The New York Jets have as much draft capital as any team in the league this season. They have the No. 2 pick and the No. 16 pick in the first round. They also have the No. 1 pick in the second round, which is No. 33 overall, as well as the No. 44 pick in the draft.
The Jets are going to need to hit the jackpot with these selections. They need more impact players on defense and a few playmakers on offense. But they could explore a few draft day trades to help push the team in the right direction, too.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell recently [put together a draft day mock trade](https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2026/story/_/id/48373315/2026-nfl-mock-draft-all-trades-barnwell-deals-32-round-1-picks-players-mccarthy-crosby) that would send the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for the No. 4 pick, the No. 66 pick, and a 2027 fourth-round pick.
Jets would benefit from a draft-day trade
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Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) reacts during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
"New York might be more agnostic about which of those defensive players it lands, and at No. 4, it could still ensure that it lands a difference-maker in the front seven," Barnwell wrote. "The Titans, on the other hand, might be more specific. I have to imagine that Tennessee coach Robert Saleh -- who has preferred lean, athletic edge rushers for his defenses -- would want to add Bailey.
"The Titans have Jermaine Johnson and 2025 second-rounder Oluwafemi Oladejo on the edge already, but Bailey might be the most athletic edge rusher they have drafted since Jevon Kearse. There won't be a huge demand to trade up in the top 10 here, which is why the price would be relatively muted."
Trading down from pick No. 2 to pick No. 4 would benefit the Jets in a big way. They'd be adding two more solid draft picks to help bolster a roster that still needs a complete makeover. And they would still have a chance to draft a top four player in the draft.
The Jets are seemingly targeting an edge rusher at pick No. 4. Let's say they want Ohio State's Arvell Reese over Texas Tech's David Bailey, though it could be the other way around.
Making this trade doesn't guarantee they can land one of the two, as Bailey and Reese could go No. 2 and No. 3 in the draft. But there's a good chance the Titans select one, and the Arizona Cardinals target a different position at pick No. 3. That would leave the other edge rusher available for the Jets.
In a perfect world, the Jets would land the edge rusher they want at pick No. 4. This would add two draft picks without missing out on the player they want. The worst-case scenario sees Reese and Bailey go at picks No. 2 and No. 3, which forces the Jets to take somebody like Sonny Styles instead. Still, it's not a bad situation at all.