NY Jets post-trade deadline mock draft: Trading up

The 2026 NFL trade deadline was an uneventful one of the New York Jets, a far cry from last year’s hullabaloo.

With the trade deadline and more than half of the 2026 season in the rearview, the Jets’ 2027 offseason shopping list is beginning to come into focus. On that note, here is how the Jets may use their trio of 2027 first-round picks as things currently stand. This mock was conducted using Jets X-Factor’s mock draft simulator.

Round 1, Pick 2 (via Tennessee)

Nabbing a franchise quarterback is the Jets’ first priority this offseason, so they can’t screw around here. If their highest first-round pick doesn’t climb far enough to select a quarterback they feel great about, they need to weaponize their war chest of picks to move up.

Currently, the Jets’ highest pick is slotted at No. 4, via the Indianapolis Colts. That puts them behind the QB-needy Miami Dolphins at No. 3. The top-slotted Los Angeles Chargers likely won’t need a QB, assuming they stick with Justin Herbert under a new staff. Giving Herbert another chance with a new coach and potential first-overall WR Jeremiah Smith seems like an exciting route.

The No. 2-slotted Tennessee Titans are the wild card. They may decide to give up on Cam Ward, but they could also give the former No. 1 pick a third season to prove himself. For the sake of this exercise, let’s say that Tennessee decides to give Ward one final shot.

Armed with three first-rounders, the Jets can afford to be aggressive to leapfrog the division-rival Dolphins for the first quarterback off the board. They swing a deal with the trade-down-seeking Titans, who, content with Ward, won’t miss out on their prospects of choice by dropping behind two teams likely to select a QB.

In this mock, the Jets send the No. 4 pick (worth 1,800 points, via the classic trade chart), Dallas’ No. 13 pick (1,150 points), and their own third-round pick, currently slotted at No. 65 (250 points) to Tennessee for the No. 2 pick (2,600 points) and the Titans’ second-round pick, currently slotted at No. 35 (550 points).

Here’s the complete deal.

Jets receive (3,150 points):

• R1-2 (2,600 points)
• R2-35 (550 points)

Titans receive (3,200 points):

• R1-4 (1,800 points)
• R1-13 (1,150 points)
• R3-65 (250 points)

At second overall, the Jets select Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker, who is currently ranked as the consensus No. 3 overall prospect at NFL Mock Draft Database, and the No. 1 quarterback. Jets general manager Darren Mougey recently watched Mestemaker in person, even chatting with his offensive coordinator on the field.

Even after getting aggressive to land their franchise quarterback, the Jets still have three more picks in the top 37: No. 6 (their own first-rounder), No. 35 (via Tennessee), and No. 37 (their own second-rounder). This is the luxury of having premium picks to spare.

Don’t forget that the Jets already made three first-round picks in 2026, so they have more than enough wiggle room to afford to lose a premium choice if it means they ensure their preferred quarterback.

The Pick: Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State

Round 1, Pick 6

After investing heavily in a new franchise quarterback, the Jets need to do everything in their power to ensure he succeeds at the next level. Yes, they already have plenty of weapons in place and a handful of starter-level offensive linemen, but they shouldn’t stop there. The goal should be to build an impenetrable fortress for the youngster.

Eight games remain for this to change, but as of now, left tackle is a need for the Jets. Former first-round pick Olu Fashanu is on pace to become the first offensive lineman to finish a season with 15+ sacks allowed and 10+ penalties in the Pro Football Focus database (2006-present).

New York doesn’t mess around with Mestemaker’s blind side, using the sixth pick on Texas’ Trevor Goosby. The 21-year-old has been starting games at left tackle for the Longhorns since he was 19 years old, providing high-level pass protection throughout.

Goosby has posted a PFF pass-blocking grade of 80.0+ in three straight seasons, including a career-high 85.6 mark this season, which ranks third among Power Four left tackles. On 223 pass-blocking snaps, he has allowed no sacks and committed one penalty.

The redshirt junior’s 2026 season is over, as he recently underwent successful surgery on his torn left patellar tendon, but he is expected to make a complete recovery with no residual effects.

The Pick: Trevor Goosby, LT, Texas

Round 2, Pick 35 (via Tennessee)

While the Jets don’t get to make three first-round choices in this mock due to the trade-up, they still get to fall back on a high second-rounder.

Here, they add much-needed juice to their defensive line with Notre Dame edge rusher Boubacar Traore, who ranks fifth among Power Four edge rushers in PFF’s pass-rush productivity metric (11.8).

The Pick: Boubacar Traore, EDGE, Notre Dame

Round 2, Pick 37

New York badly needs defensive line help; there will be no such thing as too many defensive line additions this offseason. So, they go back-to-back with defensive linemen in the second round, nabbing versatile Alabama defensive lineman Devan Thompkins, formerly of USC.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pounder rotates all over the line and stays productive in both phases while doing so, already collecting 27 total pressures this season, along with 18 defensive stops.

The Pick: Devan Thompkins, DL, Alabama

Full Draft Class:

• Round 1, Pick 2: Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
• Round 1, Pick 6: Trevor Goosby, OT, Texas
• Round 1, Pick 35: Boubacar, Traore, EDGE, Notre Dame
• Round 1, Pick 37: Devan Thompkins, DL, Alabama