With the 2026 NFL Draft only a few weeks out, the New York Jets are slated to pick second overall after finishing the regular season with a 3-14 record in Aaron Glenn’s first year.
Despite the early selection, Jets insiders reveal that the team would be willing to trade back from the second overall pick.
Why the Jets Would Trade Their Second-Overall Pick
The 2025 season was not good for Glenn, who coached the Jets to the second-worst record in the league, earning them the second overall pick.
In PFSN’s NFL Offensive Impact Metric, the team ranked 29th in the league with an impact score of 58.7 and a letter grade of F. Despite having dynamic players like running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson, their key free agency signing, quarterback Justin Fields, never got the ball rolling.
The same could be said for their defense, which ranked 31st in PFSN’s NFL Defensive Impact Metric with an impact score of 62.8 and a letter grade of D-. During the season, the team traded away key defenders like defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (Dallas Cowboys) and cornerback Sauce Gardner (Indianapolis Colts).
In PFSN’s Jacob Infante’s most recent mock draft, he has the team drafting edge rusher David Bailey out of Texas Tech. In PFSN’s College Football Edge Impact Metric, Bailey ranked as the best edge rusher with an impact score of 92.9 and a letter grade of A-. During the 2025 college season, he recorded 14.5 sacks, 52 tackles, and 19.5 tackles for loss.
However, in a recent segment of “Jets Final Drive,” Jets insiders Zack Rosenblatt and Connor Hughes reveal that there is real buzz about the team trading down in the draft to acquire more capital:
“Do I feel confident that a trade will happen?” Rosenblatt said. “I don’t, but I left the owner’s meetings thinking it’s at least possible, I would say.”
“That’s me too,” Hughes added. “I thought the same thing… I absolutely think the Jets would be open & willing to move back.”
Fascinating #Jets buzz coming out of Annual League Meetings about potentially trading the No. 2 overall pick:
‘Do I feel confident that a trade will happen? I don’t but I left the owner’s meetings thinking it’s at least possible I would say,’ – @ZackBlatt.
‘That’s me too, I… pic.twitter.com/Z6cnjOiHG1
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) April 3, 2026
Looking at the Jets’ current roster, it’s clear that they’ll need more draft assets if they plan to be competitive in the coming years, especially since they ranked poorly in PFSN’s metrics on both sides of the ball.
BE AN NFL GM: PFSN’s Ultimate GM Simulator
However, they already hold two first-round picks (Nos. 2 and 16) and two second-round picks (Nos. 33 and 44). Instead of trading back, should they take the guaranteed best player available since the Las Vegas Raiders are almost certainly taking Fernando Mendoza?
