5 Under-the-Radar Candidates to be Traded During 2026 NFL Draft

The 2026 NFL draft is less than a month away and set to inject plenty of excitement into the offseason.

Not only are hundreds of intriguing prospects set to get selected across the league's 32 teams, but there are also sure to be a flurry of trades—many involving impact veterans in addition to picks—over the course of the three-day event that will reshape the NFL landscape.

While anyone could be traded during the draft, less heralded players are more likely to be moved than their star counterparts. These underrated contributors may not be drawing the same level of trade buzz as A.J. Brown or Maxx Crosby, but they still stick out as possible targets for teams seeking proven talent.

With that in mind, let's highlight five under-the-radar trade candidates who could be on the move during the 2026 NFL draft.

CB Renardo Green, San Francisco 49ers

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

The San Francisco 49ers have a tough decision to make regarding Renardo Green. The cornerback has shown glimpses of the talent that made him a second-round pick in the 2024 draft and even emerged as a full-time starter last year, but his inconsistencies have also set the team back.

Despite starting 14 games and playing 92 percent of the defensive snaps in those contests, Green only contributed 60 tackles and zero picks in 2025. He secured his lone interception as a professional early in his rookie year and hasn't come up with any takeaways since.

While Green is a capable coverage man—evidenced by his 23 pass defenses in 31 games—who plays aggressively to make up for his lack of size, he's been prone to taking unnecessary gambles. He's also experienced mental lapses that have hindered San Francisco's defensive efforts.

It remains to be seen how he'll fit within the system of new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, who took over the role from Robert Saleh this offseason. Head coach Kyle Shanahan was visibly frustrated with Green during the team's playoff matchup against the rival Seattle Seahawks, at one point pulling him from the game and chewing him out on the sidelines.

Despite Shanahan chalking the moment up to "coaching aggressively", that moment could be indicative of a franchise ready to move on from the corner.

General manager John Lynch has vehemently denied the Niners are shopping Green, but it wouldn't be a surprise if teams still come calling with the hopes of landing a talented young corner who appears to have fallen out of favor in San Francisco.

Green is only due a shade over $3 million for the next two seasons combined and could net the 49ers a solid return during the 2026 NFL draft.

QB Tanner McKee, Philadelphia Eagles

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

The Philadelphia Eagles have made it clear they value Tanner McKee and want to keep him around, but the organization won't be able to hang onto the promising backup quarterback forever.

With McKee entering the final year of his rookie deal, Philadelphia's brass is running out of options. The Eagles either need to find a way to offer an extension to a player who has started just two games in three seasons or, and this is the far more likely scenario, execute a trade with one of the many QB-hungry teams who have expressed interest in the 2023 sixth-rounder.

An extension would be tough to negotiate, given McKee likely wants an opportunity to start. That isn't going to happen with Jalen Hurts locked in as Philly's QB1, and it could be prohibitively expensive to make it financially worthwhile for McKee to stick around in a backup role.

Trading for him won't be simple, either, with reports emerging that Philadelphia has a high asking price for McKee's services. According to NJ.com's Cayden Steele, the Eagles are waiting for an offer that "blows them away," with a Day 2 pick being a potential starting point. ESPN's Rich Cimini revealed that the Eagles have told inquiring parties that it will cost a second-rounder to pry McKee away.

While that appears to be an exorbitant price for a player who has thrown less than 100 NFL passes, McKee has fared extremely well in limited action. He's completed 61.4 percent of his throws for 597 yards and five touchdowns with one interception, displaying the upside to become a viable NFL starting quarterback in the right situation.

If a team gets desperate during the upcoming NFL draft, it wouldn't be a complete shock to see McKee get moved for a conditional Day 2 pick.

LB Patrick Queen, Pittsburgh Steelers

AP Photo/Matt Durisko

Patrick Queen was one of the Pittsburgh Steelers' marquee free-agent pickups two years ago, but he's emerging as a potential trade target this offseason.

