense and instantly draw attention away from Maxx Crosby, which will only help this defense as a whole.
After allowing the Bears to score 47 points in a game where just getting one stop late would’ve allowed the Bengals to get the win, it's clear this team needs an overhaul on defense. The Bengals desperately need defensive difference makers, and there may not be a better fit for that description than Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, who would be an instant impact player for this team.
Jayden Daniels' breakout rookie season sped up the Washington Commanders' rebuild, which has shown its flaws this season. It's clear that the Commanders need to add an elite pass rusher to this defense, as they haven't had that presence since trading away Chase Young and Montez Sweat. Keldric Faulk hasn't had the production you'd expect, but he has all the raw talent to become a superstar off the edge in the NFL.
The Baltimore Ravens just got Lamar Jackson back from injury, which means by the end of the season, they won't be drafting this high. For now, Ravens fans can dream of landing an edge rusher like David Bailey, who would instantly give them an elite pass rusher to slow Joe Burrow and Aaron Rodgers.
The Rams have built one of the most exciting young defensive lines in the NFL, and as Matthew Stafford continues to age, this team will only need its defense more. Adding a cornerback like Mansoor Delane, who's jumped to the SEC and shut down some of the best receivers in the Country, would only make this defense even tougher to pass against.
The quarterback situation for the Arizona Cardinals is in limbo with Kyler Murray's injury, while the offense looks its best with Jacoby Brissett. Whether the Cardinals hang onto Murray or not, the team should invest in the offensive line to set whichever QB up for success. Francis Mauigoa has been an elite offensive tackle for 3 seasons, and he could step right into the role and help improve this offense.
The Houston Texans are still in the middle of an offensive line rebuild, and the top priority has to be protecting CJ Stroud. Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano has the most upside of any tackle in this class, and even while he develops, he'd be an upgrade over some of the current pieces on this offensive line.
The Cowboys went All-In trading for Quinnen Williams, meaning they need to nail this draft to improve the defense. This team can use a cornerback as Trevon Diggs continues to age, and it should become a top concern for this team. Jermod McCoy is a potential Top 5 pick when healthy, and we've seen Dallas take that risk as recently as this season, taking Shavon Revel.
JJ McCarthy returned from injury, and all of the concerns about the offense started to disappear. The biggest flaw this team has is at cornerback, and adding an elite cornerback like Avieon Terrell would be the perfect addition to help slow the explosive offenses of their division rivals.
The Carolina Panthers continue to pick up wins, which is great news for Bryce Young, as it makes adding a quarterback harder and less likely. If the Panthers are going to build around Young, the team will need to add to the offensive line to give him more time. Caleb Lomu is a well-developed pass protector who would instantly upgrade this offensive line.
Rashee Rice returning to the lineup has brought back some of the explosiveness this Chiefs offense was lacking. Where the Chiefs offense can hit that next level, becoming unstoppable, is by adding an elite running back, as they haven't had a big-play threat since Isaiah Pacheco's injury. Jeremiyah Love is clearly the most elite running back in the Country, and adding him to an offense with Pattrick Mahomes would seem unfair.
The Bears offense is starting to click, but this team will need to reshuffle the wide receiver room as Rome Odunze's dad has expressed frustration with his targets. The top priority should be landing players to help Caleb Williams, and if Jordyn Tyson is available, he'd be the perfect target to add on the outside.
If the Browns are going to draft another quarterback with their first pick, they need to land a wide receiver to make his life easier. Makai Lemon has been that type of player for the USC Trojans as an excellent route runner with explosive speed who'd instantly become a top target for whoever their quarterback is.
If the Steelers are going to run it back with Aaron Rodgers next season, they need to do whatever it takes to keep him upright. Kadyn Proctor is an intriguing Draft prospect as he may translate best as a guard, but he has a ton of upside and could slot in wherever the team sees fit.
The Detroit Lions may have trouble retaining elite linebacker Alex Anzalone this offseason as they start to pay some of their young core. The Lions can land elite linebacker Sonny Styles, who makes plays against the run, while his background as a former safety makes him a great player in pass coverage.
This season has felt like the breakout year the Chargers have been looking for out of Justin Herbert, but it's also been derailed by offensive tackle injuries. Adding weapons for Justin Herbert should be key so this team can compete when the offensive line is intact, and adding an athletic freak in Kenyon Sadiiq at tight end would only make this offense scarier next season.
The 49ers' needs are hard to evaluate as every weekend, they seemingly lose an elite player for the season to injury. The 49ers could use another weapon at wide receiver to help take some of the pressure off George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey. Chris Bell has elite size and speed, which would help this offense create explosive plays in the receiving game.
The Dallas Cowboys made a massive swing to add DT Quinnen Williams from the Jets, as this defense still needs a ton of upgrades. This offseason, the Cowboys need to draft an edge rusher to help bolster this unit. LT Overton has been a solid pass rusher for the Lions and could make a great impact against the run.
Anytime that the Buffalo Bills struggle at times on offense, it looks like Josh Allen could use a go-to guy at wide receiver like he had in Stefon Diggs. Denzel Boston has been one of the most exciting X-Receivers over the past two seasons, as he can start on the outside with Keon Coleman, allowing Khalil Shakir to dominate in the slot.
The Seahawks' gamble moving on from Geno Smith to bring in Sam Darnold has been a home run thus far. As the team looks to build around Darnold, protecting him will be key, making Isaiah World a great pick as he has all the tools to develop into an elite offensive tackle after making the jump to the Big Ten.
Continuing on the idea that the Rams should add some young defensive backs to a defense with an exciting front 7, Kamari Ramsey would be a great pick. The USC safety can play both nickel and traditional safety which would add a ton of fun wrinkles to this group.
The Denver Broncos have built the league's best defense, and they should continue to build upon that strength in a division with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. With the edge rushers that the Broncos have, adding a nose tackle like A'Mauri Washington, who can help against the run, would make playing against this defense even tougher, as he'd draw a ton of double teams.
The Buccaneers continue to surprise everyone, as it's clear this team is going to compete for NFC South Championships every year. The Bucs will continue to try to build up in the trenches, and adding another defensive tackle makes the most sense. Christen Miller is another powerful defensive tackle who could be paired with Vita Vea to form a dominant duo on the interior for the Bucs.
Drake Maye has emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in his second season, and the top priority for the Patriots now is surrounding him with the tools to win. KC Concepcion is the elite player after the catch that the Patriots are missing, who could come in and make life easier on Drake Maye.
The Philadelphia Eagles' edge rush room has gotten to the point where franchise icon Brandon Graham came out of retirement to help the team. The Eagles need to draft a player who can get after the passer, and Cashius Howell has the perfect resume. Howell was an elite pass rusher at Bowling Green, but he's at Texas A&M where he's already posted 9.5 sacks, proving he's an elite pass rusher.
The New York Jets will find their franchise quarterback early in the draft and their second 1st round pick will be used to help him. The Jets have a ton of promising young pieces on the offensive line, and drafting a guard with upside would give the team a group to build around up front. Ioane has some experience playing alongside Jets tackle Olu Fashanu and the talent to step in and instantly upgrade this offense.