6 Teams That Should Be Trying to Trade Up in the 2026 NFL Draft

It's still a while until the 2026 NFL draft in Pittsburgh, but with the scouting combine rapidly approaching, teams are already deep in preparation for how best to bolster their roster with young talent on rookie contracts.

The first overall pick appears to be something of a foregone conclusion. But after Fernando Mendoza likely puts on a Las Vegas Raiders hat to open the festivities, there will be surprises. And some of those surprises will involve trades.

There's the possibility for quite a bit of moving up and down the board come April 23—multiple teams already possess multiple first-round picks this year, including a couple that need every bit of help they can get.

Those teams could leverage that additional capital to make a move up for a player they covet, but there are some other squads that need help at a specific position enough to consider making a move.

These teams should consider it—strongly.

New York Jets

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

To be clear, this isn't about the New York Jets trying to wrangle the first overall pick away from the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Raiders aren't going to let Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza slip through their fingers unless the trade offer is impossible to pass on.

And given the strength (or lack thereof) of this year's draft class, an argument can be made for New York trading back from No. 2 if it means adding another first-round pick.

The reality is that the Jets need quantity almost as much as quality this year. It's easier to identify the areas where they don't have needs than the ones they do.

The Jets need offensive weapons. Help in the trenches on both sides of the ball. After trading Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner last year, the defense needs bolstering at every level.

Oh, and New York could use a quarterback.

The Jets already have a pair of first-rounders, at No. 2 and No. 16, but they could add a third with a trade up late in Round 1. They have the first pick in Round 2 and also have the Dallas Cowboys' second-rounder at No. 44.

Combining those (or a similar package) should be enough to get the Jets a third bite at the apple in the latter stages of Round 1. And combined with the pair of firsts the team has in 2027, that would mean adding five potential difference-makers over the next two years—all with fifth-year options on their rookie deals.

Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

Francis Mauigoa

You may be about to wonder if there's an echo in here.

Like the Jets, the Cleveland Browns are coming off a miserable season and have needs galore on both sides of the ball.

Cleveland badly needs to upgrade the wide receiver room. The team has six offensive linemen set to hit free agency, including the team's starting guards and center. And while Shedeur Sanders had a moment or two last year, the Browns' quarterback situation isn't exactly settled.

Like the Jets, the Browns also have a pair of first-round picks—their own at No. 6 and Jacksonville's pick at No. 24. Moving up from No. 6 feels unnecessary—at that spot the Browns could add O-line help with a player like Miami tackle Francis Mauigoa or a wideout like Ohio State's Carnell Tate.

But if Cleveland sees a high-end prospect at a position of need available in the Nos. 16-20 range, moving up a handful of picks to grab said prospect makes sense.

And given the team's myriad needs and woeful salary-cap situation (the Browns have just $3.2 million in cap space per Over the Cap), the addition of a third first-rounder isn't a bad idea—provided it doesn't cost the team its first pick next year.

It's likely going to be a high one.

Los Angeles Rams

AP Photo/Jay LaPrete

Caleb Downs

The Los Angeles Rams couldn't be in a more different situation than the teams we have mentioned so far.

Where the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets are essentially starting over (again), the Rams just came within a game of the Super Bowl. The team is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball.

And thanks to Atlanta's trade up last year to select edge-rusher James Pearce Jr. (a trade that looked bad, then good, and now bad again), the Rams have two first-rounders in 2026: No. 13 from the Falcons and their own pick at No. 29.

L.A. may have a talented roster, but it also has needs, whether it's on the offensive line or in the secondary.

With reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford now 38 years old, the team's window to get back to the Super Bowl isn't going to stay open forever. And Rams general manager Les Snead has never been shy about being aggressive to upgrade the roster.

Using the draft pick trade value chart at DraftTek, combining No. 13 and No. 29 would be enough to move the Rams into the top five, where they could have their choice of any offensive tackle in the draft.

Pairing No. 13 and a second-rounder would probably get the Rams into the top 10, where Ohio State safety Caleb Downs (the best defensive back in the class) could be in play.

The Rams need immediate contributors, and getting aggressive in Round 1 increases their odds of getting one.

Dallas Cowboys

AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

Rueben Bain Jr.

This one could be a little tricky.

The good news for the Dallas Cowboys is that thanks to the Micah Parsons trade, the team picked up extra first-round picks in both 2026 and 2027. The bad news is that thanks to the trade that landed defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in Dallas, one of next year's first-rounders and this year's pick in Round 2 belongs to the New York Jets.

So, putting together a package to move up significantly from No. 12 would probably mean including the 20th overall pick as well.

With that said, we know three things about the Cowboys. We know that regardless of their record in 2025, they will head into this season with aspirations of a trip to Super Bowl LXI. We know Jerry Jones has long had an affinity for making splash moves. And we know one of the Cowboys' primary needs in 2026 is to upgrade the pass rush.

Enter this year's best edge-rushers—Arvell Reese of Ohio State and Miami's Rueben Bain Jr.

Reese actually bears more than a passing resemblance to Parsons—an off-ball linebacker in college whose future in the pros appears to be on the edge. Bain is more of a prototypical 4-3 end. Both could provide an immediate impact. Neither will probably make it out of the top-five overall.

It wouldn't be cheap. But a move up on April 23 could make more of an impact on the team's defense than standing pat and choosing twice outside the top-10.

Las Vegas Raiders

AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough

Denzel Boston

By virtue of a woeful 3-14 season, the Las Vegas Raiders have pick No. 1 in 2026, and while new head coach Klint Kubiak didn't say it directly to reporters, the widespread expectation is they'll take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

"My exposure is very limited," Kubiak said. "I saw him play the national championship game, I saw the interviews he's given after those games and how team-oriented he is. I look forward to getting to know the player better, but obviously a really talented guy with a bright future. We'll see. We'll see where it ends up. But we've got a lot of work to do to get to know him before that time comes."

However, quarterback is hardly the only team need in Vegas—the Raiders need help all over the place. Given that, it might seem wise for the team to keep every pick it can.

However, there's an argument for trading back into the latter portion of Round 1, if only because it means a second player on a rookie deal that includes a fifth-year option.

Players like Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston and Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling are fringe first-rounders who would likely be Day 1 starters for Las Vegas.

And the cost to move up a handful of spots to select them shouldn't be prohibitively expensive.

Buffalo Bills

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Malachi Fields

There may not be a general manager under more pressure to nail the 2026 draft than Brandon Beane of the Buffalo Bills.

When the Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott, it sent a clear message: close won't cut it anymore. Anything less than a trip to the Super Bowl isn't going to cut it. And while the Bills have multiple needs just like any other NFL team (edge-rusher and the offensive line among them), one stands above all others.

The Bills need a No. 1 wide receiver. There's a reason why most mock drafts have them taking a wide receiver, with B/R's post-Super Bowl mock projecting Notre Dame's Malachi Fields to the team at No. 26.

"The (Keon) Coleman experiment has been a failure," Dame Parson wrote. "As such, the situation only exacerbates a need already found on Buffalo's roster. Fields offers similar tools, size, strength and high-pointing ability to rectify the situation. Comparatively, he also plays with more awareness as a short-to-intermediate target. Plus, Fields is a more dominant ball-winner that Josh Allen can trust."

Buffalo's need at the position is so great, in fact, that Beane should give serious thought to leveraging a Day 2 pick to draft an even higher-ranked prospect at the position.

Ohio State's Carnell Tate may be too pricey, but it's possible 2025 Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon, who may be the most NFL-ready receiver in the class, could be in play.

The Bills need a pass-catcher who is ready to contribute now.