Queen, a 2020 first-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens, underwhelmed in 2025 after making back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances the prior two seasons. While he remained a 17-game starter and contributed a solid 120 tackles on the year, he struggled significantly in coverage and against the run.

Pro Football Focus gave a concerning 44.0 grade to Queen for his efforts, a score that placed him in the bottom 10 among qualified linebackers in 2025. He was a major liability in coverage, allowing 58 completions for 663 yards and two touchdowns on the 84 targets he faced (per Pro-Football-Reference). He earned bottom-five marks at his position with a 31.3 grade in the pass coverage category.

While Queen still contributed at a high level in pass-rushing situations—recording 17 pressures and a sack on the year—his propensity for missed tackles (he was credited with 31 last year) and an expensive contract makes him an obvious trade candidate.

Despite the regression and a $13.3 million salary, Queen should have some interested suitors arise during the 2026 NFL draft.

According to Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News, Queen was one of three veteran linebackers who the Dallas Cowboys had shown some interest in earlier in the offseason.

While the Cowboys have thus far declined to pull the trigger on a trade, Dallas' brass could put an offer on the table if the team doesn't draft an off-ball linebacker next month.

QB Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

The New Orleans Saints and Spencer Rattler appear to be headed towards a breakup.

With Tyler Shough securing the starting role and Zach Wilson recently joining the team to compete for a depth role, Rattler looks to be the odd man out in the Big Easy.

Rattler's tenure with the Saints has been a rocky one. Since joining the club as a fifth-round pick in 2024, he's started 14 games and won just one of them. While he shook off an abysmal rookie year and displayed some improvements early in the 2025 campaign, it ultimately wasn't enough to move the needle.

Rattler ceded the QB1 role to Shough midway through the season and has little chance of regaining that role barring an injury. Wilson, a first-rounder in 2021 who has bounced around the league, is only a year older than Rattler and offers more upside in a backup role.

With Shough locked in as the top choice to run head coach Kellen Moore's offense, Rattler won't be anything but an unreliable emergency option if he remains in New Orleans.  

While there's a chance the Saints could stick with Shough, Wilson and Rattler as their three quarterbacks for 2026, the team would likely prefer to recoup some semblance of value for Rattler if the opportunity presents itself.

Despite the lack of team success with Rattler at the helm, the signal-caller did complete 67.7 percent of his throws for 1,586 yards and eight touchdowns last year. He only threw five picks and took 18 sacks, decent marks for a second-year passer learning a new system.

Expect Rattler to garner some trade interest from a club seeking both starting experience and upside to pad out its quarterbacks room with.

Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants

AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.

Kayvon Thibodeaux has been one of the more disappointing of the New York Giants' recent early-round picks. He joined Big Blue as the No. 5 overall pick in 2022, coming out of Oregon with plenty of fanfare and hype surrounding his ability to be a difference-maker on the edge.

While he flashed that potential early on—notably recording 11.5 sacks during his sophomore campaign—his contributions have diminished in recent years. Injuries have kept him off the field for 12 games since the start of the 2024 season and he's hardly been effective during the 22 contests he did appear in. He tallied just 5.5 sacks in 2024 and just 2.5 this past season.

Thibodeaux is now going into the final year of his rookie deal after the team elected to pick up his nearly $15 million fifth-year option last April. Given the costs and fading production, the Giants shouldn't hesitate to move on this offseason.

According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, league sources expect the G-Men to ship their underperforming edge defender off and utilize the cap savings to bolster weak areas along the defensive front.

Several proven veterans, such as nose tackle D.J. Reader, are still up for grabs after the initial waves of free agency and could have a bigger impact than Thibodeaux for New York's defense.

While Thibodeaux's trade value isn't high after a disappointing 2025 showing, he still has some upside remaining that could net Big Blue a late-Day 2 or early-Day 3 pick. It would be a fair return at this point for a player who has struggled to contribute and stay healthy.