Six Trade Scenarios Listed

NFL.com’s 2026 draft debate sketched six Round 1 trade ideas built around teams that already control extra first-round picks, including the Jets at Nos. 2 and 16 and the Cowboys at Nos. 12 and 20. (nfl.com) The first round starts Thursday, April 23, in Pittsburgh, and six first-round picks have already changed hands before the draft begins. NFL.com’s draft order lists Dallas twice, the Jets twice, Cleveland twice, Miami twice and Kansas City twice in Round 1. (nfl.com) One proposal has Dallas jumping from No. 12 to No. 4 to beat the Giants to linebacker Sonny Styles, after the Cowboys finished 2025 allowing 30.1 points and 251.5 passing yards per game. Another has the Jets using 2026 capital to move up for a wide receiver after adding Geno Smith as their bridge starter. (nfl.com 1) (nfl.com 2) (nfl.com 3) The Giants show up on both sides of the trade conversation. NFL.com floated Los Angeles sending No. 22 to New York for Dexter Lawrence, while separate NFL.com reporting said Lawrence requested a trade and reached an impasse in extension talks this week. (nfl.com 1) (nfl.com 2) That framing reflects how this draft is set up: several clubs near the top need quarterbacks or pass catchers, while others hold extra picks from earlier blockbuster deals. The Cowboys’ second first-rounder came from Green Bay in the Micah Parsons trade, and the Jets’ extra first came from Indianapolis. (nfl.com 1) (nfl.com 2) NFL.com’s trade-trends piece says the league has averaged 12 first-round picks traded per draft over the last five years, with 142 total picks moved per draft on average. It also notes that 2026 already has six traded first-rounders, which is why more movement on April 23 is a reasonable expectation. (nfl.com) The top of the board gives teams motive to move. Round 1 opens with Las Vegas, the Jets, Arizona, Tennessee and the Giants at picks 1 through 5, and NFL.com lists quarterback among the top needs for the Raiders, Jets, Cardinals and Browns. (nfl.com) (nfl.com) New York’s situation is especially fluid because John Harbaugh took over as Giants coach in January, and the club still holds No. 5 even after trading back into Round 1 last year for Jaxson Dart. That makes the Giants both a possible buyer for a prospect and a possible seller if a veteran deal materializes. (nfl.com) (nfl.com) (nfl.com) The thread running through all six scenarios is simple: teams with extra firsts can pay to move, and teams with roster holes can cash out. The real test comes Thursday night, when the board starts at No. 1 and the phones start ringing. (nfl.com)